Research into pig enrichment has identified specific materials and approaches that most effectively meet pigs behavioral needs and improve welfare outcomes.
The science of pig enrichment has moved well beyond simply providing any object to understanding which materials and rotation strategies genuinely satisfy behavioral motivation. Pigs have an intrinsic rooting motivation that seeks substrate to investigate and manipulate — hanging chains and hard toys do not satisfy this drive as effectively as straw, wood shavings, or peat. Industry resistance to substrate enrichment centers on slatted floor management challenges, but research and producer experience demonstrate that rooting material enrichment is both feasible and transformative for pig welfare.