The physical design of pig housing — floor type, space allocation, layout, and enrichment provision — determines welfare outcomes as directly as any management practice.
Pen design welfare impacts are structural and persistent: a badly designed pen imposes welfare costs on every animal housed in it for the life of the building. Fully slatted concrete floors cause foot and leg injuries, prevent the rooting and nesting behaviours that pigs are motivated to perform, and provide no thermal comfort — pigs on slatted floors cannot access the insulation of bedding material. Pens without escape routes from aggressive individuals create permanent victims. Visual barriers that break direct sightlines reduce aggression between unfamiliar animals during mixing. Solid floors with deep bedding allow natural behaviour, provide thermal comfort, and absorb waste more effectively. The capital investment in better-designed housing pays back through reduced injury rates, lower medication costs, and better welfare outcomes.