Peat pellets support natural pig behaviour

Species-specific behaviour, which is important for animal welfare and performance, can be supported with enrichment materials, such as chewable pellets.

Peat is a naturally formed organic material consisting of decomposed plant matter that is rich in fibre and contains humic substances. These fibres and naturally occurring acids have attracted growing interest in animal nutrition.

Meeting behavioural needs

Being able to express natural behaviours is an important part of pig welfare. Pigs have a strong natural motivation to root, forage and explore their environment. Wild and domestic pigs naturally spend a large part of their day exploring their environment with their snouts. In modern production systems, these opportunities can be limited. When pigs cannot express natural behaviours, frustration and chronic stress may develop. These can increase the risk of damaging behaviours such as tail and ear biting, which negatively affect animal welfare.

The proper use of enrichment materials reduces inactivity and pig-directed aggression. It also helps pigs cope better with challenging production phases such as weaning. Welfare improvements are often associated with measurable production outcomes, including improved feed intake, growth performance, reduced tail damage and better carcass quality.

Suitable enrichment materials must be safe, malleable and attractive for pigs to interact with. The challenge for producers is finding enrichment materials that stay appealing to pigs while remaining practical to use in commercial systems. Enrichment materials should stimulate exploration without compromising hygiene, biosecurity or manure management.

Practical enrichment material

Peat pellets offer a practical enrichment material for pigs. Unlike many commonly used enrichment materials, peat pellets are palatable and consumable for the animals, and provide additional inert fibre. The physical characteristics of the pellets are compatible with manure handling systems. Rigorous pre- and post-processing testing ensures consistent quality and verifies the microbial and nutritional safety of the peat.

Learn more about the ProHumi® Farm enrichment material from Hankkija.

Research on this 100% peat-based feed material is still ongoing, but preliminary findings are encouraging. Studies have reported increased exploration and play behaviour, reduced pig-directed manipulative behaviour, and positive production-related observations in different production settings. Further research is continuing to evaluate these findings under a wider range of conditions.

According to user experiences, piglets often begin interacting with the pellets immediately after they are provided, spending time rooting, chewing and exploring. Such activity may help keep animals occupied during particularly challenging periods, including weaning and regrouping. Farmers have also reported calmer behaviour among animals after pellets are introduced. Suckling piglets have shown increased play and chewing behaviour, including after litter mixing at weaning. Fattening pigs have similarly demonstrated strong interest in the material and low levels of pig-directed manipulative behaviour.

Peat pellets combine animal welfare benefits with practical farm management advantages. They support natural pig behaviour and integrate well into modern production systems.

As enrichment strategies continue to evolve, practical solutions that support natural pig behaviour are attracting growing interest across the industry. By combining animal engagement with ease of use on farms, peat pellets offer a superior approach to enrichment that aligns with the welfare and management objectives of modern pig production.

Discover the ProHumi® Farm product.