Play behavior in young pigs indicates positive welfare and can be actively promoted through enrichment and management approaches.
Play in young pigs is both a welfare indicator and a welfare contributor — pigs that play are demonstrating positive welfare, and the act of playing itself contributes to positive emotional states and normal behavioral development. Providing conditions that support play — adequate space, stable social groups, enrichment materials that can be interacted with, and absence of chronic stressors — creates a positive feedback loop where welfare enables play, and play further enhances welfare. Systems designed with play in mind prioritize the behavioral needs of young pigs alongside nutrition and health, creating fundamentally better welfare outcomes than those designed purely around production efficiency.