Subject: Health /Diseases

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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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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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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Do You Think I Am Living Well? A Four-Season Hair Cortisol Analysis on Leisure Horses in Different Housing and Management Conditions

Silvia Michela Mazzola, Carla Colombani, Giulia Pizzamiglio, Simona Cannas, Clara Palestrini, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Alessia Libera Gazzonis, Arianna Bionda, Paola Crepaldi

Published in 2021

Scientific paper investigating the chronic stress levels of recreational horses in relation to their living conditions in order to determine the best management strategy for the welfare of the horses.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Housing, Living environment, Stress

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Reducing weaning stress: is pre-weaning socialisation a good strategy?

John Pluske

Published in 2021

Technical paper setting out the advantages and disadvantages of the two main techniques for socialising piglets housed indoors: one allows piglets to move freely between farrowing pens but not dams, and the other allows dams and piglets to interact freely. The outcomes of early socialisation are not only behavioural (more play, less aggression) but also physiological, with lower metabolic energy levels that could explain reductions in stress and aggression.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Pain, Mutilation, Weaning, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Does nutrient composition of feedstuffs affect the proportion of oral stereotypies and redirected behaviors among horse working groups?

Farah Hanis, Eric Lim Teik Chung, Mamat Hamidi Kamalludin, ZulkifliI drus

Published in 2021

Scientific paper demonstrating that ration composition and energy intake influence the incidence of oral stereotypies (especially empty chewing) and redirected behaviours (especially bedding consumption) in working horses (leisure, equestrian, patrol and endurance). Endurance horses are the most sensitive to ration composition.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Anxiety, Welfare indicators, Housing, Living environment, Stress, Psychiatric disorder

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Dairy farmer, hoof trimmer, and veterinarian perceptions of barriers and roles in lameness management

E.M. Wynands, S.M. Roche, G. Cramer, B.A. Ventura

Published in 2021

Scientific paper reporting on the perceptions of farmers' hoof trimmers and vets concerning the management of lameness in dairy cows. Lameness is perceived as a complex, multi-factorial problem that is poorly understood and whose contributing factors are difficult to change. Those involved are resigned, believing that lameness is inevitable. Participants suggested that hoof trimmers and veterinarians should work together to send a consistent message to farmers.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Pain, Human-animal relationships

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