A 25 years experience of group-housed sows–reproduction in animal welfare-friendly systems

Einarsson, S.; Hultén, Fredrik; Eliasson-Selling, Lena; Dalin, Anne-Marie; Lundeheim, N.; Magnusson, Ulf

doi:10.1186/1751-0147-56-37

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…One phase of production where keeping sows in groupssuch a development appears possible is keeping sows in groups duringthe lactation [5]. Continuous exposure of the sow to her piglets may be stressful for the sow in a traditional lactation setup with individual housing.…”

Section: Group Housing During Lactationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This practice has clear advantages:; 1) establishing a rank in the group is supposed to take about 24 h;-if the rank is established already before fertilization, the risk related to aggression during the embryonic period is absent;, 2) social contacts between females are known to advance onset of oestrus;, and 3) it has been stated that social interaction between females are considered as “positive stress”, which is supposed to stimulate oestrus induction of oestrus [5]. However, there is more labor related to moving of sows to the boar or vice versa for oestrus detection and artificial insemination (AI).…”

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Group housed sows at AI can show oestrus freely compared to sows restricted to stalls [6] which may improve the possibilities for observing oestrus behavior and reduce the risk of inseminating a sow that is not in standing oestrus [5]. Another benefit is that sows may easily be exposed to several boars instead of one only which may potentiate the effect of boar stimulation, triggering the standing reflex better.…”

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should also be noted that social interaction during establishment of a dominance order of the group and/or exhibition of oestrus behavior are temporal behaviors of sows that may require more space per sow as compared to behavior expressed by pregnant sows. Furthermore, the social interaction may be beneficial for expression of stronger signs of oestrus, alleviating management of oestrus detection [5]. Sows that are at the borderline of having a standing reflex can be detected more easily in a group, preferably in presence of a boar.…”

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in a large scale comparison, having all sows grouped after weaning did not appear to have a detrimental effect on reproductive performance [5]. Furthermore, when different housing systems were reviewed [11], increased rate of returns to oestrus was associated by level of management and expertise rather than group housing per se [11].…”

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproduction of group-housed sows

2016

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The sow is a social animal in her behavior throughout the reproductive cycle. An exception to her preference for being a part of a social group occurs one to two1–2 d days prior to farrowing, when she separates from her group and seeks for isolation in order to build up a nest. She then spends the first week or two with her piglets, mainly in the nest. After this short period of separation of 1–2 weeks, she brings her litter with her and rejoins the group. In modern intensive pig production, the sow is often restricted to an individual cage for lactation and, in many European countries, she may still spend additional periods in stalls during pregnancy. In the intensive production, isolation of the sow from the rest of the group is therefore a relatively long period of six to ten6-10 weeks, which creates a challenge for the social memory of the sow. While grouping of sows during lactation is an interesting option, until now this is encountered mostly in organic or otherwise extensive farming systems, such as outdoor farming. However, the present society is asking for more animal friendly models of production and there appears to be more need for studies of group housing issues during lactation. Grouping of sows after weaning causes stress, which imposes risks for fertility. Thus, timing of grouping is probably very critical. It is well documented that the embryonic period of the pregnancy, lasting up to Day 35, is more vulnerable for loss of pregnancy than the subsequent fetal period. There are indications that stress of grouping may cause some harm to vitality parameters of blastocysts already while at the site of fertilization in the oviduct. Later on, during the critical periods of maternal recognition of pregnancy, endocrinological models testing maintenance of pregnancy suggest that chronic stress lasting for more than two2 days may cause abortion and loss of the whole litter. However, the sow may be resistant, in terms of her reproductive function, to acute stress lasting for hours or up to a day. In conclusion, grouping of sows during lactation may be of interest in the future. At present, issues of group housed sows after weaning and early pregnancy seem to be of most practical relevance. Chronic stress of sows lasting for more than two2 days may lead to loss of the whole litter.

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Section: Group Housing During Lactationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Grouping Sows After Weaning and Aimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproduction of group-housed sows

2016

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Sow housing associated with reproductive performance in breeding herds

Koketsu

Iida

2017

Molecular Reproduction Devel

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Female pigs in breeding herds can be managed through four phases-gilt development, breeding, gestation, and lactation-during which they may be housed in group or individual pens, stalls, or on pasture. In this review, we focus on housing environments that optimize outcomes during gestation and lactation. Appropriate housing is important during early gestation, to protect embryos and to confirm pregnancy, and from mid-to-late gestation, to ensure sufficient nutrition to increase placental and fetal growth. No difference in the number of pigs born alive were reported between group housing and individual stall housing, although more risk factors for reproductive performance are associated with group housing than stall housing including genetics, bedding, floor space allowance, group size, social ranking, and parity. Furthermore, lameness in pregnant pigs is more frequent in group housing than in stall housing.Housing during lactation helps protect piglets from being crushed or from contracting disease, and can foster the transfer of enough colostrum from mother to piglets.Indeed, lactating sows in pen housing tend to have higher pre-weaning mortality and lighter litter weights than those in crated housing.

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Feeding strategies in pig production: Sows and their piglets

Solà-Oriol

Gasa

2017

Animal Feed Science and Technology

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A 25 years experience of group-housed sows–reproduction in animal welfare-friendly systems

Cited by 21 publications

References 46 publications

Reproduction of group-housed sows

Reproduction of group-housed sows

Sow housing associated with reproductive performance in breeding herds

Feeding strategies in pig production: Sows and their piglets

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