Sociale scharrelaars of schadelijke schurken?

In dit essay betogen de auteursj dat de combinatie van een verbeterde opfok en houderij en een nieuwe sociale fokkerijstrategie veelbelovend is om sociaal gedrag, en daarmee dierenwelzijn, te verbeteren

High levels of contact dermatitis and decreased mobility in broiler breeders, but neither have a relationship with floor eggs

Contact dermatitis, both on the foot pads and hocks, is a well-known health issue in broilers. Less is known about contact dermatitis in broiler breeders, however, although they have many risk factors for developing leg health problems in common with broilers. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and severity of contact dermatitis during the production cycle in 5 lines of broiler breeders, investigate possible causes of contact dermatitis, and study its relationship with gait, egg production, and floor egg percentage. Five commercially available genetic lines of broiler breeders were housed in 21 pens of 550 females and 50 males from 20 to 60 wk of age. Every 10 wk litter quality, leg health measurements (foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, and gait) and body weight were assessed of 50 random hens per pen. Total number of eggs, number of eggs laid outside the nest (floor eggs), and mortality were recorded daily per pen. Prevalence of foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, and gait problems increased with age. Litter quality started to decrease at 50 wk of age. Prevalence of foot pad dermatitis was affected by litter quality, whereas genetic line had little effect. One genetic line was more prone to developing hock burns, though generally the prevalence of hock burn (13%) was much lower than that of foot pad dermatitis (74%). The percentage of broiler breeders with gait problems increased up to 24% with age, but this was not related to the prevalence of contact dermatitis. The lines differed in body weight from 32 wk of age onwards, and a higher body weight was related to lower egg production and higher cumulative mortality. The percentage of floor eggs was not related to leg health parameters or genetic line. Broiler breeders thus have similar leg health problems as broilers, but these problems are not related to the percentage of floor eggs, suggesting that other factors are involved in the undesirable behavior of floor laying.</p

Functional MRI of Auditory Responses in the Zebra Finch Forebrain Reveals a Hierarchical Organisation Based on Signal Strength but Not Selectivity

BACKGROUND: Male songbirds learn their songs from an adult tutor when they are young. A network of brain nuclei known as the 'song system' is the likely neural substrate for sensorimotor learning and production of song, but the neural networks involved in processing the auditory feedback signals necessary for song learning and maintenance remain unknown. Determining which regions show preferential responsiveness to the bird's own song (BOS) is of great importance because neurons sensitive to self-generated vocalisations could mediate this auditory feedback process. Neurons in the song nuclei and in a secondary auditory area, the caudal medial mesopallium (CMM), show selective responses to the BOS. The aim of the present study is to investigate the emergence of BOS selectivity within the network of primary auditory sub-regions in the avian pallium. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI, we investigated neural responsiveness to natural and manipulated self-generated vocalisations and compared the selectivity for BOS and conspecific song in different sub-regions of the thalamo-recipient area Field L. Zebra finch males were exposed to conspecific song, BOS and to synthetic variations on BOS that differed in spectro-temporal and/or modulation phase structure. We found significant differences in the strength of BOLD responses between regions L2a, L2b and CMM, but no inter-stimuli differences within regions. In particular, we have shown that the overall signal strength to song and synthetic variations thereof was different within two sub-regions of Field L2: zone L2a was significantly more activated compared to the adjacent sub-region L2b. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results we suggest that unlike nuclei in the song system, sub-regions in the primary auditory pallium do not show selectivity for the BOS, but appear to show different levels of activity with exposure to any sound according to their place in the auditory processing stream

Sociale scharrelaars of schadelijke schurken?

