Straw bedding or concrete floor for loose-housed pregnant sows: Consequences for aggression, production and physical health

The effect of straw bedding on aggression, production and welfare in loose- housed, pregnant sows was studied in 14 commercial farms, half of them with straw bedding and the other half with a concrete floor. The herds were vis ited twice and agonistic behaviour was observed. Body lesions, movement dis orders and production results were also recorded. There were no significant differences in aggression, body lesions or production results between herd s with concrete floor and herds with straw bedding. Movement disorders were more common in herds with concrete floor than in herds with straw bedding. Herds with a high score for movement disorders tended to have a higher per centage of sows returning to oestrus than herds with a low score. Individua l data showed no significant correlation between production variables and b ody lesion score. However, the sows that were culled had a higher mean scor e for body lesions than the means of both types of farms. Altogether, this study shows that straw bedding was advantageous in preventing leg problems, but the presence of straw did not affect the aggression among sows, the in cidence of body lesions or the production results.