Number of views：52 Date：2025-04-22
Pig farrowing crates are barred metal crates within a pen where pregnant sows are placed before giving birth. Farrowing crates prevent the sows from turning around and only allow them to move a little forward and backwards. Sows are kept in crates for around five weeks, each litter. When you consider that sows farrow 2.3 times each year, that means they are kept confined in this way for 80 days each year, nearly a quarter of their adult breeding lives.
Alongside the farrowing crate, within the pen, there is an area called a “creep” that the sow’s piglets can move into. This is often heated to attract the piglets and stop them from lying next to the sow. The piglets are still able to reach the sow’s teats to suckle, but when they are in the creep, she is prevented from being able to clean or interact with them.
