A day in the life of a pig on a factory farm

A life lived indoors

For many pigs on factory farms, almost every part of life happens inside. They will never feel grass beneath their feet, root through soil or explore the outdoors. Instead, their days will be spent on hard concrete, surrounded by other pigs with little space or stimulation. 

Pigs are highly intelligent, naturally curious animals who want to explore, forage and interact with the world around them. On a factory farm, there is little opportunity to do any of those things.

Pigs on a factory farm. (Image courtesy of: World Animal Protection)

Little room to move

For mother pigs, life can be cruelly restrictive. During pregnancy, some are kept in individual stalls barely larger than their bodies. They can spend long periods surrounded by metal bars, unable to explore or interact normally with other pigs. For an animal who naturally wants to move, forage and socialize, this means months and years living in a barren environment with all behavioural and psychological needs severely constrained.

Pain can begin early

For piglets, painful procedures begin when they are only days old. Their tails may be cut and their teeth may be clipped or ground down. Male piglets are also be castrated. Some of these procedures are used to manage problems that can arise when pigs are kept in stressful, crowded environments, and are often done without pain relief. Rather than improving the living conditions for animals, the industry resorts to conducting painful physical alterations instead.

Pigs deserve better

Pigs are intelligent, social and curious animals. They deserve space to move, opportunities to express their natural behaviours and lives with less suffering. That’s why we work with governments, companies and people around the world to improve protections and change farming practices.