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The pigs begin life in a farrowing or gestation crate, a small pen with a central cage, designed to allow the piglets to feed from their mother, the sow, while preventing her from moving around, crushing her children, and reducing aggression. [9] The crates are so small that the pigs cannot turn around. [10] [11]
Nursing sow in a farrowing crate. A few days before giving birth, sows are moved to farrowing crates, which are slightly wider so they can lie down to nurse. Crates have 18-in. (46-cm) "troughs" on each side where the piglets can safely lie without being in danger of sow overlay (when the sow lies down on top of a piglet).
The pig (Sus domesticus), also called swine (pl.: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus Sus. It is considered a subspecies of Sus scrofa (the wild boar or Eurasian boar) by some authorities, but as a distinct species by others.
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Pigs are extensively farmed, and therefore the terminology is well developed: Pig, hog, or swine, the species as a whole, or any member of it. The singular of "swine" is the same as the plural. Shoat (or shote), piglet, or (where the species is called "hog") pig, unweaned young pig, or any immature pig [23] Sucker, a pig between birth and weaning
In this system, grower pigs are housed indoors in group-housing or straw-lined sheds, whilst pregnant sows are confined in sow stalls (gestation crates) and give birth in farrowing crates. [citation needed] The use of sow stalls has resulted in lower production costs and concomitant animal welfare concerns.
Canterbury is by far the largest pig-farming region with 161,600 pigs, 63.1% of the national population. [20] Pigs are usually kept indoors, either in gestation crates, farrowing crates, fattening pens, or group housing. [35] In the 12 months to December 2020, 636,700 pigs were processed, producing 44,950 tonnes of meat. [32]