Our aim was to describe nursing behaviour, sow
activity, sow use of body reserves and piglet growth and
the relationship between these traits in gilts kept
outdoors. We conclude that in outdoor production, sow
appetite in early lactation affects piglet growth until
weaning at seven weeks. Sow nursing behaviour is not
important for piglet growth when sows and piglets are
held outdoors in groups, piglets have access to sow feed
and piglets are weaned as late as at seven weeks of age.
Sow nursing behaviour and activity are individual
characteristics repeatable within sow’s late lactation.
Sow nursing behaviour is related with sow activity,
indicating that less active sows are more available for
suckling. Sow backfat depth and sow body weight are
related to nursing behaviour in late lactation, indicating
that light, thin sows have an earlier and more progressed
weaning process.
Sows seem to balance between their and their litters’
needs by changing nursing behaviour during lactation.
In order to investigate how conventionally bred sows
kept outdoors manage to handle this act of balance,
maternal traits and reproduction traits need to be studied
over several parities.