Research has tested dozens of enrichment objects for pigs, revealing which types effectively engage pigs and reduce welfare-compromising behaviors. Evidence guides farmers toward effective enrichment investments.
Pig enrichment research has moved beyond the assumption that any object provides enrichment. The evidence is clear: enrichment must satisfy the behavioral motivation it targets to be genuinely welfare-positive. Pigs' primary behavioral need is rooting, which requires substrates they can manipulate, move, and search through. Straw satisfies this need effectively. Hard objects like chains and balls provide some occupation but do not satisfy the rooting drive as effectively. The challenge is practical - straw is incompatible with slatted floor systems common in intensive farms. This incompatibility is itself a welfare-relevant design problem, as it pits building systems against enrichment effectiveness.