Description

This webinar will examine the challenges and benefits of housing sows (i.e., pregnant pigs) in groups instead of gestation crates, with special emphasis on the Five Domains Model of animal welfare. 

Dr. Marchant will cover the evolution of housing and commercial pig populations over the last hundred years to better understand the issues we currently face, including injuries and diseases related to housing systems. He will revisit the behavioral biology of the sow and her ancestors, which can help explain some of the challenges and highlight ways to mitigate the health and welfare problems. Dr. Marchant will also explore the human factors that help determine housing system success or failure, and he will finish the webinar by predicting future trends in sow housing.