Valuing animal welfare with choice experiments: An application to Swedish pig production

Posted in: Welfare by admin on January 1, 2005 | No Comments

Influence of gentling on lamb immune response and human-lamb interactions

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

The quality of the human-animal relationship may affect the animal’s response to stressful conditions. In this study two components of human interaction with lambs were examined to determine if they have an impact on behaviour and stress response. Lambs were reared either by their mother or artificially. Half of each rearing treatment was handled by stockpersons in a ‘gentling’ treatment. The animals were then tested in a novel, isolated environment. Artificially reared lambs engaged in more investigatory behaviour when in the novel arena than did those reared by their mothers. Among the artificially reared lambs, those that were also handled repeatedly by stockpersons also recovered more quickly (return to normal cortisol levels) than did the other three treatment combinations. They also had stronger immune responses than did the other treatments. Both artificial rearing, and gentling within the artificial rearing condition, improved the lambs ability to cope with novel environments.

Avoidance of atmospheric ammonia by domestic fowl and the effect of early experience.

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Intensification of poultry housing systems and the need to maintain a high ambient temperature have resulted in an atmosphere that is polluted with ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, dust particles and endotoxins. This experiment was carried out to determine if broiler fowl, when given a free choice, would avoid ammoniated environments. The effect of rearing aerial environment on these preferences was tested subsequently during a similar free choice experiment. Firstly, the birds were given a free choice of 4, 11, 20 and 37 ppm atmospheric ammonia over a period of 16 days. Data were collected in two different light levels (bright or dim light). The birds avoided the two higher ammonia concentrations, choosing to spend equal amounts of their time in 4 and 11 ppm during the bright phase. During the dim period, broiler fowl spent more time in 4 ppm. Secondly, broiler fowl were exposed to either 2 or 19 ppm ammonia from 1 to 26 days of age. Following this, the birds were given a choice of compartments containing 4, 12, 20 and 37 ppm of ammonia. Birds again avoid the two higher concentrations of ammonia. In summary, broiler fowl avoid ammonia at concentrations commonly found on poultry units regardless of previous experience, suggesting that it to be aversive at concentrations above approximately 10 ppm.

Suckling behaviour in domestic foals and the development of abnormal oral behaviour

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Foals at pasture with their dams were studied during the preweaning and postweaning periods to determine whether their behaviour was associated with their gender, mare rank, and the development of abnormal oral behaviour. The behaviour of males and females hardly differed, but mare rank affected social interaction patterns and suckling behaviour of foals, with foals of subordinate mares involved in more subordinate behavioural interactions. Foals of subordinate mares spent more time in perisuckling activities such as teat nuzzling than foals of higher ranking mares. Eighteen foals (out of 186) developed abnormal oral behaviour before weaning, and 42 developed such behaviour after weaning. The development of abnormal oral behaviour in the preweaning phase was associated with suckling behaviour. Foals exhibiting abnormal behaviour during the preweaning phase were involved in more suckling terminations within suckling bouts and pushed the udder with their nose most often compared with normal foals or foals that developed abnormal oral behaviour in the postweaning phase. Foals that did not exhibit abnormal oral behaviour in the preweaning period, but exhibited the behaviour in the postweaning period, spent more time suckling and twice as much time teat nuzzling as other foals. The results of this study provide further evidence that there is an association between digestive function and abnormal oral behaviour in horses.

The development of harmful social behaviour in pigs with intact tails and different enrichment backgrounds in two housing systems.

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

The behaviour of pigs with undocked tails housed in either a straw-bedded system or a partially slatted system enriched with a commercial device. The pigs had been introduced to different enrichment treatments either before or after weaning. Following mixing at 10 weeks of age, behavioural observations were conducted every two weeks. The pigs were mainly observed for harmful social behaviour and enrichment use. Straw bedding prevented tail biting from occurring in pigs with undocked tails. Pigs in the partially slatted housing were at higher risk for tail biting. Introducing enrichments early in life and adding a simple enrichment device to an otherwise barren environment were not sufficient enough to prevent tail biting. The author suggest that functional design of environmental enrichment is required if tail biting is to be prevented.

Leptin: A metabolic signal affecting central regulation of reproduction in the pig

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Plant species protection contracts: modelling contract choice for specialised dairy farms and mixed dairy pig fattening farms in the Netherlands

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Creating Your Own IDEA Factory

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Creativity is primarily an individual pursuit. Innovative thinking requires the ability to generate, develop, judge, communicate, and translate new ideas. Thinking outside of the box is a quality trait because it deviates from the common thought. It requires being open to new ways of doing things and the willingness to explore them. Thinking outside of the box can often bring in new and useful ideas. Ed Bernacki offers some steps to improve the ideas of your business.

Next Generation Diet Formulation: True Metabolic Availability of Amino Acids in Diets for Pigs

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Not all of the dietary amino acid that is included in standardized ileal digestibility is metabolically available for protein synthesis. A rapid method was developed to determine metabolic amino acid availability in feedstuffs for protein synthesis. Using the indicator amino acid oxidation technique, a change in phenylalanine oxidation, which is inversely proportional to protein synthesis, was used to measure the metabolic availability of lysine in feedstuffs compared to that of free lysine, which is fully available. Data regarding several methodological considerations were addressed before this technique was validated, including: adaptation time between test diets, repeatability of measurements, predictability of response to lysine intake, dietary phenylalanine availability and lysine intake sensitivities. In addition, an oral dosing regimen was developed to simplify the facilities required and lower costs further. This method is suitable for the determination of the metabolic availability of amino acids for protein synthesis in a given feedstuff within 2 to 3 weeks. This method could also be adapted to predict the availability of other economically important amino acids in feedstuffs. This new approach is an improvement over the chemical methods, which are only available for lysine.

Feeding pregnant sows with relation to back fat and body activity for optimizing reproductive performances

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Excessively thin or fat sows at the end of pregnancy show reproductive problems. Along three phases, individualized feeding of pregnant sows were studied, aiming at homogenizing their energy reserves at farrowing. In the first phase, 108 sows were fed relatively to their body condition at breeding. Secondly, 92 sows were fed relatively to their back fat and weight at breeding. Thirdly, diets of 129 sows were similarly calculated, but aimed at slow or rapid deposit of maternal tissues. Diets were also adjusted repeatedly to back fat evolution. Average digestible energy (DE) needs has been accurately calculated, since the average residual energy (ingestion – needs) approached zero. Back fat thickness of sows at farrowing was 21,4, 20,3 and 20,9mm for the three phases, values close to the 21mm objective. However, back fat and residual energy varied significantly (10,2mm – 37,1mm and –12,5 – 13,2MJ/d, respectively). In all phases, the residual energy varied more closely together with the total needs than with the ingested energy. This emphasizes the importance of carefully measuring weight and back fat for accurate calculation of the needs. The activity of sows could not explain the difference between energy supply and requirements. Adjustment of energy supply to back fat could not reduce the difference between the thinnest and fattest sows. This program of rapid maternal tissue deposit lacked beneficial effect and reduced litter size. Individual diet adjustment cannot be recommended, but rather to average it for groups of sows similar at breeding, with regular weighing and ultrasound testing.