Baby Animals

Spring is in the air! Many times we associate spring with baby animals being born. While this is certainly true out in the wild, baby animals are born year round on the farm!

During my time as a Field Mom, I had the opportunity to see both calves and piglets. I know you’ve seen this photo before, but I’m showing you again because it’s just so cute! (I’m talking about the piglet, not me, dressed as I am in my special cap and overalls!)

Behind me are farrowing stalls that modern pig farmers use to keep the mom and baby pigs safe and comfortable. These stalls have become very controversial because the sows are unable to freely move around. The reasoning behind these stalls are varied. Sows are very aggressive and fight over food. A younger sow may be attacked and be unable to eat in a group pen because of sow “bullies.” Sows are also notorious for lying on their piglets and crushing them. Not a very maternal thing to do, is it?

The sows I observed did seem content. It is hard to understand how pigs can be content when they are confined in this manner. While gestation and farrowing stalls seem cruel, I’m not a pig farmer. I haven’t cared for sows day in and day out and I don’t know much about their natural behavior. I do know from talking directly with pig farmers that they want what’s best for their animals and are always looking for better ways to take care of them.

There is a great video on Watch Us Grow that explains more about the use of pig gestation and farrowing stalls. If you’d like to know more about modern pig farms, I encourage you to go watch.