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Reminiscing back to my family's 50-head pure-line sow herd in the 1980s, I recall we on occasion had a sow that barely fit into the farrowing crate. I can remember a particularly large Landrace sow, as wide and as long as the crate, that appeared quite uncomfortable. She ended up laying on multiple piglets. I'm sure some of you may share a similar story. Now fast forward to 2020. One would think we would have the optimal farrowing crate size figured out. Yet I'm not sure we do.
Improving piglet survival continues to be top of mind for pork producers, as it enhances animal well-being and producer profit. While the swine industry has seen improvements in litter size, there has also been an erosion in piglet quality — leading to increased preweaning mortality. Going forward, piglet quality will likely get better as geneticists are focusing on improving piglet birth weight.
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