The dilemma with small piglets

With the increase in litter size, the weight of piglets has also gone down. Small piglets have a higher risk of mortality and usually grow slower, thus increasing within-litter variation. As they are weaker, they may also be a potential risk for spreading disease. This raises the question whether it is worth keeping small piglets alive, as it may come at the cost of the performance of others, writes animal welfare expert Prof Dr Irene Camerlink. Several studies have shown that piglet survival