Porcine Health Management最新文献

{"title":"Retrospective pig welfare assessment at rendering plants - a useful tool for monitoring and inspection.","authors":"Elisabeth Grosse Beilage, Kristina Maschat, Johannes Baumgartner","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00504-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00504-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: The COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 98/58/EC (1) states that animal owners and care takers must ensure that animals under their care are not subjected to unnecessary pain, suffering and injury. Until now, rendering plants as a potential ‘exit’ in animal production have been largely ignored as a potential assessment site for animal welfare monitoring. The aim of the present work was to provide an overview of welfare-related lesions commonly found in pigs at rendering plants. Data collection was carried out in Austrian and German rendering plants and focussed on lesions that were expected to be recognizable for any pig farmer. RESULTS: In the Austrian study, 20.8% of all pigs delivered to a rendering plant showed lesions potentially associated with substantial pain and/or suffering. In Germany, 16.0% of examined pigs (sample A) may have been exposed to substantial pain and/or suffering. Most common lesions were biting wounds, ulcerative skin lesions and swellings. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results it must be assumed that a considerable number of pigs experienced substantial pain and/or suffering prior to death. External examinations focusing on potentially welfare-relevant lesions carried out at rendering plants could be helpful in identifying farms at high risk of non-compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. </p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13122973/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147779326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiology of Influenza A virus in Swiss pig herds: subclinical circulation and associated risk factors.","authors":"Jonas Steiner, Bernhard Voelkl, Mike Mwanga, Larise Oberholster, Matthias Licheri, Manon Flore Licheri, Ronald Dijkman, Jenna Nicole Kelly, Heiko Nathues","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00513-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00513-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are important respiratory pathogens of pigs, impacting both animal health and productivity. However, their epidemiology in Swiss pig herds remains poorly understood. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study encompassing 100 pig herds, combining semi-structured interviews, clinical examinations, and nasal swab sampling analyzed by pan-IAV qPCR. RESULTS: Overall, 35% of herds with mean intra-herd detection rate of 8.5% tested positive for IAV. Among herds without clinical respiratory signs, 34.1% (29/85) were IAV-positive. Exploratory analysis suggested trends toward higher IAV detection in herds with more intensive production or biosecurity shortcomings. Factors such as contact with other animal species or mixing between age groups may facilitate viral circulation. CONCLUSION: IAV is commonly detected in Swiss pig herds and often occurs without causing clinical signs. Epidemiological patterns are similar to those reported elsewhere in Europe, despite Switzerland’s small-scale and less intensified production sites, generally lower biosecurity standards, and nearly non-existent cross-border live pig transport. Although the clinical impact of IAV was limited, inapparent influences on production performance warrant implementation of IAV control measures. Follow-up studies are needed to better understand circulation dynamics of IAV in Swiss pig herds. </p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13261839/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147779237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High stocking density triggers stress-induced physiological changes and alters nasal and fecal microbiota in finishing pigs.","authors":"Robie Vasquez, Van Aldren Cañas, Sungbo Cho, Ji Hoon Song, Jae Seung Lee, Chaibin Lim, Dae-Kyung Kang, In Ho Kim","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00515-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00515-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: High stocking density in pig production is associated with stress and reduced growth, but its effects on nasal and fecal bacterial communities, gut metabolites, and predicted functions are not fully understood. We hypothesized that high stocking density disrupts host–microbiota interactions, contributing to stress and impaired growth. In this study, 98 finishing pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc; 21 weeks old] were assigned to high stocking density (HD: 5 pigs per pen, 0.58 m2 per pig, k = 0.029) or control (CON: 3 pigs per pen, 0.97 m2 per pig, k = 0.049) in a completely randomized block design. Growth, blood profile, and coughing index were monitored over 4 weeks. Nasal and fecal microbiota were characterized using full-length 16S rRNA sequencing, fecal metabolites were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and correlations with physiological parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: After 4 weeks, pigs in HD group had lower final body weight (P = 0.048), average daily gain (P = 0.035), and average daily feed intake (P = 0.048), alongside elevated cortisol (P = 0.037) and coughing index (P < 0.001). Alpha-diversity of the nasal microbiota was reduced (Shannon Entropy, P = 0.009), while the fecal microbiota showed non-significant decrease. Beta-diversity revealed distinct clustering between CON and HD in nasal (P = 0.003; R2 = 0.021) and fecal (P = 0.005; R2 = 0.042) bacterial communities. Taxonomic profiling of the HD group revealed enrichment of Rothia nasimurium, Psychrobacter faecalis, and Globicatella sp. in nasal microbiota, and increased Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Terrisporobacter, with marked decline in Lactobacillus, particularly L. amylovorus and L. johnsonii, in fecal microbiota (P < 0.05). Metabolism-related functional pathways were altered in both bacterial communities. Fecal lactate was decreased (P = 0.005) and was positively correlated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (P = 0.048). Biomarkers in the HD group were negatively correlated with growth performance, whereas those in the CON group showed