Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Wean-to-Service Welfare

The period between weaning and re-mating is a high-welfare-risk period for sows that requires careful nutritional and management support.

Key Facts

Sows lose body condition during lactation and must recover before re-mating
Thin sows at weaning have lower conception rates and longer return intervals
Feeding sows higher energy diets post-weaning (flushing) improves fertility
Regrouping at weaning increases social stress in addition to nutritional demand
Sows failing to return to oestrus face extended housing in isolation

Welfare Considerations

Sows experiencing prolonged wean-to-service intervals due to poor condition or nutritional management suffer from extended periods of productive failure and associated welfare complications including repeat social disruption and veterinary intervention. Nutrition monitoring from late gestation through weaning prevents most wean-to-service welfare problems.

What You Can Do

Support dairy welfare auditing that tracks sow condition at weaning
Advocate for sow nutrition management standards in welfare certification
Choose pork from farms with documented sow reproductive health monitoring