Few effects of sow lactational stress on maternal behavior, but altered physiology with implications for piglet early-life stress coping
Lactational stress resulted in increased cortisol in sow milk and saliva.
articles about farrowing room
Top 10 most-read articles in 2025
Take a look back at our most popular articles of the year.
Denmark phases out sow confinement
A new executive order phases out the immobilization of sows in farrowing pens.
Piglets’ behaviour and performance in relation to sow characteristics
Only some of the measured nutritive and non-nutritive sow factors influenced litter performance and behaviour, with parity and litter size also playing a role.
333 Emerging Voices: Factors determining the growth of piglets during lactation and their relationship with weaning weight
This final project from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at CEU Cardenal Herrera University was supervised by Antonio González de Bulnes López.
Precision nutrition and global collaboration shape GSS 2025
The Gestal Swine Summit 2025, organized by Jyga Technologies in Lévis, Quebec, brought together specialists, researchers, and companies from more than 10 countries to discuss nutrition, technology, and swine management strategies. In its second edition, the event reaffirmed its role as a technical and practical forum for promoting efficiency and sustainability on farms.
333 Emerging Voices - Impact of nest covers on welfare and performance of temporarily crated sows and their piglets during lactation
This work supports the use of temporary crating as a viable alternative to conventional farrowing crates. Final thesis at the Department of Animal and Food Science of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UAB, Spain, advised by Pol Llonch Obiols.
Key questions about heat stress: Fertility and productivity
This installment focuses on the effects of heat stress on sow fertility.
Sow card: Accurate record keeping is essential to improve production performance
We are sharing an example of a sow card used to record basic breeding sow data, which is essential on all farms regardless of their size.
Is there “fake” data on farms? Do we know how to convey the importance of good record keeping?
Do we know how to communicate the main objective of correct data collection? What clues can make us suspect that the data are not being properly recorded?
Do we know how to interpret what our pigs are telling us? Observations in the farrowing room
The relatively short but very intense lactation period is undoubtedly a key phase in pig production for both sows and piglets. The fragility of the piglets and the significant demands that sows face at this stage make early detection of problems essential. Do we understand what the animals are telling us?
Long-term measurement of lying behavior in crates and free-farrowing pens using 3D accelerometers
This study proves the accuracy of accelerometer-based sow lying behavior classification and shows that free-farrowing systems benefit lactating sows.
The 10 most-read articles in 2024
Of the 122 articles published on Pig333 last year by world-renowned authors, these were the ten most-read. You won't want to miss a single one.
Practical experiences with loose-housed sows during mating
To identify the keys to success in managing sows in breed and release systems, France's Chamber of Agriculture of the Brittany Region surveyed farmers who implemented this system. The results identified three strategies that producers use the week after weaning.
Hourly feeding of lactating sows: Enhancing performance and welfare in smart farm-based systems
An hourly feeding regime could optimize sow productive performance, body condition, milk yield, welfare, and piglet growth in swine production.
The management of feeding during lactation largely determines the success of the next parity (II). Factors related to total intake and associated patterns
With current data, we will review the quantitative impact of some of the most relevant factors for sows in the lactation phase.