The purpose of this essay was to try to find out if the optimal Farrowing pen exists. By interviewing producers, veterinarians and salesmen and also through a literature study, I have tried to evaluate advantages and disadvantages regarding different types of pen formations and environmental details. The interviews with the producers showed that they all were satisfied with their particular Farrowing pen. It also showed that one material can be functional in one Farrowing pen but not in another. The determining factor for the outcome of the Farrowing pen was the individual experience and the way of thinking of the producers. The veterinarians were of the opinion that there today were no existing Farrowing pens that responded to the pigs needs. However, the results on the farms were generally good. The salesmen thought that the production costs could be lower if a sort of a standard pen was used.

Cross-suckling, i.e. when an offspring nurses a female other than their own mother, occurs in pig production systems where sows are group housed during lactation. As production systems where several sows and their litters are housed together during lactation are getting more common, the need of knowledge regarding cross-suckling increases. The overall aims with this thesis was to investigate how sow behaviour and productivity are associated with the occurrence of cross-suckling, and to investigate consistency in sow nursing behaviour related to cross-suckling. The study included information about the first 4 parities of 40 LxY sows kept in outdoor and indoor production environments. Sows were single housed the first 2 weeks after Farrowing and group housed (4 or 5 sows per group) from 2 weeks after Farrowing until weaning, 7 weeks after Farrowing.

The objectives of this experimental study were to investigate if a strategic method to supply loose housed sows with large quantities of straw 2 days before expected Farrowing and if the sow?s body condition had any effect on the occurrence of shoulder lesions 5 weeks after Farrowing. Data came from a study conducted on four commercial piglet-producing farms in southwest Sweden between March and December 2009. At each farm one batch of sows was followed during two consecutive lactations. The sows were randomly assigned to two different treatment groups and the sows that remained in the batch during the second lactation switched treatment group.

In the Farrowing pens the amount of bedding material and the quality of the concrete floor has a huge impact on both the sow and the piglets. In this study imbedding of rubber flooring on the solid area in the Farrowing pen was used to see if it had any effects on the sows lying behaviour when compared to concrete. Another important aspect was to evaluate if the rubber floorings had a high enough durability to resist the normal wear in a Farrowing pen. Concrete flooring is assumed to have a higher thermally conductive effect then rubber which can affect the sow?s chance to cool down.

There is currently no activity or behavior meters validated for sows under Swedish conditions where the sows are loose-housed during Farrowing and nursing. An activity meter could in particular be used to detect sows that are getting ready for Farrowing. Assistive technology in order to register different behaviors would be extremely useful in research and breeding. In this study, a HOBO Pendant G data logger was validated for two different functions. First, the function as a pure activity meter in which the accelerometer's ability to detect an upcoming Farrowing was evaluated, and second, the accelerometer's ability to distinguish between the behaviors standing up, sitting down, lying ventrally and lying laterally on the right and left sides was evaluated. The accelerometer was attached to a collar around the sow's neck, and was recording its location every two seconds for six hours a day for ten days on a total of twelve sows.

The incidence of damage to the claws and legs in piglets caused by the floor in Farrowing pens is a widely known problem and very common in today's pig herds. Although the association between floor and damage has been known for over 35 years, no suitable solution has been found to reduce the negative impact. The purpose of this study was to make a literature study to document the experiences of the use of different types of flooring in Farrowing pens and also, in an own study, examine if soft floor in Farrowing crates could lead to reduced damage to the claws and legs in piglets compared to concrete floor. The study was conducted in two herds, A and B. In each herd, Farrowing pens with concrete floor and concrete floor with polyurethane coating were compared.

Piglet survival is a problem of great significance in pig production, affecting both animal welfare and economic aspects negatively. In Sweden it is illegal to use Farrowing crates for sows on regular basis. To encounter this problem there is a proposal of an animal welfare program to allow the use of crates for sows during, and a number of days after, Farrowing. The proposal aims to reduce piglet mortality and improve pig welfare. This present review aims to analyse how crating affects the welfare of sows, gilts and piglets as well as piglet mortality.

