Farm Animals

Pig Sow Gestation Nutrition Welfare

Sow nutrition during gestation determines piglet birth weight, colostrum quality, and sow body reserves, with both under- and over-nutrition causing welfare problems.

Key Facts

Sow nutrition requirements increase significantly in the final third of gestation when piglets grow fastest
Under-nutrition causes low birth weight piglets with poor survival and competitive disadvantage
Over-nutrition at dry-off increases metabolic disease risk in early lactation
Individual electronic feeding in group housing allows precision nutrition for each sow
Body condition scoring guides gestating sow feeding adjustments throughout gestation

Welfare Considerations

Gestating sow nutrition directly determines piglet welfare through birth weight and colostrum quality. Getting nutrition right prevents both sow and piglet welfare problems.

What You Can Do

Implement individual feeding systems or body condition score monitoring in gestation
Train staff in body condition scoring to enable feeding adjustments
Ensure final third of gestation nutrition meets elevated requirements
Work with a nutritionist to design gestation diets based on production data