Does gestation housing affect the lying behaviour of sows after farrowing and hence piglet survival to weaning?

摘要

During parturition and the first 72 hours of lactation the most important non-infectious cause of piglet death is overlaying. Karlen et al. (2007) found sows had more feet and leg problems late in gestation in stalls than in group housing and as thiscondition is likely to continue during early lactation, it may contribute to the sows' apparent unwillingness to change posture during lactation. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that stall housing during gestation increases the risk of piglets being overlaid after farrowing.