that if he had been raisin them for 50 years and didnt use crates, those hogs have been bred to not need them, ecspecially if they are sows and not gilts. Sows, by nature, either smash em or they dont. It has been my limited experience that  a few days to a week before farrowing, you can tell which ones will be good by watching. A good sow will begin to lay down REAL carefully and slowly about 5-7 days before they farrow. Confinement hogs, I know nothing about. JMO