Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Sow Teat Condition and Piglet Welfare

Sow teat health directly affects piglet milk access and survival. Monitoring teat condition is an important component of piglet welfare management.

Key Facts

Sows have 14 teats on average, not all of which may be functional
Teat injuries from piglet teeth can reduce milk output
Inverted teats cannot be suckled by piglets
Teat condition declines with parity in intensively managed sows
Monitoring teat condition enables early intervention to protect piglets

Welfare Considerations

Piglets unable to access functional teats face starvation - a welfare emergency that develops rapidly. Proactive monitoring of sow teat condition, and fostering piglets from large litters or teats with inadequate function, prevents piglet starvation and the distress of hungry neonates.

What You Can Do

Implement teat condition scoring at farrowing
Foster excess piglets from large litters to sows with adequate capacity
Monitor piglet suckling success in the first 24 hours
Work with a pig vet on neonatal survival protocols