Production performance among lactating loose housed Norwegian hybrid sows: Feed consumption, weight loss, litter gain and the effect of extra water access

Farrowing crates for lactating sows have been prohibited in Norway since 2003. The Norwegian Landrace/Yorkshire (LY) sow is a highly productive sow that performs well under loose housed conditions, but factors such as parity number and water access can influence this performance. Leibbrandt (1989) found that limiting the water access to lactating sows led to reduced feed intake and the catabolism of body reserves to maintain milk production. The objective of this trial was to investigate the ef