Farm Animals

Sow Lactation Welfare: Piglet Crushing and Nest Design

Piglet crushing by sows accounts for a significant proportion of pre-weaning mortality with welfare implications for sow and piglets.

Key Facts

Piglet crushing accounts for 30-50% of pre-weaning deaths in conventional systems
Farrowing crates restrict natural nest-building behaviour, increasing piglet distress
Loose housing with well-designed creep areas reduces crushing with good management
Night farrowing supervision using monitoring technology reduces mortality

Welfare Considerations

Both piglet crushing deaths and the confinement of sows in farrowing crates represent welfare costs. Well-designed loose farrowing systems with trained stockpersons show that mortality can be reduced without crate confinement.

What You Can Do

Support pig welfare schemes working toward crate-free farrowing systems
Choose pork certified under higher welfare free-farrowing schemes
Advocate for phased farrowing crate bans paired with producer support