Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Sow Body Condition and Welfare

Sow body condition directly reflects nutritional welfare and is a key welfare indicator across the entire reproductive cycle.

Key Facts

Sows should be at BCS 3.0-3.5 at farrowing for optimal welfare and productivity
Thin sows have higher piglet mortality and longer wean-to-service intervals
Overfat sows have increased farrowing difficulties and metabolic disease risk
BCS at weaning predicts return to oestrus and subsequent litter size
Group gestation housing with individual feeding points allows better body condition management

Welfare Considerations

Sow body condition reflects the cumulative effect of nutritional management across gestation and lactation. Thin sows suffer metabolic stress and face multiple welfare consequences for themselves and their piglets. Body condition monitoring and individual nutrition adjustment are core welfare management tools on breeding pig farms.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards requiring regular sow body condition scoring
Advocate for individual nutrition monitoring as a welfare audit criterion
Choose pork from farms with documented sow body condition monitoring