Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Enrichment Novelty and Habituation Prevention

Pigs rapidly habituate to static enrichment objects, and providing novel enrichment that maintains engagement over time is essential for sustained welfare benefit.

Key Facts

Welfare Considerations

The welfare benefit of enrichment depends on maintaining animal engagement. A hanging chain that no pig touches is not providing enrichment. Rotation programmes - changing items every few days, varying materials, hiding food in substrate - maintain the novelty that drives engagement and welfare benefit. Simple and cheap solutions can be highly effective if managed actively.

What You Can Do