Document type : Scientific article

Does Thirty-Minute Standardised Training Improve the Inter-Observer Reliability of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS)? A Case Study

Francesca Dai, Mattew Leach, Amelia Mari MacRae, Michela Minero, Emanuela Dalla Costa

Published in 2020

Preview: “The recognition of pain in equine practice is highly dependent on the assessors’ reliability in using pain assessment tools. The Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) is one such tool, a facial-expression-based pain coding system able to identify a range of acute painful conditions in horses. This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a standardised HGS training program at improving the agreement of assessors without horse experience by comparison with an expert.“

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Pain, Welfare indicators, Stress

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Social genetic effects in livestock: Current status and future avenues of research

Piter Bijma

Published in 2020

Review of the social genetic effect, i.e. the effect of an individual animal's genotype on the phenotypic traits of its social partners.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators

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Effect of pen design on tail biting and tail-directed behaviour of finishing pigs with intact tails

P. Brandt, F. Hakansson, T. Jensen, M. B. F. Nielsen, H. P. Lahrmann, C. F. Hansen, B. Forkman

Published in 2020

Comparison of pig behaviour and prevalence of tail biting in finishing pigs with intact tails housed in two different types of pens in commercial production conditions in Denmark.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords: Pain, Societal issues, Risk management, Housing, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Enrichment use in finishing pigs and its relationship with damaging behaviours: Comparing three wood species and a rubber floor toy

Jen-Yun Chou, Rick B. D'Eath, Dale Andrew Sandercock, Keelin O'Driscoll

Published in 2020

Comparison of the effects of enrichment with three species of wood and a rubber floor toy in finishing pig farms, study of the relationship between toy use and harmful behaviours, and physiological and physical measures for stress and injury.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords: Pain, Societal issues, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Mutilation

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The Potential for New Donkey Farming Systems to Supply the Growing Demand for Hides

Richard Bennett, Simone Pfuderer

Published in 2020

Study to explore the feasibility of establishing new donkey breeding systems to meet the growing demand for ejiao (a traditional Chinese medicine based on donkey hide) by modelling the  dynamics of donkey production systems.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Societal issues, Livestock farming system

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Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

Daiana de Souza Machado, Paula Mazza Barbosa Oliveira, Juliana Clemente Machado, Maria Camila Ceballos, Aline Cristina Sant'Anna

Published in 2020

Preview: “Identifying and preventing the occurrence of separation-related problems (SRP) in companion animals are relevant to animal welfare and the quality of human-pet interactions. The SRP are defined as a set of behaviors and physiological signs displayed by the animal when separated from its attachment person. In cats, SRP has been insufficiently studied. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire for cat owners which identifies behaviors that may indicate SRP, as well as relates the occurrence of SRP to the management practices applied in the sampled cats.”

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Felines

Keywords: Anxiety, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Psychiatric disorder

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Automated Step Detection in Inertial Measurement Unit Data From Turkeys

Aniek Bouwman, Anatolii Savchuk, Abouzar Abbaspourghomi, Bram Visser

Published in 2020

Comparison of three methods of detecting locomotive behaviours in turkeys based on data captured by inertial (digital) measurement systems.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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Grazing Cow Behavior's Association with Mild and Moderate Lameness

Niall W. O'Leary, Daire. T. Byrne, Pauline Garcia, Jessica Werner, Morgan Cabedoche, Laurence Shalloo

Published in 2020

Study of the mobility behaviour of cows on pasture using an accelerometer for the early detection of lameness.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Pain, Precision farming, Welfare indicators

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Horse Transport to Three South American Horse Slaughterhouses: A Descriptive Study

Béke Nivelle, Liesbeth Vermeulen, Sanne Van Beirendonck, Jos Van Thielen, Bert Driessen

Published in 2020

Study to investigate the circumstances of the commercial transport of horses for slaughter and to detect possible risk factors for the welfare of horses.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Risk management, Welfare indicators, Stress, Transport

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Female horses spontaneously identify a photograph of their keeper, last seen six months previously

Léa Lansade, Violaine Colson, Céline Parias, Miléna Trösch, Fabrice Reigner, Ludovic Calandreau

Published in 2020

Study to test whether horses can differentiate between the faces of familiar humans based on photographs.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Brain integration, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships

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