RopesDirect has quite a few pig farming customers who buy our sisal ropes as toys for their pigs.

To the layman, this might sound quite cute – but it’s the law that pigs on farms should be provided with stimulation and “environmental enrichment”.

Pigs are intelligent animals and love to investigate, chew, pull apart and explore with their snouts. Straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost, and peat are among the most important materials recommended for pigs to snuffle and root around in. Our customers also give their pigs sisal rope because it’s natural, ingestible, and good value – a great toy to put out for their pampered porkers to play with.

Sisal rope is easily chewed and manipulated by a pig. It can be wound around the bars or gates of pen fittings or suspended vertically. And various knots can be added to increase interest and complexity and make it more difficult to break pieces off.

What’s more, as it’s a relatively low-cost option, it can be bought in bulk – ensuring there’s enough for all pigs to enjoy, without the need for competition. And if the rope becomes damaged or soiled during use, it can be quickly and cheaply replaced.

Why are pig enrichment toys important?

Environmental enrichment for pigs is shown to:

• reduce the frequency of abnormal or aggressive behaviours (e.g. tail biting)
• increase the pigs’ ability to deal with challenges in a normal way
• broaden the range of normal pig behaviours demonstrated
• reduce stress and nervousness, making them easier to handle
• improve their overall welfare

All of which can have a significant impact on productivity. The average daily food intake and growth rate is much higher for pigs living in an enriched environment. Which in turn, means an increased net weight of meat and higher levels of back-fat.

Sisal ropes available at RopesDirect

Here at RopesDirect, we stock a comprehensive range of sisal ropes – that are perfect for use as pig enrichment.

Sisal can be bought by the coil, on 40-220m reels, and by the metre in various different diameters, ranging from 6-32mm. However, to sustain the interest of your animals for longer, we recommend opting for a 12mm or 16mm rope and cutting this down to 1m lengths.

Whichever size you choose, all of our sisal ropes are high-quality, priced affordably, and available for immediate dispatch. So why not take a look?

Browse our full online collection and if you do happen to use our sisal for this purpose, be sure to let us know and leave a review. We always like to see our ropes in action and would love to hear your feedback.