Providing enrichment materials to pig litters from birth improves behavioral development, reduces fear of novelty, and produces better-adapted adult pigs.
Early life enrichment for piglets shapes their behavioral development and stress response systems with lasting welfare implications. Piglets raised in enriched environments are less fearful, more exploratory, and better socially adjusted as adults. This investment in early welfare pays dividends across the entire production cycle by producing more resilient pigs with better capacity to cope with challenges they encounter later.