Sty facts for kids

Pigsty – Museum of Country Life in Wallonia in (Belgium)

Model of toilet with pigsty (see pig toilet), China, Eastern Han dynasty, 25–220 CE

A sty or pigsty is a small outdoor area where pigs are raised as livestock. People sometimes call it a hog pen, hog parlor, pigpen, or pig parlor. The word "pigpen" can also mean a pen for pigs kept as pets.

Pigsties are usually fenced areas with bare dirt or mud. The words "sty" and "pigsty" are often used to describe places that are dirty or messy. This is because pigsties can get very muddy and messy, even though pigs are naturally clean animals.

Why Pigsties Get Messy

Even though pigs are quite clean, their living areas can become very dirty. There are a few reasons for this:

• Pigs love to eat and will munch on all the plants in their pen. When the plants are gone, there's nothing left to hold the soil in place.
• Pigs naturally dig and root around for food in the ground. This digging further loosens the soil.
• Pigs cannot sweat to cool down like humans do. They need water or mud to help them control their body temperature. This often means they will roll in mud to stay cool.

Pigsties vs. Hog Lots

A hog lot is a much larger area for raising pigs. Unlike a small pigsty, which you might find on a mixed farm, a hog lot is usually a special facility just for pigs. Hog lots are designed to hold many more pigs than a typical pigsty.

Images for kids

• 

  Family farm hog pen with Hampshire pigs

• 

  Three pigs sleeping

See also

In Spanish: Pocilga para niños