Swine dysentery (SD) caused by pathogenicBrachyspiraspp. is an economic challenge for the swine industry. In research settings, experimental reproduction of swine dysentery typically relies on intragastric inoculation which has shown variable success. This project aimed to improve the consistency of the experimental inoculation protocol used for swine dysentery in our laboratory. Over six experiments, we evaluated the influence of group housing in inoculated pigs using a frozen-thawed broth culture of strongly hemolyticB. hyodysenteriaestrain D19 (Trial A), compared the relative virulence ofB. hyodysenteriaestrains D19 and G44 (Trial B), compared inoculum volumes (50 mL vs 100 mL) for G44 andB. hampsonii30446 (Trial C), and performed three independent trials evaluating intragastric inoculation using different oral inoculation methods: oral feed balls (Trial D), and oral syringe bolus of 100 mL (Trial E) or 300 mL (Trial F). Intragastric inoculation with a fresh broth culture ofB. hyodysenteriaestrain G44 resulted in a shorter incubation period and a higher proportionate duration of mucohemorrhagic diarrhea (MMHD) compared to D19. Intragastric inoculation with either 50 or 100 mL ofB. hampsonii30446 or B.hyodysenteriae(G44) were statistically equivalent. Oral inoculation with 100 mL or 300 mL also yielded similar results to intragastric inoculation but was more expensive due to the additional work and supplies associated with syringe training. Our future research will use intragastric inoculation with 100 mL of a fresh broth culture containingB. hyodysenteriaestrain G44 as it yields a high incidence of mucohaemorrhagic diarrhea with a reasonable cost.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13567-023-01180-y.