Pigs are known for being curious and destructive. What do you expect when you only have your snout and mouth as a means to investigate the world?

Our first farm was ideal to answer that question. You met Marcel’s sows on our baleage project. Since his sows had access to straw and plenty of baleage to snack on we figured this would be a fair test of the sow’s interest in the brush. And Marcel is a great sport, eager to give it a try.

The sows investigated the brushes with their mouths but did little to no damage to the brush. They used it readily! We also learned that the brushes were designed for cows and might need to be adapted for sows.

Brushes come in all shapes and sizes. Now that we know the sows will use a brush, we wanted to try different types to see if they seemed to like one more than the others. We installed a Future Cow brush and the VES-Artex motorized brush in Marcel’s other pens.

It turns out the brushes designed for cows may not be the best fit. The Future Cow brush seems like it is little too flexible, swinging easily out of the way when the sow leans into it.

The motorized brush seemed to be too aggressive for the sows, and heavy for them to use along their back. Some sows did figure out how to use the softer edge for a good scratch behind the ears! That was a real treat! Maybe we can find the right kind of spinning brush for sows after all?

We have since enlisted 12 farms (and counting) in our Brush Brigade and are trying several types of brushes. With their help and mad welding skills we are making adjustments to figure out which brush designs and placements work best.

Farms come in all shapes and sizes too.  We have 12 farms, each different in how they house and feed their sows. Thanks to our Brush Brigade we should have a good sense of what brushes work best for a variety of farm systems. Stay tuned!

What if only 1 sow was using the brush? What if they get bored with them after a few weeks? We have lots of questions, and so do the farmers. The next step is to install timelapse cameras so we can get a sense of use throughout the day and over time once the novelty wears off.

Making the lives of farmed animals a little better doesn’t have to cost a lot. Whether it is proven resources like brushes for cows, or new ideas like feeding baleage to sows, or offering brushes to sows, it is worth asking, “what would they enjoy”?

Sometimes the answer is clear.

Managing hunger, boredom, and the universal need to scratch that itch are important avenues we can explore, where little efforts make a big difference.