positive correlations (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High stocking density impaired growth, increased blood cortisol and stress-related coughing, and altered nasal and fecal bacterial communities in finishing pigs, highlighting potential impacts of crowding on pig productivity. </p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13262304/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147779174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accelerating sow nursing behavior monitoring with modified YOLO11n architecture and TensorRT integration.","authors":"Mamunur Rahman, Victor Hugo Silva Souza, Tami M Brown-Brandl, Gary A Rohrer, Yeyin Shi, Isabella C F S Condotta","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00507-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00507-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Efficient monitoring of sow nursing behavior is relevant to animal welfare monitoring and management of preweaning mortality (PWM) risk, which remains a significant challenge in intensive swine production systems. Traditional observation methods are labor-intensive and inadequate for large-scale farms, requiring automated solutions. Precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies, particularly computer vision and deep learning models, offer opportunities for continuous monitoring of sow posture–nursing-state classes. The YOLO (you only look once) architecture has demonstrated high accuracy and speed for object detection in different environments. This study developed and evaluated a modified YOLO11n model optimized with TensorRT to monitor sow posture–nursing-state classes in farrowing crates. In this study, “nursing” was operationalized from top-view images as visible piglet snout/mouth contact oriented toward the udder/teat line; frames without visually confirmable contact were labeled not nursing. The model’s lightweight architecture and inference acceleration address the computational constraints of real-time applications in farrowing-room monitoring. RESULTS: The modified YOLO11n achieved an mAP@50 of 98.90%, while reducing complexity to 207 layers and 5.0 GFLOPs by removing the small-object detection head. This enabled inference times of 4.6 ms on an NVIDIA A100 GPU and 6.1 ms on a T4 GPU with TensorRT optimization. The framework detected and classified ten posture–nursing-state classes (sitting, standing, and three lying postures, each labeled as nursing or not nursing) on representative test images, including frames with partial occlusion and variable lighting. Misclassifications were observed primarily among visually similar classes, such as Sow_Sitting_Nursing and Sow_Sitting_Not_Nursing, consistent with limited visibility of piglet-to-teat contact in some postures from the top-view angle. TensorRT optimization further reduced inference latency by 58.56% (A100) and 44.55% (T4), demonstrating consistent inference-latency reductions on the evaluated GPU platforms. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the potential of leveraging lightweight deep learning architectures for real-time behavioral monitoring in PLF. The modified YOLO11n and TensorRT optimization provide an efficient framework for automated monitoring of sow posture–nursing-state classes, supporting welfare-oriented monitoring workflows relevant to PWM risk management. Future work will evaluate lightweight temporal post-processing and embedded deployment to reduce frame-to-frame label flicker and assess performance under on-farm compute and I/O constraints. </p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13244910/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147779156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-invasive measurement of blood pressure and its possible use in future in-depth studies on farrowing-related complications.","authors":"Anna Carlertz, Magdalena Jacobson, Patricia Hedenqvist, Anneli Rydén","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00512-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00512-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Farrowing is the most critical phase in a sow's production cycle and has major implications for both animal welfare and productivity. Early identification of sows at risk of farrowing-related disorders is therefore essential. In human obstetrics, blood-pressure measurement is a key tool for detecting individuals at increased risk of pregnancy-related complications, and both hypertension and excessive increase in blood pressure have been associated with adverse outcomes. Previous work has suggested that low systolic blood pressure may be linked to prolonged farrowing, a condition known to increase stillbirth rates and neonatal mortality. Invasive arterial catheterisation remains the reference method for blood-pressure assessment but is impractical for routine or repeated use in pregnant sows, whereas non-invasive oscillometric tail-cuff techniques have shown potential feasibility. The aim of this study was to evaluate a non-invasive method for blood-pressure monitoring in sows and to describe preliminary gestational blood-pressure patterns that may inform future work on identifying individuals at risk of farrowing-related complications.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Measurements could be performed as planned during all stages of gestation and lactation. The non-invasive tail-cuff method functioned well both when the sows were confined in feeding stalls and when they were moving freely in the farrowing pens. Non-invasive blood-pressure measurements revealed a progressive pattern of decline in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures throughout the sows' gestation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Non-invasive blood-pressure measurement in sows under commercial production conditions proved feasible, and the measurements obtained in this study demonstrated a significant decline in blood pressure during late gestation. These findings highlight the need for further research to establish reliable reference intervals and to determine thresholds for critically low blood pressure in relation to farrowing.