Weaning in pigs is a major stress event, and enrichment provision in the immediate post-weaning period is critical to reducing behavioural problems and welfare deterioration.
Abrupt weaning at a very young age causes acute stress in piglets, who lose their mother, familiar social group and food source simultaneously. The post-weaning period is associated with high rates of illness, aggression and stereotypy. Providing novel enrichment, familiar smell cues, appropriate feed and social stability in the first week after weaning can significantly reduce these harms.