Keyword: Welfare indicators

A critical review of fear tests used on cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry and horses

Forkman B., Boissy A., Meunier-Salaün M-C., Canali E., Jones R.B.

Published in 2007

Fear is probably the most-studied emotion in pets. In this overview, we attempt to establish the levels of repeatability and validity for fear tests carried out on cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, poultry and horses. We focus our review on the three most common types of fear tests: the arena test (open field), the novel object test and the stress test. For some tests, e.g. tonic immobility in poultry, there is a good body of literature on the factors affecting test results, test validity and age dependency. However, there are relatively few such well-defined and validated tests, and the element that is particularly lacking for most tests is information on robustness, i.e. what aspects can be modified without affecting the validity of the tests. The relative lack of standardised tests is an obstacle to the development of applied ethology as a science.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Experimentation, Welfare indicators, Memory, Fear, Cognitive processes, Stress, Vocalisation

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Comportement, Conduite et Bien-être Animal

Xavier Manteca i Vilanova, Anthony J. Smith

Published in 2014

Farm management has changed radically in developed countries over the last five decades. Many of these changes are the result of intensification, which leads to farming conditions that are far removed from the natural conditions in which animals can freely express their natural behaviours. For example, laying hens in cages cannot scratch the ground or flap their wings, pregnant sows in individual gestation stalls are unable to prepare a nest for their future litters, and dairy cows are unable to suckle their calves. These changes do not appear to have had a negative effect on animal productivity, but they have raised deeper questions about the moral justification for keeping animals in such conditions. In developing countries, many societies, such as pastoralist peoples, have a long tradition and sophisticated knowledge of animals and animal husbandry. Indeed, the welfare and health of the herder and his family depend on the welfare and health of their animals. Recently, Western practices have spread to developing countries and people with no traditional connection to the keeping of livestock are beginning to work in this sector, particularly in intensive systems. This book is intended to meet the needs of both pastoralists who are the heirs to local traditions and small-scale farmers and businessmen interested in more intensive or Western-type peri-urban management systems. It will also be useful to those involved in rural development and to non-governmental organisations and agricultural advisory services. The book brings together information on the behaviour and welfare of production animals that is likely to be of use in tropical climates and is usually hard to find, being widely dispersed across the scientific literature.

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Bovines, Canines, Ovines, Porcines, Ruminants, Poultry

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators, Fear, Prenatal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Éthologie Appliquée : Comportements Animaux et Humains, Questions de Société.

Laure Kaiser, Frédéric Marion-Poll, Jean-Michel Faure, Pierre Le Neindre, Alain Boissy, Frédéric Lévy, Raymond Nowak, Xavier Boivin Bertrand Dumont, Pierre Joly, Frédéric Tardy, M. Bilbaut, J.J. Boisard, Hubert Montagner, Catherine Belzung, Claire Detrain, Jean-Louis Deneubourg, Raphaël Larrère, Florence Burgat, Sonia Desmoulin, Pierre Le Neindre, Isabelle Veissier, Alain Boissy, Claude Baudoin, D. Benhaïm, C. Koch-Schott, S. Esquieu-Panis, Jean-Louis Millot, David Benhaim, Claudine Koch-Schott

Published in 2009

While there is growing recognition of applied ethology in France, offering real career opportunities for young graduates, much can still be gained by setting out its different aspects for a broader public. Such is the aim of this book, which describes in as much variety as possible the fields associated with this approach to animal behaviours, focusing on practical measures without neglecting the basic principles that underlie them. With the ongoing devopment of new disciplines and technologies (robotics, virtual reality, etc.), the ethological approach has been able to draw on substantial achievements in the integrative biology sector to innovate and meet societal expectations.
This book is the result of a collective enterprisem with various contributions from recognised scientists and professional ethologists who have been chosen for the complementarity of their skills in the discipline. The contributions are grouped to represent the main fields of activity where ethology is applied:  1) agronomy and animal husbandry, 2) protection of wild flora and fauna, 3) human health and industry, 4) ethical and legal issues related to animal husbandry and experimentation and, finally, 5) human behaviour. Given the diversity of these fields of application, the contribution of each author has been vital and we thank them for their commitment and efficiency. We would also like to thank the members of the French Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour, particularly its then President, for having believed in this work from the outset, for having supported its production and for having placed their trust in us despite a much longer development period than was initially envisaged. Last, we are grateful to Quae publications for having allowed us to turn this project into a reality.

Document Types: Scientific work

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment,  Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Learning, Training, Wildlife population dynamics, Experimentation, Welfare indicators, Modelling, Cognitive processes, Stress, Breeding and rearing systems

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Douleurs Animales en Elevage

P. Le Neindre, D. Baldin, S. Desmoulin, R. Guattéo, D. Guéméné, JL. Guichet, R. Larrère, K. Latouche, C. Leterrier, O. Levionnois, P. Mormede, L. Mounier, J. Porcher, P. Prunet, A. Prunier, A. Serrie, J. Servière, C. Terlouw, PL. Toutain, N. Vialles

Published in 2013

There is growing public sensitivity to animal pain across a variety of human activities: animal experimentation, pet cruelty, live performances such as in circuses, and the rearing of animals for human consumption. This situation gives rise to a sometimes difficult dialogue between animal rights campaigners who refuse to accept any exploitation of animals, those who advocate improvements to the living conditions of animals, and businesses who point out the financial constraints within their sectors. The contents of this expertise are intended to inform public decision-making and, beyond this, to provide a robust reference framework to argue positions and decisions in the public debate, and to identify the needs of research in this field in order to better respond to the questions raised.

Document Types: Scientific work

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Mammals, Monogastrics, Ovines, Fish, Porcines, Ruminants, Poultry

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment,  Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Pain, Precision farming, Experimentation, Force-feeding, Welfare indicators, Brain integration, Mutilation, Cognitive processes, Stress

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