Twenty-four 4 and 1/2 week old Hampshire-sired crossbred pigs from five litters were placed in either a "stimulating" of a "nonstimulating" environment.

• The "nonstimulating" environment consisted of placing 2 pigs in each of six 1.22m X 1.22m nursery pens with plastic-coated expanded metal floors.
  • The lighting and temperature in the room were constant and the pigs were not handled except for adding feed to the self-feeders once a day and cleaning the pens every third day.

• The "stimulating" environment consisted of 12 pigs placed together in one outdoor pen with a concrete floor and an adjoining house bedded with straw.
  • These pigs were handled and played with for at least 15 ( and often 30) minutes daily.
  • Objects were provided to play with :
    • plastic milk crate
    • garbage can
    • chains
    • cloth strips
    • dirt
    • stones
    • newspapers
    • cardboard boxed
    • ropes and twine.
  • The objects were changed daily.

  At the end of the 9 week trial, approach times to either a strange man or a novel object (red feeder standing on end) were measured in a 2.74m wide octagonal pen with a 1.22m high white plywood walls and brown plastic carpeting on the floor. There was a 3 minute time limit.

  Resulting Data:
  • Approach man -
    • "stimulated" = 59.5 seconds
    • "nonstimulated" = 100.3 seconds

  • Approach novel object -
    • "stimulated" = 49.8 seconds
    • "nonstimulated" = 83.5 seconds

  • Differences among litters were also apparent.

  • One stimulated pig vocalized during the tests, and she and her littermates were slower to approach the man regardless of rearing environment (125.9 sec -vs- 60.9).

  Observations indicated that the pigs would stop playing with an object unless it was changed often, and the pigs played with some objects longer than others. If an object became contaminated with manure, the pigs tended to avoid it.

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