Investigating the reward cycle of play in pigs (Sus scrofa)

Observations of play in animals have been suggested as a promising indicator of positive emotions and thus of positive animal welfare. However, if play can follow the proposed reward cycle concept where animals estimate and value reward differently in different phases of the cycle (anticipation, consummation and post-consummation) is unclear. To investigate if a reward cycle for play exists in growing pigs, we carried out an exploratory study where pigs were tested when they were naïve to a reward cycle test (first occasion) against when they were accustomed to going through the test after having the access to an open play arena with objects. Forty undocked pigs were housed in a weaner stable with two castrated males and two females per pen. Within each litter, we randomly selected and tested one male and one female test pig, each being tested as naïve or accustomed to the testing environment. The first week the pigs (n = 20) were tested four times and regarded as naïve during the first day. After that they were regarded as accustomed, and were tested twice a week for 3 weeks. We observed the behavior of the tested pairs in three subsequent stages: (1) in a holding pen 3 min, (2) in a play arena 15 min, and (3) in their home pen 10 min. When accustomed, pigs showed more locomotor play, social interactions and standing, and a tendency of more orientation toward the play arena and exploring bars facing the play arena (i.e., reward-seeking behavior) in the holding pen than when they were naïve, suggesting an anticipation to enter the play arena. Performing high numbers of object play in all sessions, and for accustomed pigs more exploration and social interaction, but less locomotor play and walking in the play arena may suggest consumption of play and exploration. Finding more lying and sitting in accustomed pigs, but less standing and walking in the home pen is in line with the previous hypothesis of the post-consummatory behaviors. Our study showed mixed results for the existence of a reward cycle for play in pigs and generated questions for future research

Čimbenici rizika za ugrize pasa koji uključuju djecu

Although children are the most frequent victims of dog bites, gaps remain in understanding of the factors that lead to biting incidents. Using a retrospective and victim self-report questionnaire, risk factors for dog bites with respect to younger and older children in Slovenia are examined. The results showed that younger children were more commonly bitten in a non-public place, outside or inside a house when the owner was absent. They had approached and interacted with a dog they knew, which had a history of aggression and had displayed tense or aggressive behaviour before the bite. Older children were mainly bitten outside in a public space, when the owner was not there. They were approached and bitten by an unknown dog while running or cycling, while entering the dog’s personal space, or it was completely unprovoked. The dog involved had a history of aggression and before the bite the victims had neither interacted nor attempted to interact with the dog. These results suggest that the risk factors for dog bites involving children might be age-related calling for due attention and further assessment.Premda su djeca najčešće žrtve ugriza pasa, i dalje nisu sasvim jasni uzroci koji dovode do ugriza. Primjenom retrospektivnog upitnika i upitnika o samoprijavljivanju žrtava istraženi su čimbenici rizika za ugrize pasa koji se događaju u mlađe i starije djece u Sloveniji. Rezultati su pokazali da su mlađa djeca češće ugrizena na mjestima koja nisu javna, izvan kuće ili u kući, u odsutnosti vlasnika psa. Djeca su pristupila psu i imala interakciju sa psom kojega su poznavali, koji je već bio agresivan i u kojega je prije ugriza zapažena napetost ili agresivno ponašanje. Ugrizi u starije djece većinom su se dogodili vani, na javnom mjestu, dok vlasnik nije bio uz psa. Ugrizi su se dogodili tako da im je nepoznati pas prišao dok su trčali, ili su ušli u osobni prostor psa, ili ugriz nije bio isprovociran. Pas je već bio agresivan, a prije ugriza žrtve nisu imale interakciju sa psom niti su pokušale ostvariti kontakt s njim. Rezultati ovog istraživanja upućuju na to da bi čimbenici rizika za ugrize pasa koji se događaju u djece mogli biti povezani s dobi, na što bi trebalo obratiti pažnju u budućim istraživanjima

