Group housing is a socially enriched environment, but aggression is still a risk due to competition for resources like territory and food. Providing enrichment can reduce aggression and stereotypic behaviours. The Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling...

Providing enrichment improves biological functioning and the well-being of animals. For pigs reared in Canada, this is now a requirement. It promotes positive social behaviour and is an outlet for their highly motivated exploratory behaviour. Adverse behaviours, stereotypic behaviours and...

Multiple significant changes occur simultaneously during weaning making it a highly stressful time for piglets. Increased cortisol levels and weight loss are often noted after weaning, resulting in increased disease risk and mortality. Providing creep feed before weaning promotes solid...

A gestation stall alternative are walk-in/lock-in stalls, a group housing design that gives sows a choice to the communal area or to remain in the stall while providing individual feeding protection. Most sows use the free space area, but they...

One of the most common reasons for culling sows in lameness. Overall herd productivity, sow welfare and sow productivity can be increased if treatment and prevention of lameness is implemented. In order for sows to generate profit, they must remain...

Painful livestock procedure concern is increasing, with one of pig productions key issues being castration of piglets. Castration is done in male piglets to avoid ‘boar taint’ which is the development of undesirable odours that can occur in the meat...

Welfare, ease of handling, stockperson labour required to move and productivity are all influenced by the susceptibility of pigs to stress. Severe losses for packers and producers often arise from stress during transport and handling of pigs at marketing. This...

Transporting pigs in Canada has many challenges. These include extremes of temperature and long transport durations that can cause stress in pigs, affecting welfare, transit losses and meat quality. Transport times of 6, 12 and 18 hours were studied on...

Loading facilities can result in longer loading times, increased incidence of rough handling and prod use if poorly designed. Stress associated with this can affect meat quality, carcass and also increase the amount of downer pigs and losses. Ten Saskatchewan...

There may be several major welfare issues in facility design and sow management for group sow housing. One of the most important welfare issues is lameness. It is the second major cause of culling after reproductive failure. visual scores can...

Group housing is a complex system, but it is one that the society is moving towards. There are many options in regard to choosing group housing for gestating sows. The housing systems from lowest to highest welfare are: tethers and...