Neonatal pig welfare is significantly influenced by farrowing management. Timely assistance during difficult births and appropriate colostrum management prevent early mortality and suffering.
Neonatal welfare in pig production represents a critical window where skilled stockmanship directly determines whether animals live or die in pain or comfort. Piglets that fail to access colostrum suffer immune failure leading to painful disease; those that experience hypothermia suffer cold stress that impairs their ability to compete for milk; those from difficult farrowing events may have trauma-related injuries that cause ongoing pain. These welfare outcomes are substantially within stockperson control through attentive monitoring, timely assistance, and appropriate neonatal management. Investment in stockperson training for farrowing management is among the highest-return welfare interventions in pig production.