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An initial investigation into the effects of isolation and enrichment on the welfare of laboratory pigs housed in the PigTurn system, assessed using tear staining, behaviour, physiology and haematology
Contributor(s):: DeBoer, S. P., Garner, J. P., McCain, R. R., Lay, D. C., Jr., Eicher, S. D., Marchant-Forde, J. N.
In some parts of the world, the laboratory pig ( Sus scrofa) is often housed in individual, sterile housing which may impose stress. Our objectives were to determine the effects of isolation and enrichment on pigs housed within the PigTurn - a novel penning system with automated blood sampling -...
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Applied personality assessment in domestic dogs: limitations and caveats
Contributor(s):: Rayment, D. J., Groef, B. de, Peters, R. A., Marston, L. C.
Modern behavioural tests for domestic dogs are commonly employed across a variety of fields, including the assessment of companion, assistance, working and sporting dogs. While there is increasing scientific attention on the development and evaluation of behavioural tests used to assess...
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Behavioural evaluation of analgesic efficacy for pain mitigation in lame sows
Contributor(s):: Pairis-Garcia, M. D., Johnson, A. K., Stalder, K. J., Abell, C. A., Karriker, L. A., Coetzee, J. F., Millman, S. T.
Lameness in breeding swine has a large negative economic impact and is a welfare concern. Pain-related behaviour, such as postural changes, may be used to evaluate the presence and severity of pain in animals. The objective of this work was to determine the effects of flunixin meglumine (FM) and...
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Behavioural reactivity of ewes and lambs during partial and total social isolation
Contributor(s):: Barnard, S., Matthews, L. R., Messori, S., Vulpiani, M. P., Ferri, N.
This work investigated the differences in the reactivity of Sarda (primiparous n=18, multiparous n=17) and Dorset (multiparous n=8) breeds of sheep and their singleton lambs to two challenging test situations involving a mother-lamb partial separation test and an isolation test. Non-parametric...
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Density-dependent diet selection and body condition of cattle and horses in heterogeneous landscapes
Contributor(s):: Cornelissen, P., Vulink, J. T.
For some decades, grazing by cattle and horses is used as a management tool to achieve different nature management goals. For managers there are still questions to be answered about the effects of herbivore densities on their performance, vegetation development and biodiversity. This study...
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Development of early foraging behaviour of domestic chicks in varying social contexts
Contributor(s):: Gajdon, G. K., Mundwiler, B., Stauffacher, M.
Two aspects of foraging development might be crucial to learning in precocial chicks: what food particles look like and what food sites look like. Previous research indicates that there are innate dispositions for particle preferences and for preferring the type of food sites experienced between...
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Early human handling in non-weaned piglets: effects on behaviour and body weight
Contributor(s):: Oliveira, D. de, Costa, M. J. R. P. da, Zupan, M., Rehn, T., Keeling, L. J.
Early handling of animals including tactile stimulation (TS) has been shown to have beneficial effects on the physical and psychological development of species where considerable maternal interaction, e.g. in the form of licking, already occurs. But little is known about the magnitude of these...
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Effectiveness of animal health and welfare planning in dairy herds: a review
Contributor(s):: Tremetsberger, L., Winckler, C.
Maintaining and promoting animal health and welfare are important but challenging goals in livestock farming. Animal health and welfare planning aims to contribute to improvements in the herd through interventions in a structured way. This review provides an overview of current scientific...
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Effects of growth-promoting technology on feedlot cattle behavior in the 21 days before slaughter
Contributor(s):: Stackhouse-Lawson, K. R., Tucker, C. B., Calvo-Lorenzo, M. S., Mitloehner, F. M.
There is growing interest in the animal welfare implications of growth-promoting technology used in feedlot cattle, namely hormonal implants, ionophores, antibiotics and β 2-adrenergic agonists. Previous studies have focused on the effects of implants on aggression, but little work has...
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Effects of mother versus artificial rearing during the first 12 weeks of life on challenge responses of dairy cows
Contributor(s):: Wagner, K., Seitner, D., Barth, K., Palme, R., Futschik, A., Waiblinger, S.
We investigated the effects of mother versus artificial rearing on the responses to a social and a non-social challenge in adulthood. Rearing of treatment groups only differed during the first 12 weeks of life. Artificially reared animals were separated from their mothers within 24 h after birth...
