Breeding sows better suited to group housing

Abstract

Housing of pregnant sows is currently being revolutionised around the world. Group housing enhances opportunities for improved sow health and welfare through enabling exercise and social interactions. However, because it enables social interactions, group housing can also be detrimental to welfare and production, particularly if sow aggression occurs. Detrimental effects of adverse interactions between sows include increased injuries to sows, poor body condition and ultimately reproductive failure due to increased stress, all of which will contribute to increased rates of sow culling. Achieving both favourable welfare and reproductive outcomes for group housed sows is possible, but it relies on establishing low stress levels, favourable social interactions and sufficient feed intake for all sows. This requires not only well designed facilities coupled with appropriate animal management; it also requires populations of individual sows that are physically and behaviourally better suited towards group housing systems. This project is intended as a step towards developing breeding programs to create these populations.