Providing straw to pigs satisfies rooting, nesting, and foraging behavior while improving health outcomes; managing straw on slatted floors is the primary practical challenge.
Straw is the single most impactful low-cost enrichment for pigs, addressing the fundamental behavioral drive to root and manipulate substrate that underlies tail biting and other stereotypic behaviors. Pigs provided with adequate straw engage in rooting, nest building, and foraging behaviors for hours per day rather than the seconds observed on bare slatted floors. The practical challenges of straw management on slatted floors have been solved through mechanical solutions and farm management adaptations. The welfare benefit of straw provision is disproportionately large relative to its cost, making it one of the highest-value welfare improvements available in pig farming.