Pigs are intelligent and curious from birth, and the lactation and nursery periods are critical for their mental and physical development. Despite this, research on suitable enrichments for piglets is lacking. Research that has been done found that piglets given enrichment had increased play and exploratory behaviours and decreased aggression, tail-biting, and belly-nosing. There is also some evidence of improved growth and meat quality when pigs are given enrichment, so there is potential for enrichment to benefit production as well as welfare.
Practical Environmental Enrichment Strategies for Piglets (View pdf)
