Pigs are intelligent, social animals. They thrive on physical contact and exploration of their environment. Pigs are capable of navigating mazes, playing video games, adjusting the temperature of their room depending on whether they are hot or cold, and self-recognition. They are one of the few species know to recognize themselves in a mirror and, even more astounding, use that mirror to find reflected objects, like food.
Birth on the farm
More than 100 million piglets are born on farms across the United States. Days after birth, piglets undergo painful physical mutilations. All piglets are tail-docked to prevent abnormal behavior found on industrial farms. When animals are placed in unnatural situations, they exhibit strange behaviors called stereotypies. One stereotypic behavior is tail-biting in piglets. So instead of giving them more space, farmers lop off body parts.
After tail docking, all piglets will have their ears notched – cut out – with scissors for identification purposes. Some will have ear tags inserted into their ears. Their needle-teeth, which carry nerves and a blood supply, are cut off as well.
If the piglet is male, he will be castrated. This involves cutting open the scrotal sac and slicing off the testicles. All of these procedures are done without pain relief or anesthesia.
Early Weaning
The wild ancestors and cousins of domestic pigs live in large, extended families. Piglets are naturally weaned between 3-4 months after birth. Females will generally remain within the group (called a sounder) while males may be kicked out to start their own group.
But on farms, piglets are unnaturally weaned at an early age. At only 3-weeks-of age piglets are taken from their mothers. This is very stressful for both mother and offspring. The sow (female pig) will exhibit stress behaviors, from vocalization to attempted escapes.
The piglets are then moved into nurseries where they are introduced to new piglets. Introducing new animals to each other, especially at such a young age, results in extensive aggression and stress. Animals attack one another and because there is no natural social system in place, bullied piglets can and are killed.
Piglets will go off feed, pace, bite each other, self-mutilate and call to their lost mothers. This is considered the most stressful time for a piglet on a farm…and she’s only three weeks old!
Fast Growth
Domestic pigs have been bred to grow at an astounding pace. Wild pigs grow much slower, reaching full size in five years. Domestic farm pigs have been bred to reach “market weight” in six-months and full adult size in two years. While a large wild boar may reach 400 lbs, adult farm pigs often exceed 800 lbs in size.
Growing so quickly results in health problems, notably joint problems. Animals develop arthritis early and may even break legs and backs from the extra weight.
While it is illegal to give pigs growth hormones, most pigs are fed a commercial diet with added antibiotics. These growth-promotants are given at a level that won’t cure or treat infections but will increase growth and reduce the likelihood of infection in overcrowded barns. The use of antibiotics in livestock feed has contributed to the dramatic increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Many antibiotics given to farmed animals are approved or in the same family as antibiotics given to humans.