Keywords: Enrichment

Bien-être : la France bon élève en poulet, selon le Better Chicken Commitment

Sheila Kolani

Published in 2024

ChickenTrack 2023 has assessed the commitment of 85 companies to animal welfare on chicken farms, showing an encouraging increase from 39% to 65% of European companies who publicly reported on their work for transition under the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) in 2023. In France, of the 34 companies assessed, 68% published information on their progress.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Identification, Housing, Societal issues

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Air bubble curtain improves the welfare of captive rainbow trout fry and fingerlings

Océane Amichaud, Thomas Lafond, Georgina Lea Fazekas, Aude Kleiber, Thierry Kerneis, Axel Batard, Lionel Goardon, Laurent Labbé, Sophie Lambert, Sylvain Milla, Violaine Colson

Published in 2024

Scientific article showing that the repeated diffusion of bubbles in a tank improved the welfare of rainbow trout. The short-term (~7 weeks) and long-term (~21 weeks) enrichment effects were similar to those observed with more conventional environmental enrichment (provision of plants and shelter). The fish were less aggressive, less fearful and showed enhanced learning abilities.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Learning, training, Enrichment, Wefare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Behavioural disorders, Stress

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Effect of classical music on growth performance, stress level, antioxidant index, immune function and meat quality in broilers at different stocking densities

Xinlei Gao, Jiangang Gong, Bowen Yang, Yanci Liu, Hongjian Xu, Yanshuang Hao, Jialin Jing, Zhihua Feng, Lihua Li

Published in 2024

Scientific article demonstrating that classical music in broiler rearing can reduce the adverse effects of high density stocking on some parameters for stress, health and meat quality.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Carcass quality,Enrichment, Stress

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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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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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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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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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