A systematic review of the impact of housing on sow welfare during post-weaning and early pregnancy periods.

ABSTRACT: Breeder animals are an important focus in farm animal welfare assessments as they typically live the longest lives and are at the greatest risk for suffering due to their longevity. For breeding pigs, the time between the end of lactation (post-weaning) and the implantation of embryos (early gestation) is very dynamic from both a physiological and husbandry perspective. However, research to date is limited on how best to house and manage sows during this critical period of their production cycle from a welfare perspective. Previous animal-based welfare outcome measures were restricted to certain health, behavioral and physiological indicators. This systematic review used Web of Science to make in-depth comparisons among welfare-based studies that focus on sow housing during the post-weanin

SUBMITTER: Chou JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9446151 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature