Due to welfare concerns for sows, several countries have adopted or are working towards loose housing. These systems can increase the sow welfare, but often require more management and piglet welfare/mortality should be examined as well. The welfare issues with housing sows in crates are physical and behavioural. The behavioural issues can result in oral stereotypies, but are not only due to housing conditions. Sows are restrictively fed leading up to farrowing to maintain stable body condition, and this can result in chronic hunger even though nutritional requirements are being met. Alternative systems to farrowing crates include outdoor housing, yards/kennels with floor feeding, yards with individual feeders, cubicles or free-access stalls, yards/kennels with short stall feeders, and electronic sow feeders. One of the problems with group housing is the social dynamic, especially as chronically hungry sows are prone to aggression. Sow aggression can result in varied body conditions within a herd, as dominant sows will monopolize feed if it is not carefully managed. Various feeding systems like ESF, or stall feeding can help prevent this, and frustration can be alleviated by providing bedding or foraging material. The economic challenge of group housing includes the initial installation costs, and the reproductive performance of sows. Social stress can affect reproductive performance, which is why sows are often housed in stalls for the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. However, with proper group and feeding management it is possible to achieve the same reproductive performance as stalls.

Alternative systems for farrowing and lactation housing include individual housing with reduced confinement (sow is able to turn around), group farrowing with individual huts, or a two stage system with increased space at lactation. Some of the welfare concerns with these systems are that movement and nesting behaviour is still restricted in individual housing, and aggression increases after farrowing when housed in groups. Economically, the increased space costs more, and studies show varied results for pre-weaning mortality. Non-crate farrowing systems increase piglet mortality due to crushing, but the sows tend to have larger litters and decreased mortalities from other causes. Studies have shown non-crate farrowing can achieve similar mortality rates to commercial levels, but they are still on the high end and more work would be needed before non-crate systems are suitable for commercial use. Proper management and design can make non-confinement housing feasible for gestating sows in commercial production, but additional research will need to be conducted on how to successfully transition to non-confinement farrowing and lactation housing on a commercial scale.