Pig enrichment

A research project titled "New innovations for environmental enrichment on pig farms" was carried out at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki, Finland, in the years 2012 to 2013.

 The goal was to test the capacity of various objects to reduce tail and ear biting and to enable species-specific behaviours.

Additionally, new types of enrichment objects were developed and tested, focusing on objects that would be easy for farmers and their staff to make for themselves. The main goals were to optimize the cost-benefit ratio and to develop objects compatible with partly or fully slatted floors.

On this website, you will find the results of the study and practical information on making and using the objects that scored best in the tests. We hope the site will be useful to pork producers, advisors and others in the pig industry.

Contact details

For more information, please contact the researcher Helena Telkänranta & Anna Valros:

Enrichments