Subject: Health /Diseases

Effects of music stimulus on behavior response, cortisol level, and horizontal immunity of growing pigs

Jiafang Li, Xiang Li, Honggui Liu, Jianhong Li, Qian Han, Chao Wang, Xiangyin Zeng, Yutao Li, Wenbo Ji, Runxiang Zhang, Jun Bao

Published in 2021

Scientific paper showing that growing pigs subjected to a musical stimulus for 8 days had a decreased stress response, and those subjected to the same musical stimulus for 60 days had an enhanced immune response. Pigs subjected to a noise stimulus were more aggressive and had a decreased immune response.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

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

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Efficacy of Intra-Operative Topical Wound Anaesthesia to Mitigate Piglet Castration Pain - A Large, Multi-Centred Field Trial

Meredith Sheil, Giulia Maria De Benedictis, Annalisa Scollo, Suzanne Metcalfe

Published in 2021

Scientific paper evaluating and demonstrating the efficacy of Tri-Solfen® when used as a pre-operative instillation to alleviate the subsequent acute pain associated with castration in piglets under commercial production conditions.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Pain, Societal issues, Mutilation, Carcass quality

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Benefits of Aquatic Animal Welfare for Sustainability

Aquatic Life Institute

Published in 2021

Presentation of the Aquatic Life Institute's 2021 report, highlighting the strong links between improved aquatic animal welfare and sustainable development. The report calls on policy makers to include aquatic animal welfare in their sustainable development policies.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Living environment, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators

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Data-driven decision support in livestock farming for improved animal health, welfare and greenhouse gas emissions: Overview and challenges

Parisa Niloofar, Deena P. Francis, Sanja Lazarova-Molnar, Alexandru Vulpe, Marius-Constantin Vochin, George Suciu, Mihaela Balanescu, Vasileios Anestis, Thomas Bartzanas

Published in 2021

A scientific review of the use of data collected in the course of precision breeding that can provide a resource in addition to expert knowledge to help decision-making on the combined issues of the management of animal health and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Document Types: Scientific review

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

Keywords:Precision farming, Environment, Risk management

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Associations between behaviour and health outcomes in conventional and slow-growing breeds of broiler chicken

S M Abeyesinghe, N M Chancellor, D Hernandez Moore, Y-M Chang, J Pearce, T Demmers, C J Nicol

Published in 2021

Scientific paper identifying particular behaviours associated with better health (more time spent in an iother small companion animalstive standing position, use of the perch, walking, high energy levels, exploratory behaviour), and others associated with poorer health (more time spent in an iother small companion animalstive lateral position or in an iother small companion animalstive sitting position, preferential use of litter over other resources) in broilers.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Welfare indicators

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Keel bone fractures in Danish laying hens: Prevalence and risk factors

Ida C. N. Thøfner, Jan Dahl, Jens Peter Christensen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper which estimates the prevalence of brevis fractures in laying hens in Denmark to range  between 53 and 100% according to individual flocks in non-cage systems, and between 50 and 98% in cage systems. The major risk factors it identifies are hen size, age at onset of laying and daily egg weight at onset of laying.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Pain, Livestock farming system

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Alternative Bedding Materials for Poultry: Availability, Efficacy, and Major Constraints

Siaka Diarra, Sonny Lameta, Falaniko Amosa, Sanjay Anand

Published in 2021

A scientific review of alternative materials to wood shavings and sawdust for use as poultry litter, including corncobs, straw and hay, sand, shredded paper, rice husks, peanut shells and gypsum. Consideration is given to their cost, availability, capacity to absorb and adsorb moisture, and the extent to which they allow birds to express their natural behaviour.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

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

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Traumatic Injuries Detected during Post-Mortem Slaughterhouse Inspection as Welfare Indicators in Poultry and Rabbits

Lenka Valkova, Eva Voslarova, Vladimir Vecerek, Petra Dolezelova, Veronika Zavrelova, Claire Weeks

Published in 2021

Scientific paper presenting a very large-scale Czech retrospective analysis of traumatic lesions in poultry and rabbits detected post-mortem at abattoirs. It reveals a high incidence of limb lesions in chickens and rabbits, and on the thorax in rabbits, exposing the need for reexamination of rearing conditions, and of housing and/or handling before slaughter in particular, in the Czech Republic.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Housing, Living environment, Livestock farming system,Pain

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Best Farming Practices for the Welfare of Dairy Cows, Heifers and Calves

Giulia Ventura, Valentina Lorenzi, Francesca Mazza, Gianfilippo Alessio Clemente, Claudia Iacomino, Luigi Bertocchi, Francesca Fusi

Published in 2021

Scientific paper describing the protocol to assess the welfare of dairy cattle in loose-housing systems using animal and non-animal based indicators that has been developed by the Italian Reference Centre for animal welfare. It uses the protocol to generate a list of 38 farming practices that will ensure a high level of welfare in dairy cattle.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators

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Qualitative Behavioral Assessment in Juvenile Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar): Potential for On-Farm Welfare Assessment

Susan Jarvis, Maureen A. Ellis, James F. Turnbull, Sonia Rey Planellas, Francoise Wemelsfelder

Published in 2021

Scientific paper presenting an adaptation of the QBA qualitative welfare assessment method to farmed salmon and assessing its potential as a tool for monitoring salmon welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Livestock farming system, Welfare indicators

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