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Strategic use of straw as environmental enrichment for prepartum sows in farrowing crates
Contributor(s):: Aparecida Martins, Renata, Ribeiro Caldara, Fabiana, Crone, Carla, Markiy Odakura, Agnês, Bevilacqua, Augusto, Oliveira dos Santos Nieto, Viviane Maria, Aparecida Felix, Gisele, Pereira dos Santos, Alessandra, Sousa dos Santos, Luan, Garófallo Garcia, Rodrigo, de Castro Lippi, Isabella Cristina
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Prepartum nest-building has an impact on postpartum nursing performance and maternal behaviour in early lactating sows
Contributor(s):: Yun, Jinhyeon, Swan, Kirsi-Marja, Farmer, Chantal, Oliviero, Claudio, Peltoniemi, Olli, Valros, Anna
The effects of facilitating prepartum nest-building (NB) behaviour, by providing abundant nesting materials, on postpartum maternal characteristics in early lactating sows were evaluated. A total of 35 sows, approximately seven days before the expected parturition date, were housed in: (1) CRATE...
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Nest-building in sows: Effects of farrowing housing on hormonal modulation of maternal characteristics
Contributor(s):: Yun, Jinhyeon, Swan, Kirsi-Marja, Vienola, Kirsi, Farmer, Chantal, Oliviero, Claudio, Peltoniemi, Olli, Valros, Anna
Prepartum nesting opportunities may improve maternal characteristics and welfare of sows during parturition and lactation. We investigated the effects of provision of space and nesting material prior to parturition on circulating oxytocin concentrations, maternal characteristics and their...
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Nest building and posture changes and activity budget of gilts housed in pens and crates
Contributor(s):: Andersen, Inger Lise, Vasdal, Guro, Pedersen, Lene Juul
The aim of the present work was to study nest building, posture changes and the overall activity budget of gilts in pens vs. crates. Twenty-three HB gilts (high piglet survival day 5) and 21 LB gilts (low piglet survival day 5) were video recorded from day 110 in pregnancy to four days after...
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The naked truth: Breeding performance in nude mice with and without nesting material
Contributor(s):: Gaskill, Brianna N., Winnicker, Christina, Garner, Joseph P., Pritchett-Corning, Kathleen R.
In laboratories, mice are housed at ambient temperatures between 20 and 24°C, which is below their lower critical temperature of 30°C, but comfortable for human workers. Thus, mice are under chronic thermal stress, which can compromise many aspects of physiology from metabolism to pup growth....
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Evidence of competition for nest sites by laying hens in large furnished cages
Contributor(s):: Hunniford, Michelle E., Torrey, Stephanie, Bédécarrats, Gregoy, Duncan, Ian J. H., Widowski, Tina M.
Furnished cages are designed to accommodate behaviour considered important to laying hens, particularly nesting behaviour. Few researchers have studied the degree of competition for nest sites or the extent to which the amount of nest space affects nesting behaviour in large furnished cages. We...
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Does nest size matter to laying hens?
Contributor(s):: Ringgenberg, Nadine, Fröhlich, Ernst K. F., Harlander-Matauschek, Alexandra, Würbel, Hanno, Roth, Beatrice A.
Laying hens in loose housing systems have access to group-nests which provide space for several hens at a time to lay their eggs. They are thus rather large and the trend in the industry is to further increase the size of these nests. Though practicality is important for the producer, group-nests...
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Changes in position and quality of preferred nest box: Effects on nest box use by laying hens
Contributor(s):: Riber, Anja B., Nielsen, Birte L.
Using laying hens, we investigated whether position of a nest box, both within the pen and relative to other nest boxes, influenced the preference for a nest box, and how a sudden and marked change to the preferred box influenced the use of nest boxes by the hens. Groups (n=12) of 15 Isa Warren...
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Nest sharing under semi-natural conditions in laying hens
Contributor(s):: Riber, Anja Brinch
Under natural conditions, the feral hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) will choose a nest location away from the flock, whereas under commercial conditions, the domestic hen will often choose the same nest as other hens have used or are still using. Simultaneous nest sharing causes several welfare...
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Influence of nest-floor slope on the nest choice of laying hens
Contributor(s):: Stämpfli, Karin, Roth, Beatrice A., Buchwalder, Theres, Fröhlich, Ernst K. F.
