Postpartum changes in the lying behavior of sows in farrowing crates

The objective of the study was to compare the behavior of sows before and after farrowing with a focus on lying behavior and side preference in a lateral position. Collecting information on normal and deviant behaviors may consequently improve the care and welfare of animals and severe variations can indicate possible welfare issues. The study was conducted on a farrow-to-finish-farm with 14 crossbred sows. For each sow, behavior was analyzed by video observation (continuous sampling) on 2 days, one before (3 or 4 days after transfer to the trial compartment) and one after farrowing (second day after farrowing). The duration and frequency of lying on the left side, lying on the right side, lying on the abdomen, standing, sitting, and lying down per sow and day were compared for these 2 days. The total time that sows spent lying increased significantly (P = 0.01) on the second day after farrowing compared with the analyzed day before farrowing. The time spent lying on the right side and facing the udder to the piglet nest also increased significantly (P = 0.02) after farrowing. For the other postures (i.e., lying on the left side, lying on the abdomen (P > 0.05), sitting, standing, lying down [P ≤ 0.03]), the duration as well as the sum of changes in posture decreased after farrowing. On the test day before farrowing, sows spent a total of 85% of the day in a lying position (35% on the left side, 39% on the right, and 11% on the abdomen). The total lying time increased to 96% per sow and day on the second day after farrowing (31% on the left side, 58% on the right, and 7% on the abdomen). After farrowing, the lying duration of sows increased, and they preferred to lie on the body side facing the piglet nest. The sows spent the most time in a lateral lying position, which is information that should be used to adjust farrowing crates to improve the welfare of sows.