Editing Sty (section)

{{Short description|Small enclosure for raising pigs}}
{{about|the enclosure for raising pigs|the swelling of an eyelid|Stye|other meanings|Sty (disambiguation)|and|Pigsty (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Pigpen|other uses|Pigpen (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2012}}
[[Image:Fourneau St-Michel - Porcherie (Forrières).JPG|right|thumb|Pigsty – Museum of Country Life in Wallonia in [[:w:Saint-Hubert, Belgium|Saint-Hubert]] (Belgium)]]
[[File:Pig farm Vampula 10.jpg|thumb|Pigsty in [[Vampula]], [[Finland]]]]
[[File:Green glazed toilet with pigsty model. Eastern Han dynasty 25 - 220 CE.jpg|thumb|Model of toilet with pigsty (see [[pig toilet]]), China, Eastern Han dynasty, 25–220 CE]]

A '''sty''' or '''pigsty''' is a small-scale outdoor enclosure for raising [[domestic pig]]s as [[livestock]].  It is sometimes referred to as a '''hog pen''', '''hog parlor''', '''pigpen''', '''pig parlor''', or '''pig-cote''', although '''pig pen''' may refer to [[pen (enclosure)|pen]]s confining pigs that are kept as [[pet]]s as well. Pigsties are generally fenced areas of bare dirt and/or mud. "Sty" and "pigsty" are used as derogatory descriptions of dirty, messy areas, the word '''sty''' deriving from the Proto-Germanic '''*stiją''' meaning '''filthy hovel'''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Origin and meaning of sty |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/sty?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_22230 |website=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> There are three contributing reasons that pigs, generally clean animals, create such a living environment:

* Pigs are voracious eaters and will eat all the plants in the enclosure until there is nothing left to control erosion.
* The pig will naturally root and dig for food in the enclosure, further disturbing the soil.
* Pigs do not regulate temperature by sweating<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bracke |first=M. B. M. |date=June 2011 |title=Review of wallowing in pigs: Description of the behaviour and its motivational basis |url=http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/applan/article/S0168-1591(11)00021-9/abstract |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |volume=132 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1016/j.applanim.2011.01.002 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>  which means that they must be provided with water or mud in which they can control their own body temperature.

A large-scale enclosure for raising pigs is generally called a [[hog lot]].  Unlike a sty which would be found on a mixed farm, a hog lot is usually a dedicated facility. 

A locked enclosure with confined/restricted movement and freedom to exercise, is known as a '''boar-stall'''.
According to some experts such forced immobilization was believed to elevate [[cortisol]].{{citationneeded|date=January 2024}}