Outdoor farrowing systems for pigs offer welfare advantages over indoor systems through access to natural nesting materials and behavioral freedom, while introducing different management challenges.
Outdoor farrowing welfare advantages arise primarily from the opportunity for sows to express their strong pre-farrowing nesting motivation using real materials in a space where they can move freely. The behavioral deprivation of indoor systems that prevent nesting is avoided entirely when sows farrow in field conditions with straw-bedded huts. However, outdoor farrowing presents different welfare challenges: exposure of newborn piglets to cold or wet weather, crushing risk when sow movement is unrestricted, and heat stress for sows in summer without shade. Good outdoor farrowing management addresses these challenges through appropriate hut placement, straw provision, and seasonal management - achieving superior welfare outcomes to indoor systems for motivated producers who invest in appropriate management.