Welfare and meat quality of lambs

Recently, in many parts of the world, greater importance has been given to lamb meat as well as to the intensive production of lamb and sheep, due to demand for this type of meat at affordable prices. In Serbia, similar to most European countries, the structure of total sheep meat production comprises about 70% lamb meat and 30% sheep meat. This study assessed resource-based measures on 11 dairy sheep farms and investigated, in a total of 30 lambs, the effects of sex, the presence of bruises and pneumonia in carcasses, and carcass and meat quality. Carcass (carcass length, thigh length, croup width, subcutaneous fat thickness, presence of bruises) and meat quality (pH, temperature, drip, thawing and cooking losses, color, and meat quality classes) traits were measured post mortem. The most common deficiencies on farms were high stocking density, poor hygienic conditions, dirty drinkers, and lack of outdoor access. Regarding sex differences, higher prevalences of carcass bruises and severe pneumonia were recorded in male lambs. Meat pH (pH45min), sensory color score, and prevalence of dark, firm and dry (DFD) meat were higher in lambs with carcass bruises. The occurrence of quality defects (DFD meat) was higher in lambs with severe pneumonia. It can be concluded that it is necessary to improve the welfare conditions on the lamb farms and pre-slaughter conditions in order to achieve better lamb meat quality.U mnogim delovima sveta, sve više se daje na značaju jagnjećem mesu kao i intenzivnom načinu gajenja jagnjadi i ovaca, usled velike potražnje za jagnjadima po povoljnim cenama. U Srbiji, kao i u najvećem broju zemalja Evrope, akcenat je stavljan na jagnjeće meso, pri čemu u strukturi ukupne proizvodnje ovčijeg mesa oko 70% čini zaklana jagnjad, a ostatak ovce i ovnovi. U ovom istraživanju, ispitani su uslovi dobrobiti na 11 farmi ovaca na osnovu indirektnih pokazatelja, kao i uticaj pola, prisustva modrica i pneumonije na kvalitet trupa i mesa 30 jagnjadi. Postmortem su određivani pokazatelji kvaliteta trupa (dužina trupa, dužina buta, širina sapi, prekrivenost trupa masnim tkivom, prisustvo pneumonija, konformacija i prisustvo modrica) i mesa tovnih jagnjadi (pH, temperatura, sposobnost vezivanja vode mesa, boja mesa, klase kvaliteta mesa). Najčešći nedostaci na ispitivanim farmama su velika gustina naseljenosti, loši higijenski uslovi, prljave pojilice, kao i nedostatak ispusta. Kod muške jagnjadi utvrđen je veći procenat modrica na trupu i patoloških promena na plućima, u odnosu na žensku jagnjad. Kod jagnjadi sa modricama na trupu utvrđena je viša pH (pH45min) vrednost mesa i senzorna ocena za boju mesa, kao i veća učestalost tamnog, suvog i čvrstog (TČS) mesa. Učestalost TČS mesa bila je veća kod jagnjadi sa teškom pneumonijom. Na osnovu rezultata može se zaključiti da je neophodno poboljšati uslove dobrobiti jagnjadi na farmi i tokom postupanja sa jagnjadima pre klanja, kako bi se dobilo meso boljeg kvaliteta

How Can We Advance Integrative Biology Research in Animal Science in 21st Century?:Experience at University of Ljubljana from 2002 to 2022

In this perspective analysis, we strive to answer the following question: how can we advance integrative biology research in the 21st century with lessons from animal science? At the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, we share here our three lessons learned in the two decades from 2002 to 2022 that we believe could inform integrative biology, systems science, and animal science scholarship in other countries and geographies. Cultivating multiomics knowledge through a conceptual lens of integrative biology is crucial for life sciences research that can stand the test of diverse biological, clinical, and ecological contexts. Moreover, in an era of the current COVID-19 pandemic, animal nutrition and animal science, and the study of their interactions with human health (and vice versa) through integrative biology approaches hold enormous prospects and significance for systems medicine and ecosystem health

Dogsʼ sociability, ownersʼ neuroticism and attachment style to pets as predictors of dog aggression

A dog’s aggressive behavior is influenced by external and internal factors, including its psychological profile. In this study, dogs’ and owners’ personalities and the owners’ attachment style to their dogs were identified and associated with owner-reported dog aggression towards humans and animals. Forty Slovenian owners participated with their dogs, of different breeds and aggression history, sorted into three groups (non-aggressive dogs, dogs aggressive towards humans, and dogs aggressive towards animals). The owners filled out three separate questionnaires that assessed dog aggression history towards different targets, owner’s personality and degree of insecure attachment styles to dogsnamely anxious and avoidant attachment. Dog personality was characterized using a standardized dog mentality assessment test, during which the dog was exposed to nine tasks, performed outside, and dogs were scored based on behaviors they exhibited. The results indicated that dogs which were aggressive towards humans were less sociable than non-aggressive dogs and this was associated with the higher neuroticism scores of their owners. We also found that dogs which were aggressive towards strangers had owners with lower scores for anxious attachment and that dogs which were aggressive towards owners had owners with higher scores for avoidant attachment. These results imply that the psychological profiles of both a dog and its owner influence dog aggression towards humans

Dogs exhibiting high levels of aggressive reactivity show impaired self-control abilities

