Pig Personalities Being Studied at UC Davis

As pork production changes and pigs are housed, not individually but in groups, researchers at UC Davis are now researching how to tell what kind of personality a pig might have and whether or not it will thrive or suffer in a group setting.

One of the researchers Professor Kristina Horback says, “For 40 years, swine genetics has focused on production traits like weight gain, litter size and disease resistance but have we been inadvertently breeding for specific behavior and personality traits? Are some personality traits better than others, not just for the individual but for the group as a whole?”

Researchers are looking personality traits, cognitive bias and trying to gather information as they try to figure out the perfect kind of pig for this new environment in the industry.

Find out more in a video provided by UC Davis.