The first week of life is the highest-risk welfare period for piglets, with crushing, chilling and starvation representing the major causes of mortality and suffering.
The first week of piglet life concentrates enormous welfare significance into a brief period. Crushing deaths are acute and distressing. Chilling causes suffering before death. Starvation from failure to receive colostrum or compete at the teat causes progressive deterioration. The farrowing crate reduces crushing but at the cost of sow welfare. Welfare-conscious first-week management requires close stockperson attention, appropriate heating provision, assistance for weak piglets to access colostrum, and humane euthanasia for piglets with poor survival prospects rather than allowing prolonged deterioration.