Pig Nose Rings & Applicator :
Nose rings are put on pigs to control a behavior called "rooting." That is when a pig uses its strong snout to dig around in the dirt as he looks for food or other underground substances that interest him. Pigs root quickly and can destroy large areas of land in no time. They can also end up removing protective barriers by rooting near the edges of their enclosures and uprooting fence posts.
If a pig tries to root while wearing a nose ring, the ring will push against her skin and cause discomfort -- thus encouraging the pig to stop rooting. While rooting with a nose ring is painful in tough ground, the nose ring does allow the pig to root freely in loosely-packed piles of vegetation.
Putting a ring in a pig's nose is a two-person job. One person restrains the pig by catching it in a hog shoot and holds the pig's head steady. A second person uses nose ring pliers to position the ring on the top of the nose on the outside, then squeezes quickly to put the ring in place. The ring does not go through the cartilage that separates the nostrils. It is best, however, to have a pig ringed by a veterinarian.
