European legislation (2008/120/EC) allows sows to be kept in gestation stalls for up to 4 weeks after service, but there are increased societal calls to reduce and/or ban their use. Mixing sows is inevitably associated with aggression, while reducing time spent in stalls means mixing sows into...

It was aimed with the present study to evaluate the use of slate in the construction of farrowing stalls. Twelve sows and one hundred thirty nine piglets were monitored in cell built with masonry and slate (treatments). Digital images were evaluated through two ethogram. The environmental variants...

The study was conducted to analyse the micro-climatic variables and the performance of Large White Yorkshire sows in three different farrowing housing systems, viz., conventional farrowing house with guard rail and one-third slatted floor (T1), farrowing house with guard rail and floor level...

96 pregnant sows, previously penned in individual stalls, were housed in groups of 4 in pens containing 3 zones: 4 individual feeding stalls without rear gates; a communal sleeping kennel; and a dunging area between the stalls and kennel. The feeding stalls were either long (2m) or short (1m) with...

In recent years, animal cleanliness during production has gradually attracted increasing attention. Although pigs by nature tend to excrete in dark and humid corners, in the prevalent highly intensive pig production, excessive stocking density often restricts the ability of pigs to excrete at...

There is growing societal pressure to eliminate close confinement of farm animals. However, under current EU legislation, sows can be kept in gestation stalls for up to 28 days post-service. Pregnant sows fight to establish a dominance hierarchy at mixing. This poses welfare and productivity...

Piglet development in the farrowing house is a determining factor for the economic success of the farm, being essential to use means to ensure the survival and the satisfactory performance of the piglets in this phase. The objective was to evaluate the thermal comfort of two different creeps for...

The welfare of sows in gestation accommodation, and in particular the use of gestation stalls, is a major issue of concern among the animal-welfare community and pig producers. The objective of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of width (0.6 m v. 0.75 m) and length (2.0 m v. 2.2 ...

Pressures from consumers concerned with sow well-being in gestation stalls have encouraged producers to consider how to transition from individual gestation stalls to pens in existing buildings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and well-being of sows in pens that were...

The transition of housing gestating sows from individual stalls to group pens allows for a greater freedom of movement and social interactions, but it comes with many challenges to ensure group cohesion and safety of all animals. Previous research on the behavior and welfare of group housed sows...