Pig Enrichment

Pig Feeds

Take care of your sows, and they’ll take care of you.

On a pig farm, nobody works harder than the sows. Taking good care of them isn’t just best practice – it’s good business.

Beyond health, sanitation and nutrition, there is a range of behavioural concerns that farmers need to address, particularly since the transition away from gestation stalls. Environmental enrichment is becoming the new global standard for managing these problem behaviours and increasing productivity, and it’s fast gaining traction.

Pig Enrichment

That’s why Ridley is looking ahead with the Barastoc Enrich Swine Block. Our Barastoc Enrich Swine Block is a consumable 20kg block specially designed for pigs, in line with the best global enrichment standards. As a long-term, economical way to reduce harmful behaviours, it’s simple and effective. Like other forms of enrichment, it encourages natural behaviours and reduces stress. It’s also made from a molasses base, so it has a pleasant taste that never loses its appeal – initial results show that pigs engage with Barastoc Enrich Swine Block continuously, consuming consistent quantities over time.

Most importantly, Barastoc Enrich Swine Block works by supporting the natural foraging tendencies of pregnant sows, it is proven to reduce stress-related harmful behaviours. As trial results show, with a block included in pig enrichment measures, you can expect to see fewer scratches, more time spent resting and less time spent chasing.

Treatment

Table 1: Mean time (min) sows’ spent engaged in behaviour and posture one (1) hour after feeding over the four days of observation, for sows in the control group and receiving 2.3 kg/day, sows receiving a high-feeding level (4.0 kg/day) or sows receiving a Ridley Enrich SowBlock™ in addition to 2.3 kg feed/day. (Pork CRC funded Commercialisation project)

Activity Control Block High feed SED P value
Push 0.09 0.08 0.10 0.24 0.87
Chase 0.29a 0.08b 0.11b 0.47 0.02
Foraging 28.48x 25.67xy 25.15y 9.76 0.08
Agnostic behaviour 1.01 0.81 0.73 0.94 0.19
Posture Control Block High feed SED P value
Lying 9.13b 13.30a 13.66a 11.30 0.04
Sitting 0.24 0.79 0.88 1.67 0.11
Standing 50.63a 45.91b 45.26b 10.85 0.01

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