The effect of environmental stimulation on the development of behaviour in pigs (1995)

Petersen, V., Simonsen, H. B., Lawson, L. G.

Abstract

Litters were kept under barren conditions or under enriched conditions. Enriched pens were supplied with straw, logs and branches. The pigs were weaned at Week 5. .. The pigs in the enriched pens spent much time in rooting, biting and chewing the provided material, while the pigs in the barren environment rooted, bit and chewed the floor and walls for the empty pen. At Week 4 the pigs in the barren environment spent 39% of all scans in manipulating the udder of the sow as compared with 22% for the pigs in the enriched pen (p<0.01). During the whole observation period they spent on average 26% of all scans rooting floor and walls as compared with 3% for the pigs in the enriched pens (p<0.001). Pigs from the barren environment had higher frequencies of biting floor and walls (p<0.001), nudging littermate (p<0.05) and tailbiting littermate (p<0.01). .. Enriching the environment reduced the frequency of a number of behavioural disturbances in the present study, but the presence of these activities even in the enriched pens suggests that enrichment of the pen is not a sufficient solution to these problems.