Did you know that more than two million sows spend almost their entire lives in cages in which they cannot move or engage in any natural behavior?

In its latest study, Animal Equality shows how sows and their offspring “live” in the world for human consumption: in cages, with mutilations and health problems that lead to death.

According to the animal rights organization, sows are kept in gestation cages and then they change to other crates are called farrowing crates.

These types of conclusion They interfere with movement, being in comfortable positions and cause health problems for them and their offspring.as they can cause problems during birth, for example piglets getting stuck in the birth canal, leading to death.

When free, sows will tend to nest before giving birth and seek out cool areas to regulate their temperature, which rises during pregnancy; Failure to do this causes them severe stress, which can affect their immune system and make them prone to illness.

Mutilation and castration of infants

Surviving offspring are exposed extremely painful procedures such as tail docking and castration In the case of piglets, these mutilations are performed without anesthesia.

These practices, in addition to being painful in the moment, have consequences over time such as lameness, problems gaining weight, and the tail even prevents them from communicating as the tail helps them express their emotional states.

Abnormal neoplasms in the abdominal area, skin abrasions, skin lesions of varying severity, uterine prolapse, swollen genitals, even with pus and/or blood.

Knowing the conditions in which these animals live, it is not surprising that there is a high mortality rate; it was in these farms that they were discovered. carcasses in farrowing crates, between faeces, placenta and live animalsin a water tank and in wheelbarrows, where there were also lifeless fetuses.

Stress and frustration in sows and their piglets

Confinement in gestation and farrowing cages in pig production has extremely detrimental effects on both sows and their piglets.

Gestation and farrowing crates are very narrow and limit the sow to a small space, which does not allow them to move around normally.

This may cause stress and frustration due to lack of space to walk, turn around or stretch, Therefore, they exhibit abnormal behavior such as repetitive rocking and other signs of psychological stress due to isolation and lack of environmental stimulation.

Children cannot feed from their mother

In farrowing crates, piglets cannot move freely and have great difficulty approaching the sow for feeding. Restricting the movement of sows can make it difficult for piglets to access the udder, which can lead to poor nutrition and poor piglet development.

Piglets can be injured by being caught between cage bars or crushed by sows due to lack of space and limited movement; They may also experience stress due to their housing conditions and may exhibit abnormal behavior such as compulsive sucking.

How do sows behave with their babies in the wild?

Sows, like other animals, have natural behaviors and characteristics that are essential to understanding their well-being and relationships with their offspring.

Scientific research has shown that Sows are very intelligent and social animals. making them capable of experiencing a wide range of complex emotions and behaviors.

However, in the beef industry, sows are often exposed to extreme conditions in industrial animal production systems.

In such facilities, sows are unable to exhibit their natural behavior or properly care for their offspring.

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