The piglet mortality rates have become a major issue in today?s pig production. While other production traits such as number of born piglets or produced piglets per sow have been improved, the mortality rate has escalated. High mortality rates before weaning does not only affect the economy but must also be looked at as both an animal welfare problem and an ethical issue. The background to this problem has been addressed many times, and its salvation has also been addressed by breeding.

The pig is unique in the way that it gives birth to a large number of newborns in each litter. Because of this the sow has developed a special behaviour during suckling to ensure that not only a part of the litter gets all the milk. Milk is only available during milk letdown. The piglets have to massage the udder for a long time before letdown and the more piglets at the udder the sooner the milk comes. The sow has developed a special grunting pattern to let the piglets know when she is ready for suckling and to signal milk letdown. Our aim with this study was to investigate if sows have individual grunting patterns repeated over time. We also wanted to know if sows with a more distinct grunting pattern have better growth in their litters.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of large amounts of straw in the Farrowing pen on thermal regulation of the newborn piglet in different weight classes. 20 sows were given 15 kg of straw in the Farrowing pen 2 days prior to until 7 days after parturition. A control group of 18 sows had no straw in the pen. 6 litters from each treatment were observed. Measurements of piglet body temperature were made at 0h, 2h, 4h, 8h and 24h after parturition. At ?8h? the body temperature of the piglets in the Straw group were significantly higher (P=0,0149) than the piglets in the Control group.

Sow shoulder lesions are a common form of decubital ulcers in sows. The wounds are often bilateral and affect both loose housed and restrained sows. In most cases shoulder lesions develop after Farrowing and heal after weaning. Sows that once have had decubital ulcera are however more proned to develop new wounds after the next Farrowing. The problem is multifactorial and a number of risk factors have been described, including body condition, body size, parity, time spent lying down, flooring, moisture, breed, body temperature and some herd factors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the height of the tuber spina scapulae is a risk factor for the development of decubital ulcers.

The number of weaned piglets per sow and year is a good measurement of sow productivity since it is affected by the number of piglets born alive, the pre weaning mortality (i.e. mortality of live born piglets between birth and weaning) and the number of litters per sow and year. This measure is also closely connected to the number of piglets produced per year, which partly determines the profitability of the piglet producer. During this study, eleven successful piglet-producing herds were visited. Eight of the producers were Swedish and three of the producers were Danish.

Floor surface in pig facilities can have an impact on animal welfare and pig health, as it can cause the pig physical damage and thereby increased risk of infectious diseases and lameness. The development of pig housing systems has resulted in a decreased use of bedding. It seems hard to find the optimal floor in Farrowing pens, as it must suit both the sow and piglets. The floor friction needs to be adequate to avoid slips and at the same time should the floor be non-abrasive. Abrasions and lesions caused by the floor are not only causing the animal suffering, but are also negative from an economical aspect.

At the farm Fride, in Lojsta at the Southern part of Gotland, my family runs a pig production with 80 part-integrated sows in a ?Familybox-system?. The main parts of the facilities are from the early 90´s and have done their job. The production results have the last years decreased because of new infections so we have to do something before shifting ownership! This degree thesis is meant to answer the question about which the optimal extension would be today. By studying literature, use my own experience and make lots of calculations, I try to find out different opportunities.

The Swedish Welfare Act § 4 says that "Animals must be kept and cared for in a good environment for animals and in such a way that promotes their health and allow them to behave naturally." Pigs in the wild spend 80% of their waking hours walking around and rooting for food, eating and exploring their environment with its snout. Fattening pigs in commercial farms spend 80% lying doing nothing. A lactating sow is lying down most of her day, and only 10-20% of the body surface is in contact with the floor, so the pressure is high on these spots. Piglets lie down and paddle with their legs, with high liquid content in the tissues, several times an hour, to stimulate and massage the sow's udder. In the existing system, these individuals are held more often on floors that are anything but inviting to sleep on.