Consumers have been driving the conversation about the use of group housing for sows. The swine industry has been hesitant to adopt this practice because of concerns over sow aggression and lack of control over individual feed intake.
Source: National Hog Farmer, December 28, 2016.
For producers, this means that a variety of mixing options can be used successfully for sows in group housing, depending on the herd size and management preferences. In addition, if welfare regulations limit the amount of time that stalls can be used, producers can adopt shorter periods of stall use (e.g., for insemination) without compromising production.
INSIGHTS: 2016 was like the year of the cage-free egg. Is this the beginning of a cage-free hog movement?