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13101329/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147779215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Topical wound-care products and their effects on healing, inflammatory biomarkers, and growth in piglets undergoing castration.","authors":"Laya Kannan Silva Alves, Monique Danielle Pairis-Garcia, Juliana Bonin Ferreira, Victoria Rocha Merenda, Rubia Mitalli Tomacheuski, Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade, Christopher Siepker, Magdiel Lopez-Soriano","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00492-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00492-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Surgical castration is a routine management procedure in swine production that raises welfare concerns due to pain, inflammation, and risk of post-procedure complications. Topical products are commonly applied to castration wounds, but their efficacy in promoting healing and reducing inflammation has not been systematically evaluated. This study investigated and compared the efficacy of five commercially available antiseptic and barrier topical products on wound healing, inflammatory responses, and growth performance in piglets undergoing surgical castration. One hundred and ninety piglets, 3-5 days-old of age, were evaluated under the following treatments: Iodine, Oinkment^®, PhytoCare^®, Vetericyn^®, Zinc Oxide, or intact controls (NoCast). Treatments were applied immediately after castration (D1). Body weights were recorded at baseline (D0; day before castration) and at weaning. Blood samples were collected on days 0 (baseline), 7, and 14 for analysis of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and haptoglobin. Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to assess surface temperature. Histological evaluation of wound healing was performed on subsets of piglets on days 7 and 14. No treatment effects were observed on body weight or pre-weaning survival; castrated piglets grew similarly to intact controls. Concentrations of PGE₂ declined over time (P < 0.001) but did not differ between treatments, suggesting it may have limited utility as an inflammatory biomarker in neonatal pigs. Haptoglobin concentrations increased across all groups by days 7 and 14, including intact controls, indicating minimal specificity for castration-related inflammation. In contrast, IRT consistently distinguished castrated from intact piglets, supporting its potential as a non-invasive indicator of inflammatory responses. Histological evaluations showed expected time-dependent healing progression, with epidermal thickness correlating with wound severity, but no treatment effects were found. None of the tested topical products were superior to others in regard to wound healing or reduced systemic inflammation under a single-application protocol. While safe and without adverse effects on growth, benefits are unclear when compared to a traditional iodine treatment. The current standard operational procedure for castration requires piglets to receive Iodine after castration to reduce infection risk. Future research should explore no treatment option, repeated applications, microbial wound presence, and behavioral indicators to better evaluate post-castration wound-care strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13097753/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147729694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiological characteristics of co-infection between porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and other pathogens: a meta-analysis and systematic review.","authors":"Hong Zou, Zheng Niu, Yi Fan, Guihua Fu, Gan Luo, Zhiping Mu","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00509-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00509-1","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BACKGROUND: Currently, despite numerous local epidemiological investigations, knowledge of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) coinfections remains fragmented. Most existing studies are restricted to individual regions or specific farms with limited sample sizes, and a comprehensive synthesis of PEDV coinfection epidemiology at the global level remains lacking. Consequently, the overall prevalence of PEDV coinfections, predominant pathogen combinations, and their spatiotemporal dynamics remain poorly defined. Here, we systematically characterize PEDV coinfections with other pathogens and investigate their spatiotemporal distribution across China. METHODS: This study strictly followed the PRISMA guidelines. Four major databases (CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were systematically searched for cross-sectional epidemiological studies on PEDV coinfections published from database inception to February 1, 2026. In total, 60 eligible studies comprising 49,455 samples were included. Meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and spatiotemporal stratification were conducted. RESULTS: The pooled coinfection rate of PEDV with other pathogens was 12% (95% CI: 0.09–0.16). Funnel plots, together with Egger’s and Begg’s tests, indicated no significant publication bias, and sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings. A total of 121 coinfection patterns were identified, with double infections predominating (83.47%), followed by triple (14.88%) and quadruple infections (1.65%). Among double infections, PEDV-PDCoV was the most common combination (23.1%), followed by PEDV-TGEV (13.2%) and PEDV-PoRV (10.7%). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that farm size and coinfection type were the primary sources of heterogeneity (both P &lt; 0.001). Spatiotemporal analyses across five geographical regions of China revealed pronounced heterogeneity in PEDV coinfections. The eastern (ES = 12.40%, I² = 74.9%) and northwestern (ES = 12.90%, I² = 75.4%) regions exhibited the highest coinfection rates and the most complex pathogen profiles. In contrast, the central-southern region showed the lowest coinfection rate (ES = 2.50%, I² = 50.6%), suggesting effective PEDV control. The northern region displayed stable epidemic characteristics, with coinfections exclusively involving PDCoV (ES = 6.60%, I² = 0%), whereas the southwestern region showed a declining trend in single infections accompanied by an increase in coinfections (ES = 5.50%, I² = 68.2%). CONCLUSION: This study characterizes the epidemiological features, predominant pathogen combinations, and China’s regional spatiotemporal patterns of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) co-infections. