The physical design of pig housing — pen shape, size, floor type, and structural features — significantly affects individual pig welfare through its influence on behavior, health, and social dynamics.
Pen design is a determinant of pig welfare that operates continuously throughout the entire production life: pigs that live in well-designed pens with adequate space, appropriate social density, behavioral refugia, and good air and floor quality experience better welfare at every moment than those in poorly designed housing. The best enrichment and management practices cannot fully compensate for fundamental design deficiencies. The science of welfare-positive pen design has advanced substantially: we know that escape corners reduce aggression, that solid floor areas improve lying quality and behavioral welfare, that appropriate drinker spacing reduces competition, and that enrichment position affects use rates. Incorporating this knowledge into building design standards and agricultural planning requirements would systematically improve pig welfare at scale without requiring ongoing management intervention.