Inhibitory control describes a multitude of cognitive processes that prevents an impulsive response and enables a more appropriate behavior in a given situation. The ability to inhibit undesirable behaviors, such as aggression, is particularly important in dogs for safe and successful interspecific interaction and cooperation. The present study investigated the associations between two aspects of inhibitory control in dogs, self-control and cognitive inhibition, and the tendency to respond aggressively when provoked. Sixteen police and fourteen privately owned dogs of the same sex, breed group and similar age participated. Self-control, often described as impulsivity, was measured with an exchange paradigm themed the delay of gratification test, and cognitive inhibition with an object discrimination paradigm called the reversal learning test. Aggressive reactivity was assessed with a standardized aggression-eliciting behavior test. When comparing police and privately owned dogs, police dogs showed higher aggression levels and poorer self-control, while the two groups did not differ in cognitive inhibition. Regardless of the dog group, the main results indicated impairments in self-control in dogs with high levels of aggressive reactivity. Dogs showing biting behavior had worse self-control abilities compared to dogs with no signs of aggression. No association between cognitive inhibition and aggression was found. We conclude that self-control, measured as the ability to tolerate delayed rewards, appears to be an important aspect of inhibitory control involved in the tendency to respond aggressively, particularly in police dogs

Effects of dimethyl anthranilate-based repellents on behavior, plumage condition, egg quality, and performance in laying hens

Feather pecking is a behavior that occurs in order to cope with a constrained environment and is a serious problem in the egg production industry. This longitudinal study was conducted under commercial conditions to investigate whether the application of two repellent mixtures, previously suggested as aversive to wild birds, to the plumage of Prelux-R hybrid egg layers is a viable alternative to beak trimming as a solution to discourage feather pecking among laying hens. A total of 180 untrimmed hybrid layers was reared together in a floor pen. At 18 weeks of age they were allocated randomly to three treatments (repellent P, repellent T, control), each consisting of 6 replicated enriched cages with 10 hens in each cage. Hens were evenly sprayed once every 2 weeks for 54 weeks with solution P (dimethyl anthranilate and methyl phenylacetate), solution T (dimethyl anthranilate and geraniol), or distilled water (control). Body weight, plumage condition, behavior, feed intake, and egg quality measurements were taken at five time periods from 26 to 76 weeks of age. Egg production and mortality were recorded daily. The treatments did not affect feather pecking behavior. Hens treated with repellent T tended to perform less cage pecking than the control hens. The use of the repellents did not reduce feather pecking, the plumage was even more significantly damaged in the hens given the repellents compared to the control hens. This suggests the chemicals in the repellents worsened the plumage. No differences in feed intake and daily egg production between treatments were found. Raw and hard-boiled eggs were highly uniform in odor/flavor/taste and no offensive odor absorption related to the chemicals in the repellents was detected. In conclusion, in the present study we did not find any beneficial effect of dimethyl anthranilate-based repellents on feather pecking frequency and plumage/feather condition. Therefore, we do not encourage their use in wider commercial settings

Evaluation of welfare in commercial turkey flocks of both sexes using the transect walk method

The study was conducted between March and September 2019 in six meat-type turkey flocks with similar management standard procedures using the transect walk method. The concept of the method is based on visual observation of the birds while slowly walking across the entire farm in predetermined transects. Each flock was evaluated at three different times during the fattening cycle: at 3 to 4, 12 to 13, and 19 to 20 weeks of age, and total number of males and females that were immobile or lame, had visible head, vent, or back wounds, were small, featherless, dirty, or sick, had pendulous crop, or showed aggression toward birds or humans were recorded. At each visit, NH$_3$ and CO$_2$ were measured within the facilities. In the first assessment, the most frequently observed welfare indicators were small size (0.87%) and immobility (0.08%). Males showed a significantly higher prevalence of small size (p < 0.01), sickness (p < 0.05), and dirtiness (p < 0.1) compared to females. In the second assessment, the most common findings in both sexes were dirtiness (1.65%) and poor feather condition (1.06%), followed by immobility (0.28%). Males were significantly dirtier (p < 0.001), had more immobile birds (p < 0.01) and birds with vent wounds (p < 0.1), but had fewer sick birds (p < 0.05). In the last assessment, an increase in immobile, lame, sick, and dead birds was recorded, indicating an increase in health problems. Higher CO$_2$ (3000 and 4433 ppm) and NH$_3$ (40 and 27.6 ppm) values were noted only at the first assessment in two facilities. Further analyses showed that slightly elevated NH$_3$ and CO$_2$ levels did not influence the occurrence of welfare indicators. This study is the first description of the welfare of commercial turkey flocks in Slovenia