Document type : Scientific article

Heterospecific Fear and Avoidance Behaviour in Domestic Horses (Equus caballus)

Anna Wiśniewska, Iwona Janczarek, Izabela Wilk, Ewelina Tkaczyk, Martyna Mierzicka, Christina R. Stanley, Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda

Published in 2022

Scientific paper showing that the avoidance response of horses to cows was similar to or greater than that to a new moving object, suggesting that neophobia and heterospecific communication play a role in this response.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measures, Stress

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Horses' attentional characteristics differ according to the type of work

Céline Rochais, Mathilde Stomp, Mélissa Sébilleau, Mathilde Houdebine, Séverine Henry, Martine Hausberger

Published in 2022

Scientific article testing the influence of work type, age, sex and breed of horses on their attentional characteristics. It shows that attentional characteristics are strongly related to the type of work the horses are trained for. Horses from equestrian centres had longer and less fragmented attention spans, the sporting activities of eventing horses were correlated to the fragmentation of attention.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Learning, training, Cognitive processes

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A "Good Life" for Dairy Cattle: Developing and Piloting a Framework for Assessing Positive Welfare Opportunities Based on Scientific Evidence and Farmer Expertise

Jessica E. Stokes , Elizabeth Rowe, Siobhan Mullan, Joy C. Pritchard, Rachel Horler, Marie J. Haskell, Cathy M. Dwyer, David C. J. Main

Published in 2022

Scientific paper on the development of a framework for assessing positive welfare in dairy cows, based on science and tested by British farmers. The test revealed that farmers value the positive welfare of their cows and would support a positive welfare assessment.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships, Welfare indicators

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Preliminary validation of a novel tool to assess dog welfare: The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid

Rachel Malkani, Sharmini Paramasivam, Sarah Wolfensohn

Published in 2022

Scientific paper to adapt the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), a welfare assessment method previously validated for other species, to dogs, suggesting how  this tool could be hosted on an accessible and easy-to-use online platform

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships, Welfare indicators

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Multiple handlers, several owner changes and short relationship lengths affect horses' responses to novel object tests

Océane Liehrmann, Alisa Viitanen, Veera Riihonen, Emmi Alander, Sonja E. Koski, Virp iLummaa, Léa Lansade

Published in 2022

Scientific paper showing that the parameters for a horse's previous and current interactions with humans (number of owners, regular handlers, familiarity and duration of relationship with handler) affect its distrust of new objects or situations

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Anxiety, Enrichment, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Play ontogeny in young chickens is affected by domestication and early stress

Lundén Gabrielle, Oscarsson Rebecca, Hedlund Louise, Gjøen Johanna, Jensen Per

Published in 2022

Scientific paper comparing the play behaviors of chicks bred from "domesticated" and "wild" genealogical lines, with and without the stress of routine procedures in a commercial hatchery. Chicks showed qualitative and quantitative differences in play behaviors depending on lineage, and early stress was observed to affect their play profile.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Learning, training, Enrichment, Cognitive processes, Stress

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Effects of Music Therapy on Neuroplasticity, Welfare, and Performance of Piglets Exposed to Music Therapy in the Intra- and Extra-Uterine Phases

Isabella Cristina de Castro Lippi, Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara, Ibiara Correia de Lima Almeida-Paz, Henrique Biasotto Morais, Agnês Markiy Odakura, Elisabete Castelon Konkiewitz, Welber Sanches Ferreira, Thiago Leite Fraga, Maria Fernanda de Castro Burbarelli, Gisele Aparecida Felix, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia, Luan Sousa dos Santos

Published in 2022

Scientific paper showing that intra- and extra-uterine exposure of piglets to music maintains high levels of BDNF, which contributes to neuroplasticity, between birth and weaning and is associated with higher weaning weights.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Enrichment, Brain integration, Memory, Prenatal issues

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A formal model for assessing the economic impact of animal welfare improvements at bovine and porcine slaughter

J. Jerlström, C. Berg, A.H. Karlsson, A. Wallenbeck, H. Hansson

Published in 2022

Scientific paper to evaluate the possible economic impact of improved animal welfare in abattoirs; to develop an economic model demonstrating the theoretical contribution of animal welfare to the profitability of abattoirs; and to validate this economic model through focus groups of Swedish abattoir personnel.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines, Porcines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Stress

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Electric shock control of farmed animals: Welfare review and ethical critique

D. Grumett, A. Butterworth

Published in 2022

Scientific article presenting the available methods to control or confine of farm animals through the use of electric shocks and reminding readers that their use, which is likely to cause pain, must be ethically justifiable and provide clear welfare benefits. It sets out the potential welfare implications of each method.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Pain, Societal issues, Restraint equipment, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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A pilot study about on-farm assessment of health and welfare in rabbits kept in different housing systems

Angela Trocino, Francesca Menegon, Cristina Zomeño, Dario Pasqualin, Giovanni Cunial, Gerolamo Xiccato, Fabrizio Pirrone, Daniela Bertotto, Martina Bortoletti, Francesco Dorigo, Antonio Lavazza Guido Di Martino

Published in 2022

Scientific article comparing the health and welfare levels of breeding rabbits living with their litters and of growing rabbits in four different housing systems: two unenriched cage systems, enriched cages and pens. Although it does not reveal major health differences, it does identify management and environmental factors other than housing that can influence health and welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Monogastric

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Animaladaptation, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Robustness, Welfare indicators

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