Keywords: Enrichment

Welfare issues resulting from feed restriction in pregnant sows

EU Reference Centre for Animal Welfare Pigs (EURCAW-Pigs)

Published in 2024

This article, intended for inspectors in EU Member States, describes the effects of feed restriction on the welfare of pregnant sows. Indicators of hunger-related aggression and stereotypies are described, along with measures to help sows feel satiated by increasing the fibre content of their diet, and to mitigate these behaviors by modifying various aspects of the living environment.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Aggression, Aggressiveness, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Behavioural disorders

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Loss of a grooming enrichment impacts physical, behavioural, and physiological measures of welfare in grazing beef cattle

Emily J. Dickson, Jessica E. Monk, Caroline Lee, Paul G. McDonald, Edward Narayan, Dana L. M. Campbell

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that the loss of an enrichment element (grooming brush) to which grazing cattle are accustomed can adversely affect welfare, measured here by indicators of cleanliness, growth and fecal cortisol.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Behavioural disorders

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Environmental enrichments and data-driven welfare indicators for sheltered dogs using telemetric physiological measures and signal processing

Tiziano Travain, Teddy Lazebnik, Anna Zamansky, Simona Cafazzo, Paola Valsecchi, Eugenia Natoli

Published in 2024

Scientific article comparing the effects of different types of enrichment on the welfare of male dogs in shelters. The results show that intraspecific social enrichment provided by the presence of a female dog is the best stimulus compared with the presence of either entertaining objects or a human. It improves both sleep quality and the cyclicity of a set of measured physiological parameters.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

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

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Resource choice during ontogeny enhances both the short- and longer-term welfare of laying hen pullets

Regine Victoria Holt, Lena Skånberg, Linda J. Keeling, Inma Estevez, Ruth C. Newberry

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that offering chicks and juveniles a choice between different types of litter and perches has positive short- and long-term effects on the emotional state and physical condition of laying hens.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Housing, Behavioural disorders

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The links between positive human interaction and maternal behaviour and welfare of commercial breeding dams (Canis familiaris)

Uri Baqueiro-Espinosa, Paul Donnelly, Victoria McEvoy, Gareth Arnott

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing the positive effect of social enrichment (positive human-animal interactions) during gestation on a bitch's maternal behavior and on stress as measured by capillary cortisol levels.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Enrichment, Lactation, Maternity, Prenatal issues, Human-animal relationships, Socialization, Stress

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Feeding predictability as a cognitive enrichment protects brain function and physiological status in rainbow trout: a multidisciplinary approach to assess fish welfare

A. Kleiber, J. Roy, V. Brunet, E. Baranek, J.M. Le-Calvez, T. Kerneis, A. Batard, S. Calvez, L. Pineau, S. Milla, V. Guesdon, L. Calandreau, V. Colson

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that the feeding predictability contributes to cognitive enrichment, offering a way to improve the welfare and immune status of rainbow trout.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Aggression, Aggressiveness, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Stress

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Providing elevated structures in the pullet rearing environment affects behavior during initial acclimation to a layer aviary

Allison N. Pullin, Christina B. Rufener, Suzanne T. Millman, John F. Tarlton, Michael J. Toscan

Published in 2024

Scientific article reporting that hens with access to elevated platforms during the rearing phase make better use of the space in laying aviaries when they are first transferred there than those reared on the ground. The latter acclimatize within 1-2 weeks, but continue to make little use of the highest level of the aviary.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing, Livestock buildings

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Feeding management of giraffe towards positive welfare

Sarah Depauw, Leen Verbist, Jeroen Stevens, Marina Salas

Published in 2023

Scientific article using the Five Domains of Animal Welfare model to optimize feeding strategies that promote positive affective states in zoo giraffes. The changes that were introduced increased the animals' pleasure, gastrointestinal comfort and engagement.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Wildlife

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

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Does the provision of live black soldier fly and yellow mealworm larvae improve Muscovy duck welfare?

Marta Gariglio, Sihem Dabbou, Manuela Renna, Ilaria Biasato, Sara Bellezza Oddon, Marco Meneguz, Raul Daniel Miazzo, Stefania Bergagna, Elena Colombino, Elisabetta Macchi, Achille Schiavone

Published in 2023

Scientific paper evaluating the effect of fly larvae and mealworm-based feed enrichment on physiological and behavioral indicators of stress and aggression in Muscovy ducks, and on their growth performance.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Aggression, Aggressiveness, Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Stress

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Elevated platforms for pigs - A review

Karen Kauselmann, Lars Schrader, E. Tobias Krause

Published in 2023

Scientific review of the value of raised platforms for the improvement of pig welfare. It discusses  different platform and ramp designs, a pig's biological ability to use them, the advantages and disadvantages for pigs and farmers, and methods used to evaluate the effects of platforms on pigs.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment, Housing

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