Environmental enrichment for piglets during nursery coming from weaning at 21 and 28 days

Abstract

The work aims at promoting the environmental enrichment of piglets during nursery coming from weaning at 21 and 28 days, through the placement of toys within the bays. A behavior study of these animals and an assessment of the health challenge was made and the performance from January to June 2009 was accompanied. Two nursery rooms, side by side, were used, one with piglets weaned at 21 days and the other at 28 days. The animals used were hybrids of the Penarlan breed. Two treatments were studied within each room, with and without environmental enrichment. The environmental  enrichment was made with the animals weaned at 28 days, as required by the law for animal welfare, and they showed a higher incidence of stress behavior at the nursery and worsening of the piglets performance; the placement of toys within the bay as a form of environmental enrichment was very attractive to the animals at the nursery, but once they got used to the toys, playing with other swine became more interesting for the animals.