To ensure that sows at the breeding centre have sufficient exercise and can express their natural behaviours, changes to sow husbandry have been in place since February 2021. Under the new Animal Welfare and Livestock Husbandry Ordinance (TierSchNutztV), each sow must be provided with at least 5 m² of unrestricted floor space from weaning until the first insemination, and the animals must be kept in groups. Furthermore, following a transition period of eight years (until 9 February 2029), sow keepers may only briefly restrain the animals during insemination, treatment and oestrus monitoring. By February 2024, livestock owners wishing to continue sow husbandry were required to submit a plan to the competent authorities outlining how implementation would take place on the farm, and a corresponding building application must be submitted by February 2026. Otherwise, sow husbandry must cease in February 2026.

There are various options for group housing of sows in the mating centre. They can be inseminated either freely or whilst restrained; solid-floored pens or slatted floors can be used, and an arena can be provided upstream or an exercise area installed. Each farm must decide individually which option suits their specific operation and farmers.

Implementation is difficult for many farmers due to the costs involved, limited space on the farm and a lack of experience with this housing system. Below, the ‘Pen Structure’ working group of the Fokus Tierwohl network provides tips on how good pen design can support group housing in the breeding centre.

General tips on group housing for sows in the breeding centre, apart from pen layout, can be found here.

Floor design is a key factor in pen layout. A floor area of 5 m² per sow provides the animals with sufficient scope to organise their pen and establish the pecking order. A floor¹ that is always dry, non-slip and bedded with straw helps prevent foot problems. In straw-bedded pens, it is advisable to include areas without straw for thermoregulation purposes, which the animals can use as cool resting areas, as the straw acts as insulation.

In the first week after weaning, slatted floors should be avoided due to the risk of injury. Retrofitting closed, soft or bedded-down lying areas is generally straightforward and reliable. Rubber mats have the disadvantage of becoming slippery quickly, so the working group only recommends them for retrofits where it is not possible to use bedding or other methods to cover the slats. When using rubber mats, it should also be borne in mind that sows tend to ‘work on’ them, thereby shortening their service life. Correct installation without edges accessible to the animals is therefore important.

If slatted floors cannot be avoided, hoof health must be monitored. Regular hoof checks and care are therefore advisable. Furthermore, due to the ample space available per animal, faeces may not pass through the slats sufficiently. Furthermore, straw bedding reduces the flow properties of the slurry, meaning that no conventional liquid manure will form in the slurry channel. If slatted floors are unavoidable, they should have a slot width of less than 20 mm with a maximum perforation rate of 14.7%.²
If there are insemination pens, a small step of approx. 20–25 cm in height can be used to create a sort of ‘insemination island’ (Fig. 3). This makes mucking out of straw-bedded pens easier, as there is a mucking-out edge.
Fixed-floor systems offer great potential. For example, providing enrichment material across the floor can be made available to all animals at the same time. This reduces competition – particularly when it comes to palatable roughage such as green fodder, clover-grass silage and hay.
Especially in areas where sows come into contact with the boar, ample bedding and a non-slip floor are essential to prevent injuries. Slatted floors should be expressly avoided in these areas.³

Before starting the conversion or new build, a decision should be made as to whether a dunging area is to be defined in advance during the planning of the mating centre, or whether the sows are to establish this themselves. With the second option, it may be necessary to accept that the animals will soil the entire mating centre, requiring it to be completely mucked out each time they are moved. However, experience shows that usually only part of the area needs to be mucked out, as the sows tend to seek out a fixed dunging corner.
  To keep the workload to a minimum, areas covered with more than the minimum bedding should be designed in such a way that mechanical mucking out using a tractor is possible. If the dunging area is a hard-surfaced area, it must be scraped out approximately 2–3 times a week.

Whether sows are briefly restrained or inseminated whilst free is a decision to be made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the farm and the farmer’s preference. Both methods are possible; however, the working group recommends brief restraint during insemination, as this protects the sows from being mounted by other animals and helps prevent subsequent injuries.⁶ In addition, restraint serves to protect people, as sows mounting others can pose a danger. A further advantage is that the duration of insemination can be significantly reduced by restraining the animals.

A positive aspect of free insemination is that it allows the sows unrestricted freedom of movement. To ensure occupational safety, a personnel access hatch (Fig. 6) can be provided for livestock keepers to enable them to leave the pen quickly in an emergency.
If restraint options such as feeding-resting stalls are available, which are also to be counted as resting areas, minimum widths in accordance with the implementation guidelines of the Animal Welfare Ordinance (TierSchNutztV) are recommended. The animals can thus decide whether they wish to lie down or feed freely or protected from other animals. If separate lying areas are available within the pen, a stall width of 50 cm is entirely sufficient for feeding and insemination. If restraining facilities are not available for all animals, insemination can be carried out in small groups one after the other.

Without self-caging pens, the sows no longer have a retreat area, but a hierarchy develops more quickly. It is therefore advisable to keep restraint facilities closed when not in use, such as outside feeding times, if they are also used for feeding. This promotes the rapid establishment of a hierarchy. It should be noted, however, that this area must not be counted towards the 5 m².

If basket pens are available, these may only be used as a short-term restraint option. Folding them up creates more space in the pen, the walkways become wider⁷ and the troughs are permanently accessible. They are a good alternative for conversions, but require more time for restraint.

In principle, the ‘Pen Structure’ Working Group recommends inseminating sows whilst they are restrained. This is safer and saves time. However, gilts can be inseminated freely in small groups, as they are not accustomed to being restrained. This helps to avoid stressful situations. If the animals are inseminated freely, there should still be a few restraining options available. This makes it easier to treat sick animals.

Under the Animal Welfare Ordinance (TierSchNutztV), each sow must be provided with at least 1.3 m² of lying area. Feeding-lying stalls or other feeding areas are included in this calculation provided they meet the requirements for a feeding-lying pen. Pigs prefer darker areas for lying down. In cold housing, covers with slatted curtains² or cubicles with two entrances and exits are suitable for this purpose. In heated housing, covers are not essential, but the lying area should still be darker than the rest of the pen. If lying boxes are used, they should be approx. 2 m wide and at least 2.20 m deep, providing space for four sows. No more than eight animals should be housed per box, as otherwise it will quickly become soiled.