-
Feeding behavior and the effect of photoperiod on the performance and hematological parameters of the pacama catfish (Lophiosilurus alexandri)
| Contributor(s):: Kitagawa, A. T., Costa, L. S., Paulino, R. R., Luz, R. K., Rosa, P. V., Guerra-Santos, B., Fortes-Silva, R.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the rhythms of feeding and locomotor activity, the ability to synchronize to a fixed feeding time, and the influence of photoperiod on the growth parameters, feed intake and hematological parameters of a recently introduced fish in freshwater Brazilian...
-
Effect of increasing amounts of straw on pigs' explorative behaviour
| Contributor(s):: Jensen, M. B., Herskin, M. S., Forkman, B., Pedersen, L. J.
According to European legislation, pigs must have permanent access to sufficient quantity of material to enable manipulation activities. However, few studies have quantified how much straw is needed to fulfil the requirements of growing pigs. We investigated the effect of increasing amount of...
-
Hunger in pregnant sows: effects of a fibrous diet and free access to straw
| Contributor(s):: Jensen, M. B., Pedersen, L. J., Theil, P. K., Knudsen, K. E. B.
Fibrous diets and the provision of straw have been suggested to reduce feeding motivation in pregnant sows. The present experiment investigated the separate and interactive effects of a fibrous diet and ad libitum access to straw on feeding motivation, oral behaviour and plasma levels of...
-
Short-term ante-calving handling of dairy heifers in relation to heifers' behaviour and udder health after parturition
| Contributor(s):: Ivemeyer, S., Pisani, M., Knierim, U.
The novelty of being handled during milking contributes to peripartum stress in dairy heifers with possibly adverse effects on their well-being and health. The present study investigated (1) heifers' behavioural responses to handling over the course of four standardized handling sessions and...
-
Evaluation of environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
| Contributor(s):: Gottlieb, D. H., Maier, A., Coleman, K.
Full body repetitive behaviors, known as motor stereotypic behaviors (MSBs), are one of the most commonly seen abnormal behaviors in captive non-human primates, and are frequently used as a behavioral measure of well-being. The main goal of this paper was to examine the role of environmental...
-
Effects of maternal vocalisations on the domestic chick stress response
| Contributor(s):: Edgar, J., Kelland, I., Held, S., Paul, E., Nicol, C.
Although natural brooding is not commercially feasible, there is great potential to simulate aspects of maternal care to improve the welfare of farmed domestic chicks. Our previous studies showed that the presence of calm broody hens can buffer mild stress responses in chicks, although the...
-
Social learning in dog training: the effectiveness of the Do as I do method compared to shaping/clicker training
| Contributor(s):: Fugazza, C., Miklosi, A.
Dog training methods traditionally rely on individual learning (mainly operant conditioning). Yet dogs are adept in acquiring information socially and are able to imitate humans. Dogs' predisposition to learn socially has been recently introduced in dog training with the Do as I do method....
-
The effect of presenting forage in multi-layered haynets and at multiple sites on night time budgets of stabled horses
| Contributor(s):: Ellis, A. D., Redgate, S., Zinchenko, S., Owen, H., Barfoot, C., Harris, P.
The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of multi-layered haynets and multiple presentation of haynets to increase time spent on feed intake behaviour at night (13 h observation). For preliminary assessment two horses performing the oral stereotypy of crib-biting were included. Six...
-
Agonistic behaviour, skin lesions and activity pattern of entire male, female and castrated male finishing pigs
| Contributor(s):: Bunger, B., Schrader, L., Schrade, H., Zacharias, B.
Fattening of intact boars is the least invasive alternative to the detrimental welfare effects of surgical castration of piglets. However, beside problems such as boar taint the divergent agonistic and sexual behaviour of boars may impair the pigs' welfare during fattening. To evaluate the...
-
Behaviour, wounds, weight loss and adrenal weight of rabbit does as affected by semi-group housing
| Contributor(s):: Buijs, S., Maertens, L., Hermans, K., Vangeyte, J., Tuyttens, F. A. M.
Group housing is often assumed to improve the welfare of gregarious species. Whether this is actually the case depends on the advantages (e.g. more opportunity for social and locomotor behaviour) and disadvantages (e.g. increased fighting and wounding) induced by the specific housing type. We...
