September 17 - Sows will have a tough time adjusting to pen housing when crates are banned, according to Tim Loula, a veterinarian with St. Peter Veterinary Clinic in Minnesota.
Sows will be walking more which will be hard on their feet and legs.
Their hooves may require trimming which is something that few hog farmers or their employees know how to do.
Foot baths may be needed to deal with infections.
“The animal will have to be more athletic,” he said.
Most people who are younger than 30 have never seen sows in group housing, and know that they will fight, or how severe the fighting can be, he told a swine conference on FeetFirst.
He said today’s sows have become highly productive, farrowing up to 20 sows per litter. Their genetics, nutrition, housing and handling have all changed.
He said any major change, such as transitioning from gestation crates to pens, will have some unintended consequences.
He said Poland’s sow herd dropped from one million to 650,000 leading up to the European Union’s ban on gestation crates and he said another 100,000 to 200,000 decline is likely.
He said that North American hog producers will be looking for sows with better feet, legs and hooves and breeders will need to put heavy emphasis on those traits to make speedy genetic progress.