The behaviour of the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Abstract

The study of animal behaviour, or ethology, has been providing knowledge about farm animals since the 1950s. While these studies initially focused on behaviours of interest to production (reproduction), they are now making it possible to gain a better understanding of many other behaviours inherent in the lives of farm animals. The domestic pig has thus been the subject of numerous studies, which it is important to summarize. The aim of this article is to review what we know about the different categories of domestic pig behaviour: exploratory, feeding, social, sexual and parental, and play behaviours. Each category of behaviour is described, along with the factors influencing it. This review shows that certain farming conditions and practices can help pigs express their behaviours. Knowing and implementing them can help to meet certain behavioural needs for better animal welfare (reduced restraint, enrichment of the environment, etc.). However, encouraging the expression of natural behaviours is not always beneficial for the animals, and understanding their expression is one way of finding solutions to offset undesirable effects. Although research into the behaviour of domestic pigs is expanding, it now needs to extend to subjects little explored to date, such as non-hierarchical social behaviour and maternal behaviour.