Hypor Improves the Social Behavior of Sows

Feb 18, 2025

Why is it important to have sows with a good social behavior?

As farms expand and skilled workers become scarce, pigs must thrive with minimal help. In today’s pig production, fostering social harmony among animals has become more crucial than ever. That is why Hypor aims to select females with strong social skills to live peacefully in groups. We focus on these traits to create a better environment for animals and workers, improving their general well-being.

We must then take into account the sow's experiences with both her peers and the farm workers over her lifetime. The more long-term positive interactions a sow has with animals or humans, the more we will see her as sociable.

How to achieve this?

Strong social skills keep sows calm, reduce stress and negative behaviors, and make them easier to manage for farm workers. For more insights on reducing animal stress levels, refer to this article.

However, measuring behavior can be challenging and sometimes subjective. It may therefore be worthwhile to look at traits that are easy to measure and indirectly improve the social skills of the sow. For example, in our nucleus farms, we house maternal lines in loose gestation pens.

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Video: Inside the National Swine Health Strategy - Dr. Dustin Oedekoven

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show, Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, Chief Veterinarian at the National Pork Board, explains the producer-led National Swine Health Strategy and why it is essential for improving U.S. swine health. He discussed industry collaboration, the strategy's initial priorities, why PEDV is the first focus for elimination, research initiatives, and the long-term vision for healthier herds. Listen now on all major platforms.

"The National Swine Health Strategy creates a coordinated approach that moves the entire industry toward common health goals."

Meet the guest: Dr. Dustin Oedekoven / dusty-oedekoven-bb0bb7110 is Chief Veterinarian at the National Pork Board, where he leads initiatives to strengthen U.S. swine health through disease prevention, producer collaboration, and the National Swine Health Strategy. With more than 20 years of experience in veterinary public health and regulatory animal health, his work focuses on protecting the U.S. herd from endemic and foreign animal diseases. Listen to Dr. Dustin Oedekoven on The Swine it Podcast Show, available on all major platforms.