Neonatal piglets face significant welfare challenges including crushing deaths, chilling, and early painful procedures that require targeted management to address.
Neonatal piglet welfare requires immediate attention from the moment of birth. Piglets that cannot access a teat within hours of birth die from hypoglycaemia; those exposed to cold without supplementary heat suffer and die from hypothermia. The farrowing crate was designed to prevent sow-crushing but restricts sow movement throughout farrowing and lactation - a welfare compromise that reduces one harm while creating another. Free-farrowing systems with appropriate nest materials and split-level designs reduce crushing mortality while improving sow welfare. Painful early procedures require analgesia that is not consistently applied. The welfare of neonatal piglets is a high-priority area where management improvements have large measurable impacts.