Use of a farrowing crate can benefit newborn piglets but imposes severe restriction on sow movement throughout lactation. It is necessary to find a compromise between the commercial requirements for control in the immediate neonatal period, to maximise piglet survival, and enhanced welfare for the animals, by reducing environmental restriction. This might be achieved by combining individual farrowing in controlled systems with later multisuckling of a group of contemporary litters in a larger and more diverse environment. Application of modern understanding on nutrition and environment could allow such systems to function more successfully than in the past and provide a commercially attractive option.

A total of 33 purebred Landrace or Large White sows and their litters were used in the study. All sows farrowed in commercial accommodation based on farrowing crates in partly slatted pens. These pens had a covered creep area for the piglets which was bedded with shavings. Control litters remained in this accommodation until weaning. Experimental litters were moved to specially constructed multisuckling pens.