conditions.Theyarecloselyconfinedforbothpregnancyand
birth.Whilepregnanttheyareusuallylockedintoindividual
metalstallstwofeetwideandsixfeetlong,orscarcelybigger
than thesow herself; or theymay be chained by a collar
aroundtheneck;ortheymaybeinstallsyetstillbechained.
Theretheywilllivefortwoorthreemonths.Duringallthat
time, theywillbe unable to walk morethana singlestep
forwardorbackward,ortoturnaround,ortoexerciseinany
otherway.Again,savingsonfeedandlaborarethereasonfor
this brutal form of solitary imprisonment.
Whenthesowisreadytogivebirthsheismoved—butonly
toa“farrowingpen.”(Humansgivebirth,butpigs“farrow.”)
Here thesow may be even more tightly restricted in her
movements thanshewasin her stall.Adevice nicknamed
“theironmaiden,”consistingofanironframethatprevents
freemovement,hasbeenintroducedandwidelyusedinmany
countries.Theostensiblepurposeisto stopthesow rolling
ontoandcrushingherpiglets,butthiscouldalsobeachieved
by providing her with more natural conditions.
When thesow is confined both while pregnant and while
nursing—or when she is deprived of the opportunity to
nurse—sheistightly restrictedforalmostthewholeofher
life.Inconfinement,theenvironmentismonotonousandthe
pighasscantchancetochooseoralterherenvironment.The
U.S.DepartmentofAgricultureadmitsthat“thesowkeptina
crate cannot fulfill her strong
instincttobuildanest”andthisfrustrationcancontributeto
farrowing and lactation problems.^87
Thesowsthemselvesmake itclear whattheythinkofthis
formofconfinement.AttheUniversityofWageningen,inthe