Group nests in alternative housing systems for laying hens primarily fulfil the hen's needs for seclusion and protection. Commercial nests used in Switzerland are built according to the provisions of the Swiss Animal Welfare Legislation. However, nest types can differ in aspects, such as floor...
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Influence of nest site on the behaviour of laying hens
Contributor(s):: Lentfer, Tine L., Gebhardt-Henrich, Sabine G., Fröhlich, Ernst K. F., von Borell, Eberhard
Low rates of nest acceptance by laying hens are a major problem in commercial poultry farming operations with aviary systems, leading to costly manual collection and cleaning of mislaid eggs. To gain knowledge about factors affecting nest use, laying hens’ preferences for different nest locations...
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Gregarious nesting—An anti-predator response in laying hens
Contributor(s):: Riber, Anja Brinch
Gregarious nesting can be defined as a behaviour that occurs when a laying hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) given the choice between an occupied and an unoccupied nest site chooses the occupied nest site. It occurs frequently in flocks of laying hens kept under commercial conditions, contrasting...
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Factors affecting nest choice by Pekin ducks
Contributor(s):: Makagon, Maja M., Tucker, Cassandra B., Mench, Joy A.
To encourage nest use in breeder poultry flocks, it is important that nest boxes are attractive. Few studies have evaluated factors affecting nest attractiveness to ducks. We assessed the effects of nest box experience (Experiments 1 and 2) and features of nests, including degree of enclosure...
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Assessment of colony nests for laying hens in conjunction with the authorization procedure
Contributor(s):: Buchwalder, Theres, Fröhlich, Ernst Karl
Pretesting farm animal housing systems that are intended for mass production is a practical way to increase and ensure product quality of livestock systems. The Swiss authorization procedure requires new systems and equipment for farm animals to show improvement with regard to animal welfare. For...
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Maternal nest building and choice of nest site are temperature dependent in mink: Parent-offspring temperature conflict?
Contributor(s):: Schou, Toke Munk, Malmkvist, Jens
We investigated whether nest building and nest site preference are temperature dependent in female mink. We designed two experiments: in Experiment 1, female mink had access to unheated (7 °C, Room7C group) or heated (25 °C, Heated25C group) nest boxes; in Experiment 2, female mink had free...
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What makes a good mother? Maternal behavioural traits important for piglet survival
Contributor(s):: Ocepek, Marko, Andersen, Inger Lise
The primary aim of our work was to find maternal behaviours important for piglet survival and to develop qualitative scores of those traits. Second, we studied the relationship between maternal behavioural scores, piglet mortality and the number of weaned piglets in sows of three different sow...
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Confinement of sows 24h before expected farrowing affects the performance of nest building behaviours but not progress of parturition
Contributor(s):: Hansen, Christian F., Hales, Janni, Weber, Pernille M., Edwards, Sandra A., Moustsen, Vivi A.
The effects of confinement prior to farrowing on the performance of nest building behaviour and progress of parturition were investigated using hyper prolific sows. Forty first parity and 41second/third parity sows were allocated to one of two treatments: loose housed (40) or confined (41). All...
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Rearing environment and laying location affect pre-laying behaviour in enriched cages
Contributor(s):: Hunniford, Michelle E., Widowski, Tina M.
The number of eggs laid in a nest is often correlated with nest acceptance and therefore hen welfare. However, evaluating pre-laying behaviour may more accurately reflect welfare independent of egg location. Our objective was to compare the effect of rearing environment and laying location on the...
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Nest building as an indicator of illness in laboratory mice
Contributor(s):: Gaskill, Brianna N., Pritchett-Corning, Kathleen R.
Laboratory mice housed at typical temperatures and provided with crinkled paper nesting material build fully enclosed nests, increasing welfare, and reducing cold stress, but complicating daily animal observations by care staff. Anecdotal reports by animal care staff indicate that ill mice are...
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Relative preference for wooden nests affects nesting behaviour of broiler breeders
Contributor(s):: van den Oever, Anna C. M., Rodenburg, T. Bas, Bolhuis, J. Elizabeth, van de Ven, Lotte J. F., Hasan, Md Kamrul, van Aerle, Stephanie M. W., Kemp, Bas
Optimising nest design for broiler breeders has benefits for both the animals and the producers. The welfare of the hens will increase by providing preferred housing, while also reducing eggs laid outside the nests. These floor eggs cause economic losses by compromised automatic egg collection...