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution, as potential detection bias exists; the reported co-infection rates and pathogen profiles were influenced by heterogeneity in the panels of target pathogens tested across the included studies. Despite this limitation, our results provide val","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224587/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147717701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The functional evaluation of Pichia pastoris hydrolysate as a protein source partial replacement of soybean meal in diets of growing-finishing pigs.","authors":"Chunyan Xie, Ning Li, Hongwei Liu, Shiyue Liang, Lumin Gao, Zhengqun Liu, Shuqin Mu, Shuguang Liu, Xin Wu","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00511-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00511-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: As the most important plant-based protein ingredient in animal husbandry, soybean meal has become key focu in the feed industrym highlighting the need to reduce its inclusion rate and identify alternative protein sources. Pichia pastoris hydrolysate (PPH) has regarded as an ideal single-cell protein (SCP) due to its efficient and low-cost protein biosynthesis. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PPH partial substitution of soybean on the growth performance, immune status, gut microbe and meat quality of growing-finishing pigs. METHODS: A total of 180 pigs with similar weight (31.48 ± 0.91 kg) were divided into 5 groups, including the control group (fed with basal diet) and treatment groups with PPH levels of 1.25%, 2.5%, 3.75% and 5%, respectively. Every group had 6 replicates, and each replicate consisted of 6 pigs. After 76 days on feed, all pigs were weighted, then one pig/replicate was slaughtered to collect blood samples and fresh fecal samples for further analysis, as well as evaluating the carcass traits and meat quality of pigs. RESULTS: PPH supplement improved the growth performance and carcass traits of pigs, especially the 2.5% PPH replacing 14.18% soybean meal, although there was no obvious difference in meat quality between control group and 2.5% PPH group. Results of serum immune-related factors showed that PPH supplement markedly elevated antioxidant status, increased serum anti-inflammatory factors and immunoglobulin levels, and strengthened the intestinal barrier of pigs. Fecal microbiome sequencing indicated that PPH could modulate fecal microbiome diversity, and promoted the probiotics proportion in the gut of pigs to varying degrees. CONCLUSIONS: Above findings revealed that partial replacement of soybean with PPH, not only significantly improved the growth performance and carcass traits of growing-finishing pigs, but also immunity performance and intestinal microecology, which provide insights into the application possibility of the PPH serving as an alternative feed ingredient in swine production system to offer excellent protein sources. </p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13127005/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147717676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization of a Pasteurella multocida type a strain associated with a severe bronchopneumonia outbreak in gilts.","authors":"Sophie Kähl, Helene Fenzl, Martin Dembowski, Regina Kröger, Claudia Hartig, Carla Heddier, Reiner Ulrich, Johannes Kauffold, Christoph Georg Baums","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00510-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00510-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13072542/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147662939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sow behaviour, parturition process and management in free farrowing systems.","authors":"Alexander Grahofer","doi":"10.1186/s40813-026-00505-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40813-026-00505-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The pig industry is increasingly transitioning from traditional farrowing crates to free farrowing systems, driven by growing concerns for animal welfare and regulatory pressures to enhance sow well-being. Free farrowing systems, which allow sows greater freedom of movement, have emerged as a welfare-oriented alternative to traditional farrowing crates. These systems enable the expression of natural behaviours, particularly nest-building, which is hormonally driven and peaks shortly before parturition. Adequate provision of diverse nesting materials facilitates nest-building, optimizes endocrine preparation for farrowing, and can shorten farrowing duration, improving piglet vitality and colostrum intake. Farrowing in sows encompasses three stages: preparatory behaviour and cervical dilation, active piglet expulsion, and placental expulsion. Free farrowing systems are associated with lower maternal stress, higher endogenous oxytocin, and more natural behavioural expression, potentially influencing parturition kinetics. However, dystocia incidence remains comparable to crated systems, indicating that careful management is still required. Key indicators for monitoring farrowing in free farrowing sows include piglet birth intervals, placental expulsion timing, litter-level meconium scoring, umbilical cord integrity, and maternal physiological markers such as progesterone. Excessive or routine administration of exogenous uterotonics is discouraged due to the risk of overly strong contractions, increased stillbirths, and reduced colostrum intake. Placental expulsion patterns offer additional insights, with sows expelling the first placenta before or alongside the last piglet, or with more than four placental parts, exhibiting prolonged farrowing. While free farrowing systems improve welfare and allow more natural parturition, effective management based on sow behaviour and physiology remains essential to mitigate risks and optimize reproductive outcomes. In conclusion, free farrowing systems represent a significant advancement in sow welfare, facilitating natural maternal behaviours and promoting better physiological preparation for parturition. Continued research is needed to refine monitoring strategies, define intervention thresholds, and fully harness the potential of these systems to enhance both sow and piglet health, demonstrating that improved welfare can coexist with productive performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":20352,"journal":{"name":"Porcine Health Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13085361/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147594058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}