Discipline: Ethology

Deck height did not affect behavioural measures of 'natural movements' and 'adequate ventilation' during 8 h and 23 h transport of weaner pigs

Cecilie Kobek-Kjeldager, Line D. Jensen, Leslie Foldager, Marianne Kaiser, Karen Thodberg, Mette S. Herskin

Published in 2025

Study evaluating the effect of different bridge heights on the behavior of weaned pigs transported over 8 to 23 hour trips. The results showed no significant impact of height on behavior, unlike other variables such as microclimatic conditions, vehicle speed or journey time, highlighting the complexity of interactions affecting welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

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A systematic review and meta-analysis of physical environmental enrichment to improve animal welfare-related outcomes in indoor cattle

Unsal G, Johnson KF, Stergiadis S, Bennett R, Barker ZE.

Published in 2025

Systematic study showing that enrichment of the physical environment significantly improves the welfare and certain behaviors of calves and heifers in indoor housing, particularly play and growth.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

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Cow comfort, behavior and welfare with specific reference to dairy cattle: A review

Damodaran Sreekumar & Veerasamy Sejian

Published in 2024

Review on optimizing dairy cow comfort

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

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Decoding vocal indicators of stress in laying hens: A CNN-MFCC deep learning framework

S. Neethirajan

Published in 2025

Study showing that artificial intelligence, making use of a CNN model combined with MFCC coefficients, can identify vocal responses to stress in laying hens exposed to realistic stimuli with 94% accuracy. Younger birds were found to be more vocally reactive, highlighting the importance of age as a factor in emotional reactivity.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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A critical review on the welfare of Japanese quail in cage-free housing: Current knowledge and future perspectives

Jansson DS, Hedman FL, Yngvesson J, Keeling L, Henriksen R

Published in 2025

Scientific synthesis highlighting the lack of knowledge and regulations on cage-free systems for Japanese quail. It reviews the essential behavioral needs of the species and identifies gaps in group management, equipment design and dealing with agonistic behaviors. Integration of AI and genomic selection is proposed to support an efficient and ethical transition to alternative breeding systems.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

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Exploring the induction and measurement of positive affective state in equines through a personality-centred lens

Loftus, L., Newman, A., Leach, M., Asher, L.

Published in 2025

Article highlighting the importance of taking the individual animal's personality into account when measuring positive affect in equines.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

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Attenuation of Stress Responses to Human Handling Through Habituation in Goats

Erukulla, T. T., Batchu, P., Gurrapu, P., Shaik, A., Terrill, T. H., & Kannan, G

Published in 2025

Study showing the importance of habituation in reducing the stress generated by human handling in goats.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Caprines

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Measuring minds: Understanding the mental states of dairy cattle in different management conditions

Heather W. Neave

Published in 2025

Review of a symposium on the  assessment of how the mental states of dairy cattle (positive emotions and cognitive functions in particular) are affected by management practices. It highlights the behavioral, physiological and cognitive indicators available and the potential of emerging automated on-farm monitoring technologies.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

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Characterisation of facial expressions and behaviours of horses in response to positive and negative emotional anticipation using network analysis

Romane Phelipon, Léa Bertrand, Plotine Jardat, Fabrice Reigner, Kate Lewis, Jérôme Micheletta, Léa Lansade

Published in 2025

Study using network analysis to identify specific behaviors and facial expressions in horses based on their anticipation of a positive or negative experience. These indicators can be used to better assess the emotional state and welfare of equines.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

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Animal welfare definitions, frameworks, and assessment tools: Advancing the measurement and laying the foundation for improved animal welfare through a three-step approach

van der Staay FJ, Goerlich VC, Meijboom FL, Arndt SS.

Published in 2025

This overview summarizes the three steps involved in developing animal welfare assessment tools: arriving at a shared definition of welfare, establishing theoretical and ethical frameworks, and  designing validated tools.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

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