In dit essay betogen de auteursj dat de combinatie van een verbeterde opfok en houderij en een nieuwe sociale fokkerijstrategie veelbelovend is om sociaal gedrag, en daarmee dierenwelzijn, te verbeteren

Emotional states and emotional contagion in pigs after exposure to a positive and negative treatment

After-effects of events that elicit an emotional state on both the animals that experienced these events and on their group members have only scarcely been studied. We investigated effects of a positive vs. negative treatment on the behaviour and emotional state of pigs and their naive pen mates afterwards. Behaviour of 96 pigs was observed in the home pen for 5. min on two different days (day 2 and 18), directly after two pigs per pen (N = 16) had been subjected to a positive or negative treatment in a test room. On day 2, treated pigs lay down more (30.78. ±. 4.07 vs. 15.25. ±. 3.74% of time, P = 0.01), walked less (17.91. ±. 2.82 vs. 26.87. ±. 2.32% of time, P = 0.02) and explored the pen less (12.30. ±. 1.34 vs. 18.29. ±. 1.71% of time, P = 0.01) after the negative compared to the positive treatment. Naive pigs simultaneously also lay more (45.67. ±. 6.00 vs. 18.79. ±. 5.88% of time, P = 0.003), walked less (6.33. ±. 0.80 vs. 12.83. ±. 1.74% of time, P. <. 0.001) and explored the pen less (6.80. ±. 1.23 vs. 13.47. ±. 2.34% of time, P = 0.02) after their pen mates' negative treatment. After their pen mates' positive treatment, in contrast, naive pigs showed more nosing behaviour, nose-nose (0.83. ±. 0.14 vs. 0.40. ±. 0.06 freq./min, P = 0.004) and nose-body contact (0.73. ±. 0.10 vs. 0.47. ±. 0.06 freq./min, P = 0.02), and tended to play more (0.10. ±. 0.03 vs. 0.01. ±. 0.01 freq./min, P = 0.09). On day 18, treated pigs were only found to eat longer after the negative than the positive treatment (10.75. ±. 3.73 vs. 0.96. ±. 0.79% of time, P = 0.02), whereas their naive pen mates, similar to day 2, lay more (45.01. ±. 5.16 vs. 22.59. ±. 5.52% of time, P = 0.006), stood (40.73. ±. 3.84 vs. 57.32. ±. 4.29% of time, P = 0.007) and walked less (7.00. ±. 1.21 vs. 10.88. ±. 1.04% of time, P = 0.01). After their pen mates' positive treatment, at day 18, they still nosed the nose (0.52. ±. 0.06 vs. 0.21. ±. 0.04 freq./min, P. <. 0.001) and body of their pen mates more (0.68. ±. 0.06 vs. 0.29. ±. 0.05 freq./min, P = 0.002) than after their pen mates' negative treatment, and they tended to wag their tails more (2.30. ±. 0.95 vs. 0.68. ±. 0.41% of time, P = 0.08). Thus, pigs still appeared to be in a negative emotional state for some time after the negative treatment had ended. Furthermore, their pen mates also seemed to be (emotionally) affected even though they were not subjected to the treatment themselves. Negative and positive events may thus have consequences that extend beyond the duration of these events, for both the welfare of the exposed animals and their group members

Protocol for Health Observations in Growing-Finishing Pigs

This file contains the protocol for performing health observations in growing-finishing pigs as was applied in our research. It was created based mainly on the Welfare Quality protocol and Fit For Pigs app and combined this with other literature and the authors' expertise. The protocol contains observations both at pen and pig level, and for each observed component a definition of the component and associated scoring classes is provided, when possible illustrated with pictures

Long-term access to live black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) stimulates activity and reduces fearfulness of broilers, without affecting health

Commercially housed broilers frequently experience limited environmental stimulation and various health issues, compromising their welfare. Providing environmental enrichment can alleviate these problems by facilitating natural behaviour and activity. We investigated the effect of providing live black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to broilers housed at commercial densities (33 kg/m2) on behaviour, fearfulness, health and performance. One-day-old broilers were distributed over five treatments with eight pens/treatment: a control treatment without BSFL; two treatments where 5% of the daily nutrient intake was replaced with live BSFL, provided four or seven times a day; and two treatments where 10% of the daily dietary intake was replaced with live BSFL provided four times a day or in transparent, movable tubes with holes. In all BSFL treatments foraging behaviour, and thereby broiler activity, was increased. Prolonged access to live BSFL, either by providing larvae seven times a day or in tubes, caused the largest increase in activity while also decreasing the time spend in tonic immobility, indicating reduced fearfulness. Broiler final weight and health were not affected. Overall, long-term access to live BSFL seems most effective in improving broiler welfare by facilitating natural behaviour and reducing fearfulness, without hindering broiler performance and health.</p

