A series of studies were conducted using farrowing pens that allowed the sow to escape from her piglets. This report summarizes the results of those studies in terms of the variation seen in the use of this escape area. Examining 96 litters, there was a great deal of variation among sows on the use of the escape area. Increased use of the escape area resulted in less weight loss by the sows, and reduced gains by the piglets. Sows were fairly consistent within a lactation in their use of the escape area. However, sows returning for a second farrowing showed no correlation with their behaviour in the first. Rather, use of the escape area tended to be associated with low sow weight at farrowing and large litter size. It would appear that use of the escape area had more to do with the cost of caring for the young rather than the personality of the sow. However, sows that used the escape area more were also very responsive to the distress calls of their piglets by the end of the lactation. It would appear that the key to effective sow-controlled housing lies with management of environmental conditions, rather than with selecting the most appropriate sows.