Pigs in Large Groups More Socially Tolerant

			Dr. Harold W. Gonyou

According to Dr. Harold W. Gonyou, a researcher and animal behavior expert at the Prairie Swine Centre, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, pigs in large groups are more socially tolerant than pigs in smaller, traditional pens such as those with 25 pigs. Dr. Gonyou says pigs raised in large pens are less likely to fight or create social structures.

"You can take a pig from one large group and move it to another group and see little conflict and aggression," he says.

A large pen can also improve a pig’s immediate environment. “They allow the pigs to do a better job in picking where they want to eat or sleep. For example, on a hot, breezy day, they may want to lay out on the edge of the barn, near the curtains,” says Dr. Gonyou. “The pigs can do a better job choosing their microenvironment.”

One of the presumed drawbacks to large pens without automatic sorting has been the difficulty of handling pigs. Barns designed with minimal alleyways and sorting scales make it easier to manage a large number of pigs, according to Gonyou. “The key to easy handling is a good facility design, and automatic sorting can be a part of that,” says Gonyou.

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