Optimizing the thermal environment for piglets in farrowing houses: A comprehensive narrative review

Optimizing the thermal environment in farrowing houses is essential for enhancing neonatal piglet survival, welfare, and production efficiency. Newborn piglets possess limited thermoregulatory capacity and low energy reserves, which makes them highly susceptible to hypothermia during the early postnatal period. Cold stress and crushing collectively account for up to 25% of piglet deaths within the first week of life, underscoring the importance of maintaining suitable microclimates. Despite advances in housing and breeding, rising litter sizes and variable piglet birth weights have increased the vulnerability of pigs to thermal stress. Current management practices often fail to maintain optimal temperature gradients between sows and piglets, leading to welfare concerns and productivity losses. A comprehensive synthesis is needed to guide evidence-based strategies for effective thermal regulation in farrowing environments. This narrative review integrated peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2025 from Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. The literature was categorized into four themes: piglet thermoregulation and physiology, environmental and housing factors, heating technologies, and maternal–offspring interactions. Key outcomes on thermal comfort, mortality, and performance were synthesized. Localized heating systems such as infrared lamps, heated mats, and underfloor heating effectively create microclimates that sustain optimal piglet body temperatures while avoiding sow heat stress. Piglets guided to these heat sources shortly after birth show improved survival and growth. Sow factors, including colostrum quality and maternal attentiveness, and piglet traits, such as birth weight and vitality, strongly influence thermoregulation and performance. Ensuring optimal thermal conditions in farrowing houses markedly reduces pre-weaning mortality and supports sustainable productivity. Adoption of localized, sensor-driven heating systems, targeted piglet assistance post-birth, and AI-based environmental monitoring are strongly recommended to enhance survival, welfare, and efficiency in modern pig production systems.