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Environmental Enrichment and Agonistic Behavior in Post-Weaning Pigs: A Pilot Study Using Artificial Intelligence

M. Hasan,Hong-Seok Mun,K. M. Ampode,E. Lagua,Md Sharifuzzaman,Jin-Gu Kang,Young-Hwa Kim,Ahsan Mehtab,Hae-Rang Park,Chul-Ju Yang

Published 2026 in Biology

ABSTRACT

Simple Summary Group-housed pig production systems can induce considerable stress, particularly during the post-weaning period when separation from the sow and subsequent regrouping disrupt established social hierarchies. Such stressors often precipitate the expression of agonistic behavior, such as aggression, ear biting, and tail biting. Although tail docking is commonly practiced as a preventive measure against tail biting, it neither fully eliminates the behavior nor resolves the underlying social stress, and its associated ethical concerns have led several countries to restrict or ban its use. In this pilot study, rubber sticks and Italian ryegrass hay were provided together as a combined environmental enrichment (EE) package to evaluate their combined effects on pigs’ agonistic behavior. An AI-based system was employed to automatically detect and quantify agonistic behavior. The results demonstrated that pigs receiving EE were engaged in less agonistic behavior. These findings suggest that the combined provision of enrichment materials can substantially enhance the welfare status of pigs. AI-driven behavioral detection, validated against manual scoring by trained observers using the same experimental video recordings, offers a powerful tool for continuous monitoring, providing farmers with timely information on social unrest within groups, thereby enabling more effective intervention strategies to minimize welfare issues and production losses.

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