A link between damaging behaviour in pigs, sanitary conditions, and dietary protein and amino acid supply

The tendency to reduce crude protein (CP) levels in pig diets to increase protein efficiency may increase the occurrence of damaging behaviours such as ear and tail biting, particularly for pigs kept under suboptimal health conditions. We studied, in a 2×2×2 factorial design, 576 tail-docked growing-finishing entire male pigs in 64 pens, subjected to low (LSC) vs. high sanitary conditions (HSC), and fed a normal CP (NP) vs. a low CP diet (LP, 80% of NP) ad libitum, with a basal amino acid (AA) profile or supplemented AA profile with extra threonine, tryptophan and methionine. The HSC pigs were vaccinated in the first nine weeks of life and received antibiotics at arrival at experimental farm at ten weeks, after which they were kept in a disinfected part of the farm with a strict hygiene protocol. The LSC pigs were kept on the same farm in non-disinfected pens to which manure from another pig farm was introduced fortnightly. At 15, 18, and 24 weeks of age, prevalence of tail and ear damage and of tail and ear wounds was scored. At 20 and 23 weeks of age, frequencies of biting behaviour and aggression were scored for 10×10 min per pen per week. The prevalence of ear damage during the finisher phase (47 vs. 32% of pigs, P < 0.0001) and the frequency of ear biting (1.3 vs. 1.2 times per hour, P = 0.03) were increased in LSC compared with HSC pigs. This effect on ear biting was diet dependent, however, the supplemented AA profile reduced ear biting only in LSC pigs by 18% (SC × AA profile, P < 0.01). The prevalence of tail wounds was lower for pigs in LSC (13 ± 0.02) than for pigs in HSC (0.22 ± 0.03) in the grower phase (P < 0.007). Regardless of AA profile or sanitary status, LP pigs showed more ear biting (+20%, P < 0.05), tail biting (+25%, P < 0.10), belly nosing (+152%, P < 0.01), other oral manipulation directed at pen mates (+13%, P < 0.05), and aggression (+30%, P < 0.01) than NP pigs, with no effect on ear or tail damage. In conclusion, both low sanitary conditions and a reduction of dietary protein increase the occurrence of damaging behaviours in pigs and therefore may negatively impact pig welfare. Attention should be paid to the impact of dietary nutrient composition on pig behaviour and welfare, particularly when pigs are kept under suboptimal (sanitary) conditions.</p

High levels of contact dermatitis and decreased mobility in broiler breeders, but neither have a relationship with floor eggs

Contact dermatitis, both on the foot pads and hocks, is a well-known health issue in broilers. Less is known about contact dermatitis in broiler breeders, however, although they have many risk factors for developing leg health problems in common with broilers. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and severity of contact dermatitis during the production cycle in 5 lines of broiler breeders, investigate possible causes of contact dermatitis, and study its relationship with gait, egg production, and floor egg percentage. Five commercially available genetic lines of broiler breeders were housed in 21 pens of 550 females and 50 males from 20 to 60 wk of age. Every 10 wk litter quality, leg health measurements (foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, and gait) and body weight were assessed of 50 random hens per pen. Total number of eggs, number of eggs laid outside the nest (floor eggs), and mortality were recorded daily per pen. Prevalence of foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, and gait problems increased with age. Litter quality started to decrease at 50 wk of age. Prevalence of foot pad dermatitis was affected by litter quality, whereas genetic line had little effect. One genetic line was more prone to developing hock burns, though generally the prevalence of hock burn (13%) was much lower than that of foot pad dermatitis (74%). The percentage of broiler breeders with gait problems increased up to 24% with age, but this was not related to the prevalence of contact dermatitis. The lines differed in body weight from 32 wk of age onwards, and a higher body weight was related to lower egg production and higher cumulative mortality. The percentage of floor eggs was not related to leg health parameters or genetic line. Broiler breeders thus have similar leg health problems as broilers, but these problems are not related to the percentage of floor eggs, suggesting that other factors are involved in the undesirable behavior of floor laying.</p