How play behavior in pigs serves as an indicator of positive welfare states and how to promote play in commercial and small-scale settings.
Play behavior in pigs offers a direct window into positive welfare states that goes beyond merely assessing the absence of negative experiences. Pigs that play are pigs that have sufficient resources, social stability, health and environmental stimulation to invest behavioral energy in activities beyond survival needs. Monitoring play frequency in commercial settings requires trained observer time but provides welfare information that disease records and mortality rates cannot capture. The practical value of play assessment is that it identifies groups with compromised positive welfare before clinical welfare indicators deteriorate, enabling proactive intervention. Promoting play through enrichment, appropriate stocking density and social stability represents a concrete way to shift pig welfare from minimally acceptable to genuinely positive.