{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,20]],"date-time":"2026-05-20T03:35:31Z","timestamp":1779248131956,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770163200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    There is a trade-off between sow and piglet welfare in farrowing pens, whereby increased behavioural freedom of sows results in unacceptable levels of piglet mortality. Improvements in sow welfare have been demonstrated in such housing systems; however, the footprint is often at least 50% greater than a standard farrowing crate. This remains an impediment to the adoption of confinement-free farrowing. The Maternity Ring, a system with a similar footprint to a farrowing crate, was designed to avoid close confinement of sows. However, its performance, particularly with regard to piglet survival, has not yet been quantified but is an essential part of evaluating commercial viability and acceptability in terms of piglet welfare. This experiment\u2019s aim was to determine whether piglet mortality differed between farrowing crates and Maternity Rings. First-parity sows were recruited over 12\u202fmonths and randomly allocated to one of the two treatments: farrowing crate (FC;\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f184) and Maternity Ring (MR;\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f205). Litter size and piglet mortality (number, age, and cause of death), as well as piglet fostering movements and medical interventions for sows and litters, were recorded. There was no difference in total pigs born, pigs born alive, or the number of pigs weaned between the two treatments. There was a tendency for a 0.3-pig-per-litter increase in pre-foster mortality in MR sows (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f0.065), but pigs born dead, post-foster deaths, liveborn mortality, and total deaths were similar to FC sows. Piglet removal for ill thrift was 0.3 pigs per litter lower in MR sows (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f0.05), and the incidence of medications in litters was reduced from 62 to 50% (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05). Additionally, sows were medicated less frequently in MR (6%) than in FC (15%,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05). MR housing achieved comparable liveborn piglet mortality to FC in first-parity sows. Future studies should test whether this performance is repeatable as sows are managed across multiple parities.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1717512","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T13:46:06Z","timestamp":1770212766000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["First lactation performance of sows in Maternity Ring housing is comparable to that in farrowing crates"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Kate J.","family":"Plush","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"SunPork Group","place":["Eagle Farm, QLD, Australia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kirsty L.","family":"Chidgey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University","place":["Palmerston North, New Zealand"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nigel","family":"Young","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SunPork Group","place":["Eagle Farm, QLD, Australia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Darryl N.","family":"D\u2019Souza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SunPork Group","place":["Eagle Farm, QLD, Australia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Robert J.","family":"van Barneveld","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SunPork Group","place":["Eagle Farm, QLD, Australia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1016\/0168-1591(96)01042-8","article-title":"Sow body movements that crush piglets: a comparison between two types of farrowing accommodation","volume":"49","author":"Weary","year":"1996","journal-title":"Appl Anim Behav Sci"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prevetmed.2011.11.011","article-title":"A cohort study of preweaning piglet mortality and farrowing accommodation on 112 commercial pig farms in England","volume":"104","author":"Kilbride","year":"2012","journal-title":"Prev Vet Med"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2933","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12212933","article-title":"Animal welfare compromises associated with causes of death in neonatal piglets","volume":"12","author":"Chidgey","year":"2022","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1071\/AR00057","article-title":"A review of the welfare issues for sows and piglets in relation to housing","volume":"52","author":"Barnett","year":"2001","journal-title":"Aust J Agric Res"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"957","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9110957","article-title":"Impact of non-confinement accommodation on farrowing performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis of farrowing crates versus pens","volume":"9","author":"Glencorse","year":"2019","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101002","DOI":"10.1016\/j.animal.2023.101002","article-title":"Towards truly stall free pork production?","volume":"18","author":"Plush","year":"2023","journal-title":"Animal"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.applanim.2015.05.004","article-title":"Achieving optimum performance in a loose-housed farrowing system for sows: the effects of space and temperature","volume":"169","author":"Baxter","year":"2015","journal-title":"Appl Anim Behav Sci"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1339947","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2024.1339947","article-title":"A