Effect of additional heating, floor length, straw quantity and piglet nest accessibility on piglet losses in organic farrowing pens

Summary

Newborn piglets on organic pig farms have a lower chance to survive their first week than conventional piglets. Poorer climatic conditions, a loose housed mother, large litters with low birth weights are some of the causes. In a series of experiments the effect of housing and climate measures were investigated. Additional floor heating around farrowing to increase vitality did not reduce piglet mortality. Enlargement of the solid floor to facilitate maternal behaviour also didn’t show a lower mortality. In the third experiment the amount of straw didn’t give a lower mortality, but longer flaps in the opening of the piglet nest tended to reduce mortality.