Pigs are highly social animals that benefit from appropriate group housing. Managing social dynamics in commercial pig production requires understanding pig behavior and needs.
Pigs in stable, appropriate groups with adequate resources display rich social behaviors including mutual grooming, play, and cooperative resting. The benefits of social living for pig welfare are measurable through reduced stress biomarkers and increased behavioral diversity. The welfare harm of mixing unfamiliar pigs is significant — hours of intense fighting with bite injuries and subordinate individuals unable to access food or rest. Management systems that minimize mixing — keeping pigs in stable social groups from weaning to slaughter — dramatically reduce mixing aggression while allowing social benefits. Enrichment provision within groups allows pigs to redirect social energy toward substrates rather than each other.