17/01/2024
Pigs need to be kept busy
Pigs are social animals with highly motivated exploratory behavior. In semi-natural environments, they spend up to 75% of their time grazing, rooting, and exploring their surroundings (study by Stolba and Wood-Gush 1989).
Due to these pronounced behaviors, it is particularly important in low-stimulation housing systems (e.g., fully slatted pens) to provide sufficient manipulable materials. This enables the animals to exhibit species-typical behavior and prevents housing-related behavioral disorders such as tail biting, belly-nosing, or flank biting.
Numerous studies have already shown that the use of straw racks or other activities with organic material has led to a reduced incidence of tail biting, ear biting, manipulation of pen equipment or head butting (Fraser and Broom 1990, Petersen et al. 1995, Scott et al. 2009, Zwicker et al. 2013…).
Legal basis
If chewable plastic or rubber toys are used, it must be ensured that one of these materials is available at least once a day. ... Materials or objects that quickly become very dirty, such as tires lying on the floor, shredded newspaper, or toy balls, are not suitable as activity materials.
Germany – Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Keeping Ordinance, Section 5, §23: Anyone who keeps pigs must ensure that each pig has access at all times to non-toxic and sufficient quantities of activity material that the pig can examine and move and can be modified by the pig, thus supporting exploratory behavior.
Switzerland – 1st Animal Welfare Ordinance and 1st Ordinance of the FSVO on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Pets, Chapter 4, Article 23: 1 Suitable enrichment materials are those that are chewable, gnawable, edible, and non-toxic, such as straw, miscanthus, bedding, dedusted wood shavings, and roughage such as hay, grass, whole-crop silage, and straw or hay cubes. Softwood is only permitted if it is flexibly suspended, regularly replaced, and the pigs are fed a ration enriched with roughage at least three times a day, or if food is freely available to them. 2 Enrichment materials can be provided in suitable facilities such as racks, troughs, or special dispensers. The enrichment materials must be permanently available and usable in these. 3 If enrichment materials are provided on the floor, there must be enough available at all times for the animals to occupy themselves with them.
Implementation
Given the legal situation and the animals' needs, there are many ways to keep pigs occupied. It is especially important that the animals have access to sufficient quantities of manipulable material, which is regularly replaced or re-administered. The quantity should be adjusted to the stocking density of the pen so that every animal has access when needed and conflicts do not arise. Ideally, it is an activity that several animals can use simultaneously.
Organic materials, such as long or chopped straw in roughage dispensers or racks, gnawing bars, pieces of wood, or even a chain with a piece of wood attached to it, are well suited. When using non-organic materials, such as play balls or teething rings, always ensure that they are safe for your pet's health. Avoid car tires, bones, old inner tubes, and the like!
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