-
Evidence for litter differences in play behaviour in pre-weaned pigs
| Contributor(s):: Brown, S. M., Klaffenbock, M., Nevison, I. M., Lawrence, A. B.
The aim of this study was to analyse spontaneous play behaviour in litters of domestic pigs ( Sus scrofa) for sources of variation at individual and litter levels and to relate variation in play to measures of pre and postnatal development. Seven litters of commercially bred piglets ( n=70) were...
-
Isolation impairs cognition in a social fish
| Contributor(s):: Brandao, M. L., Braithwaite, V. A., Goncalves-de-Freitas, E.
In variable environments, animals can learn to alter their behavior to adjust to changes. Sometimes, however, this learning ability can be impaired. For example, challenges in the social or physical environment can trigger physiological responses that compromise an individual's capacity to...
-
Effects of under- and overstocking freestalls on dairy cattle behaviour
| Contributor(s):: Winckler, C., Tucker, C. B., Weary, D. M.
Freestall availability affects cattle behaviour and most studies in this area have focused on overstocking. We studied the effects of three levels of stall availability, including both over- and understocking on the time budgets and agonistic interactions in 36 dairy cattle in four stable groups....
-
Effects of variation in nest curtain design on pre-laying behaviour of domestic hens
| Contributor(s):: Ringgenberg, N., Frohlich, E. K. F., Harlander-Matauschek, A., Toscano, M. J., Wurbel, H., Roth, B. A.
Laying hens in loose-housing systems select a nest daily in which to lay their eggs among many identical looking nests, they often prefer corner nests. We investigated whether heterogeneity in nest curtain appearance - via colours and symbols - would influence nest selection and result in an even...
-
Behaviour of pre-pubertal gilts and its relationship to farrowing behaviour in conventional farrowing crates and loose-housed pens
| Contributor(s):: Ison, S. H., Wood, C. M., Baxter, E. M.
Individual variation in the reproductive performance of sows has the potential for greater negative impacts in loose-farrowing systems. Therefore, the ability to select gilts that will perform well would be a major advantage. This study investigated the behaviour of gilts during pre-pubertal...
-
Transport of horses for slaughter in Iceland
| Contributor(s):: Roy, R. C., Cockram, M. S., Dohoo, I. R., Ragnarsson, S.
There is interest in the transportation of horses ( Equus caballus) to slaughter and a need to assess the welfare implications of this practice. Forty-six loads of 7-35 horses transported for 0.33 to 3.10 h to a slaughter plant in Iceland were studied. Adults and foals were transported together...
-
Evaluation of a novel rodenticide: acute sub-lethal effects of a methaemoglobin-inducing agent
| Contributor(s):: Quy, R. J., Gibson, T. J., Lambert, M. S., Eason, C. T., Gregory, N. G.
In a series of experiments the welfare of para-aminovalerophenone (PAVP) sub-lethally poisoned rats ( Rattus norvegicus) was assessed. The experiments: (i) examined the acute methaemoglobin (MetHb) profile over time; (ii) refined the LD50 estimate for PAVP in adult female rats; (iii) developed...
-
Effects of gentle interactions on the relationship with humans and on stress-related parameters in group-housed calves
| Contributor(s):: Lurzel, S., Windschnurer, I., Futschik, A., Palme, R., Waiblinger, S.
Although the relationship between farm animals and humans has strong implications for animal welfare and productivity, there have been few experimental studies on the influence of gentle interactions in group-housed calves. In the present study, Austrian Simmental calves were housed in groups of...
-
Effects of catching and transportation versus pre-slaughter handling at the abattoir on the prevalence of wing fractures in broilers
| Contributor(s):: Kittelsen, K. E., Granquist, E. G., Vasdal, G., Tolo, E., Moe, R. O.
Fractures occurring in conscious broiler chickens are painful and severely compromise animal welfare. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pre-slaughter handling procedures on the frequency of wing fractures. Wings were examined for fractures in 11,609 broilers, from 12...
-
Stereotypic mice are aggressed by their cage-mates, and tend to be poor demonstrators in social learning tasks
| Contributor(s):: Harper, L., Choleris, E., Ervin, K., Fureix, C., Reynolds, K., Walker, M., Mason, G.
Stereotypic behaviours (SBs) are linked with behavioural inflexibility and resemble symptoms of autism, suggesting that stereotypic animals could have autistic-like social impairments. SBs are also common in caged mice. We therefore hypothesised relationships between stereotypic and social...
