Effects of cushioned flooring on piglet leg injuries

Newborn piglets often develop abrasion injuries on their front legs from contact with the floor during the vigorous activity of suckling. Three flooring treatments were used with 30 newborn litters to test whether leg injuries would be reduced by flooring that offers increased cushioning and reduced friction. In 10 litters raised with solid neoprene flooring in the suckling area, most piglets (93%) developed leg abrasions whose size increased during the first week after birth. Fewer pigs had leg abrasions (24%) and the amount of such wounding was greatly reduced (P < 0.001) in litters where the suckling area was floored by a thin layer of neoprene underlain by closed-cell neoprene sponge which provided a cushioning action. Wounding was almost eliminated on closed-cell neoprene sponge impregnated with mineral oil, which offered the cushioning action combined with a low coefficient of friction. Thus it appears that piglet leg injuries can be reduced both by a cushioning action of the floor which distributes the load over a larger area, and by reducing friction when the leg rubs against the floor surface.