The current conditions in which weaned pigs are kept are the most important in relation to the development of tail biting behaviour. Evidence for associations between management and housing during suckling and tail biting behaviour is scarce and contradictory. A short overview is given of the current knowledge on potential early life risk factors and their impact on tail biting behaviour in later life. However, further research is needed to finally evaluate the impact of the early life environment on the expression of tail biting in later life.