Farm Animals

Pig Sow Body Condition Welfare

Body condition scoring in sows is a validated welfare indicator linking nutrition to reproductive performance and longevity, with poor condition causing metabolic disease and early culling.

Key Facts

Sow body condition is scored on a 1-5 scale at key production stages
Over-conditioned sows at farrowing are at higher risk of MMA and metabolic disease
Under-conditioned sows have impaired immune function and reduced colostrum quality
Target BCS of 3.0-3.5 at farrowing is associated with optimal reproductive and welfare outcomes
Body condition monitoring requires staff training and consistent scoring methodology

Welfare Considerations

Body condition reflects nutritional welfare throughout a sow's productive life. Systematic monitoring and management prevents both under- and over-nutrition welfare problems.

What You Can Do

Implement regular body condition scoring at weaning, mid-gestation, and farrowing
Train staff in consistent BCS assessment to enable meaningful trend monitoring
Adjust group feeding based on individual condition scores where systems allow
Use BCS trends as a welfare metric in farm assurance and improvement programmes