Providing effective enrichment in pig nursery phases reduces aggression, stereotypies, and tail-biting while improving growth rates and overall welfare outcomes.
Nursery pigs deprived of stimulation redirect rooting and exploratory behaviors toward pen-mates, causing injury through tail-biting and ear-biting. This is not a behavioral aberration but an entirely predictable response to barren environments. Effective enrichment must be manipulable, destructible, and preferably edible — straw, hay, and paper all outperform chains and toys. The welfare and economic benefits of enrichment are clear: reduced injury rates, lower antibiotic use, and better growth performance make enrichment a sound investment for producers.