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Effects of prepartum housing environment on abnormal behaviour, the farrowing process, and interactions with circulating oxytocin in sows
Contributor(s):: Yun, JinHyeon, Swan, K. M., Oliviero, C., Peltoniemi, O., Valros, A.
We evaluated the effects on sows of prepartum housing environment on bar-biting (BB) behaviour prior to parturition, farrowing duration from first to tenth piglets, litter size, and circulating oxytocin (OT) concentrations during birth of the first five piglets. A total of 35 sows, approximately...
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Evaluating the effect of semi-group housing of rabbit does on their offspring's fearfulness: can we use the open-field test?
Contributor(s):: Buijs, S., Tuyttens, F. A. M.
Breeding does are usually housed one doe per cage, but there is an increased interest in (semi-)group housing systems designed to improve welfare. However, there is a lack of information on how such systems actually affect different aspects of rabbit welfare. We aimed to discern differences in...
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Events around weaning in semi-feral and stable-reared Konik polski foals: evaluation of short-term physiological and behavioural responses
Contributor(s):: Gorecka-Bruzda, A., Suwala, M., Palme, R., Jaworski, Z., Jastrzebska, E., Boron, M., Jezierski, T.
The annual weaning, stabling and subsequent sale of semi-feral Konik polski foals born in forest reserves ensure a stable population of free-roaming Konik polski horses. However, welfare concerns regarding the maternal and herd separation of young horses, manipulation by humans, transportation...
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Playful handling of laboratory rats is more beneficial when applied before than after routine injections
Contributor(s):: Cloutier, S., Wahl, K. L., Panksepp, J., Newberry, R. C.
The ability of positive affective states to counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied. In laboratory rats, positive affect typically associated with rough-and-tumble play can be induced through human "hand play" - the experience of being "tickled"...
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Plumage damage in free-range laying hens: behavioural characteristics in the rearing period and the effects of environmental enrichment and beak-trimming
Contributor(s):: Hartcher, K. M., Tran, M. K. T. N., Wilkinson, S. J., Hemsworth, P. H., Thomson, P. C., Cronin, G. M.
Severe feather-pecking, whereby birds peck at and pull out the feathers of other birds, is one of the greatest welfare concerns and the most prevalent behavioural problem in laying hens. It can be extremely difficult to control, especially in non-cage laying flocks. Despite a multitude of studies...
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Space allowance during gestation and early maternal separation: effects on the fear response and social motivation of lambs
Contributor(s):: Averos, X., Marchewka, J., Beltran de Heredia, I., Zanella, A. J., Ruiz, R., Estevez, I.
A common prenatal stressor in lambs is early maternal separation, which may be aggravated by spatial restriction of ewes during pregnancy. They may influence lambs' development and coping abilities. The aim of this study was to determine how space allowance provided to ewes during pregnancy and...
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The effect of nursing on the cow-calf bond
Contributor(s):: Johnsen, J. F., Passille, A. M. de, Mejdell, C. M., Boe, K. E., Grondahl, A. M., Beaver, A., Rushen, J., Weary, D. M.
Dairy calves are often separated from the cow soon after birth and prevented from nursing, but little is known about the effects of nursing on the development of the cow-calf bond. This study evaluated the effect of nursing on affiliative behaviours between the dam and her calf including...
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The effects of witnessing managemental procedures during the light versus the dark phase of the light cycle on behaviour, performance and welfare of laboratory rats
Contributor(s):: Abou-Ismail, U. A., Mohamed, R. A., El-Kholya, S. Z.
Research has indicated that witnessing managemental procedures are stressful to laboratory rats. Yet there has been little investigation into whether the time of witnessing these procedures affects behaviour and welfare in these animals. Ninety-six rats, representing two batches, were used in...
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The influence of neonatal environment on piglet play behaviour and post-weaning social and cognitive development
Contributor(s):: Martin, J. E., Ison, S. H., Baxter, E. M.
Research has shown that the domestic pig is highly playful throughout its development and that play is an important aspect of social and cognitive development. Therefore, the neonatal environment is fundamental to successful stimulation of play in neonatal pigs, which could have indirect and...
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The relevance of variations in group size and phenotypic appearance on the behaviour and movement patterns of young domestic fowl
Contributor(s):: Liste, G., Campderrich, I., Beltran Heredia, I. de, Estevez, I.
Variations in the group size of laying hens might increase the risk of undesired behaviours with important consequences for the birds' health and welfare. However, larger groups housed at constant densities also translate into larger enclosures that may increase space efficiency, therefore...