five domains assessment of sow welfare in a novel free farrowing system","volume":"11","author":"Plush","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1870","DOI":"10.3390\/ani10101870","article-title":"The 2020 five domains model: including human\u2013animal interactions in assessments of animal welfare","volume":"10","author":"Mellor","year":"2020","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/0168-1591(90)90070-T","article-title":"Getting-up and lying-down behaviours of loose-housed sows and social contacts between sows and piglets during day 1 and day 8 after parturition","volume":"25","author":"Blackshaw","year":"1990","journal-title":"Appl Anim Behav Sci"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"216","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2009.02.002","article-title":"Factors affecting piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems on commercial farms","volume":"124","author":"Weber","year":"2009","journal-title":"Livest Sci"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e07421","DOI":"10.2903\/j.efsa.2022.7421","article-title":"Welfare of pigs on farm","volume":"20","year":"2022","journal-title":"EFSA J"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"885","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9110885","article-title":"Parturition and its relationship with stillbirths and asphyxiated piglets","volume":"9","author":"Langendijk","year":"2019","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13020233","article-title":"Pen versus crate: a comparative study on the effects of different farrowing systems on farrowing performance, colostrum yield and piglet preweaning mortality in sows under tropical conditions","volume":"13","author":"Dumniem","year":"2023","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1080\/09064702.2018.1561934","article-title":"Piglet mortality\u2013a parallel comparison between loose-housed and temporarily confined farrowing sows in the same herd","volume":"68","author":"Olsson","year":"2018","journal-title":"Acta Agric Scand Sect A Anim Sci"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104872","DOI":"10.1016\/j.applanim.2019.104872","article-title":"Allowing sows to farrow unconfined has positive implications for sow and piglet welfare","volume":"221","author":"Nowland","year":"2019","journal-title":"Appl Anim Behav Sci"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"648","DOI":"10.1017\/S1751731112002170","article-title":"Confinement of lactating sows in crates for 4 days after farrowing reduces piglet mortality","volume":"7","author":"Moustsen","year":"2013","journal-title":"Animal"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2014.11.009","article-title":"Comparable farrowing progress in confined and loose housed hyper-prolific sows","volume":"171","author":"Hales","year":"2015","journal-title":"Livest Sci"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"113","DOI":"10.1017\/S1751731113001869","article-title":"Higher preweaning mortality in free farrowing pens compared with farrowing crates in three commercial pig farms","volume":"8","author":"Hales","year":"2014","journal-title":"Animal"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100446","DOI":"10.1016\/j.animal.2021.100446","article-title":"Short confinement of sows after farrowing, but not pen type affects live-born piglet mortality","volume":"16","author":"Heidinger","year":"2022","journal-title":"Animal"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"538","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9080538","article-title":"The effect of sows\u2019 and piglets\u2019 behaviour on piglet crushing patterns in two different farrowing pen systems","volume":"9","author":"Nicolaisen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/S0168-1591(02)00023-0","article-title":"Nursing behaviour, postpartum activity and reactivity in sows: effects of farrowing environment, previous experience and temperament","volume":"77","author":"Thodberg","year":"2002","journal-title":"Appl Anim Behav Sci"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3809","DOI":"10.1093\/jas\/skz217","article-title":"A comparison of the anatomical and gastrointestinal functional development between gilt and sow progeny around birth and weaning1","volume":"97","author":"Craig","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Anim Sci"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105085","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prevetmed.2020.105085","article-title":"Impact of sow parity on yield and composition of colostrum and milk in Danish landrace\u00d7 Yorkshire crossbred sows","volume":"181","author":"Nuntapaitoon","year":"2020","journal-title":"Prev Vet Med"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1230","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12101230","article-title":"Importance of breed, parity and sow colostrum components on litter performance and health","volume":"12","author":"Amatucci","year":"2022","journal-title":"Animals"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Veterinary Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1717512\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T09:53:16Z","timestamp":1771926796000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1717512\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]]},"references-count":25,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fvets.2025.1717512"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1717512","relation":{},"ISSN":["2297-1769"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2297-1769","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]]},"article-number":"1717512"}}