A trial was conducted to see if hair hormone concentrations are a good biomarker for chronic stress in pigs. The objective of this study was to determine if different rearing environments, designed to be standard, or improve pig welfare, influenced...

Positive emotions can reduce disease susceptibility during infectious challenges in humans, and emerging evidence suggests similar effects in farm animals. Because play behaviour may support a positive emotional state in pigs, this study investigated whether rearing pigs with regular intermittent...

Play behaviour has been associated with excitement and fun, suggesting that playing animals experience pleasurable states. To determine if the provision of play opportunities could enhance the quality of life of pigs, this study investigated if play can be promoted...

This study compared pre-weaning exposure to environmental enrichment or not, and three slat-compatible enrichment replenishment strategies for pigs post-weaning. Forty-eight mixed-sex pens (six males and six females/pen) of undocked pigs were followed from birth to slaughter. Pre-weaning, half the pigs...

Environmental enrichment can reduce damaging behaviours like tail biting, but practical information on enrichments for growing pigs is lacking. A previous study showed that scented newsprint was a promising enrichment type. The current study examined the long-term effect of early...