Rooting behavior appears to be an important part of the behavioral repertoire, a rewarding experience and perhaps a behavioral need. It is a natural behavior for pigs where the pig uses his snout to push or nudge into something repeatedly. Pigs root in different ways for different reasons: for comfort, to communicate, to cool off, or to search for food. The pigs’ natural inclination to root can also provide a useful cultivation and weeding tool . However, rooting can also lead to environmental damage. Restricting rooting or outdoor time will frustrate the pig causing behavioral issues.
Keeping pigs on the right soil type and the use of rotational grazing is key to the exploitation of the former and minimizing the impact of the latter. A system of integrating pigs into a crop rotation is whereby a once a year farrowing herd is moved periodically within a crop rotation program.
Under semi-natural conditions, sows spend 10-20% of their active time rooting. The welfare consequences of rooting deprivation depend on the motivation of the behavior. Levels of rooting behavior are flexible in response to nutritional needs. Restricting feed levels to 70 or 80% of appetite can lead to a significant increase in active rooting and in non-rooting activity during peak periods.
Although the provision of root crops can reduce rooting behavior, this is not an exclusive determinant of paddock damage, and cannot be recommended as the sole alternative to nose-ringing. Manipulation of edible substrates may substitute for rooting behavior in outdoor sows. Sows that received silage as overground enrichment spend less time rooting the paddock
It starts when they are born, piglets root at their mother’s teat to trigger milk letdown. This is both instinctual and comforting for piglets. After the piglets are weaned, they will continue to root for comfort similar to toddlers using a pacifier. They will root against their family or flooring. Piglets are more likely to root for comfort when they are tired or hungry. Piglets will outgrow this type of rooting as they mature. Piglets that were weaned too early or taken away from their mother will have a harder time outgrowing the need for comfort rooting.
Rooting is used a lot in pig communication at all ages. Pigs will root at your legs gently to politely ask for a bite of food while you’re making dinner. They will root hard enough to leave bruises to demand food if they are allowed. They will root your hand to ask for belly rubs if they are feeling neglected. When pigs are intact (not spayed or neutered) they will aggressively root your legs out of sexual frustrations, which usually leads to humping and biting.
When pigs are outdoors they need a way to cool off. If a mud hole or pool is available, they will use this. If there are no other places to lower their body temperature in the heat, they will use their snout to dig a hole into the cool dirt.
Pigs are food driven. They naturally use their snout to root in search of food. Outside they will do this by digging up grass or other plants in search of roots and bugs. There is no prevention or training that can stop this. If your pig is becoming destructive, he will need a fenced area where he is allowed to root.
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