Piglet mortality - A parallel comparison between loose-housed and temporarily confined farrowing sows in the same herd

• Published in: Acta agriculturae Scandinavica. Section A, Animal science Vol. 68; no. 1; pp. 52 - 62
• Main Authors: Olsson, Anne-Charlotte, Botermans, Jos, Englund, Jan-Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 02.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Animal and Dairy Science; Crushing; farrowing system; Hogs; Husdjursvetenskap; Litter size; loose sows; Mortality; Piglet mortality; temporarily confined; Underweight; Weaning
• ISSN: 0906-4702; 1651-1972; 1651-1972
• DOI: 10.1080/09064702.2018.1561934

In literature, piglet mortality is described as a multifactorial complex influenced by factors as litter size, age and health of the sow, farrowing system, management etc. In this study, a parallel comparison was made between two farrowing systems; a temporarily confined (TC) (farrowing - 3 days after) versus a loose sow (L). On average, 0.4 more pigs per litter survived until weaning if the sow was temporarily confined (TC) compared with being loose (L). Cause of death was recorded according to a strict template. Underweight and crushing was the most common causes. For crushing, during 1-3 days after birth, an interaction between sow age and farrowing system was observed, with differences between farrowing systems only for intermediate-aged and older sows (>parity 2). There were no significant differences between systems regarding farrowing duration or number of stillborn pigs, but a significant increase in farrowing problems was recorded for TC-sows.