Goats are able to adapt to virtual fencing; A field study in commercial goat herds on Norwegian farms

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Slow-growing broilers are healthier and express more behavioural indicators of positive welfare

Broiler chicken welfare is under increasing scrutiny due to welfare concerns regarding growth rate and stocking density. This farm-based study explored broiler welfare in four conditions representing commercial systems varying in breed and planned maximum stocking density: (1) Breed A, 30 kg/m2; (2) Breed B, 30 kg/m2; (3) Breed B, 34 kg/m2; (4) Breed C, 34 kg/m2. Breeds A and B were ‘slow-growing’ breeds (< 50 g/day), and Breed C was a widely used ‘fast-growing’ breed. Indicators of negative welfare, behavioural indicators of positive welfare and environmental outcomes were assessed. Clear differences between conditions were detected. Birds in Condition 4 experienced the poorest health (highest mortality and post-mortem inspection rejections, poorest walking ability, most hock burn and pododermatitis) and litter quality. These birds also displayed lower levels of behaviours indicative of positive welfare (enrichment bale occupation, qualitative ‘happy/active’ scores, play, ground-scratching) than birds in Conditions 1–3. These findings provide farm-based evidence that significant welfare improvement can be achieved by utilising slow-growing breeds. There are suggested welfare benefits of a slightly lower planned maximum stocking density for Breed B and further health benefits of the slowest-growing breed, although these interventions do not offer the same magnitude of welfare improvement as moving away from fast-growing broilers

New species and host association records for the Hungarian avian louse fauna (Insecta: Phthiraptera)

AbstractA recently published checklist of Hungarian louse fauna (Insecta: Phthiraptera) listed 279 species and subspecies which have been recorded in Hungary. According to that checklist several louse species still await detection in Hungary, and many of the previously reported louse species have not been found on all expected host species yet. Our faunistical survey on avian lice started in 2005 at Ócsa Bird Ringing Station, resulting hundreds of ectoparasite samples collected from over 70 bird species. Additionally, our louse collection has grown by collecting samples in other research projects focusing on various bird species, and by sampling cadavers before taxidermy in the Bird Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. As the results of a preliminary exploration of this collection, we list 20 louse species which are new to the Hungarian fauna, as well as the first Hungarian records of 17 host-parasite associations. We also found 3 louse-bird association records new for the World fauna.</jats:p

A fenntartható fejlődés, a klímaváltozás és a földhasználat változása társadalmi-gazdasági tényezőinek összefüggése = Sustainable development of agriculture: relationship between climate change and socio-economic factors of land use

A kutatás alapvető célja volt, hogy hozzájáruljon a címben jelölt összefüggések vizsgálata módszertanának fejlesztéséhez, és az adatbázis előállításának korlátain belül bemutassa az európai földhasználat változásának következményeit, különös tekintettel az új tagállamok helyzetére. Ennek megfelelően javaslatot tettünk egy indikátor sorra, amellyel lehetőség nyílik a múltbeli adatok alapján a jövőbeni trendek felvázolására. Vizsgáltuk a köztük lévő korrelációt, és aggregálási lehetőségüket egyetlen index formájában. A fenntarthatóság kulcskérdéseként tanulmányoztuk a társadalmi (ökológiai és ökonómiai) hatékonyság mérésének, és Malmquist index segítségével a hatékonysági tartalékok feltárásának lehetőségeit. A fenntarthatóság legnagyobb kihívása a klímaváltozás. Módszertani javaslatot tettünk az érzékenység és adaptációs képesség mérésére, a klíma és a társadalmi, gazdasági folyamatok mezőgazdasági földhasználatra gyakorolt hatásának integrált elemzésére szcenárió elemzés keretében. Megállapítottuk, hogy a földhasználat mind a mitigációs, mind az adaptációs politikában kiemelt szerepet kell, hogy kapjon. Az adaptáció elősegítéséhez egy célirányosabb támogatás-politikára van szükség. Azonosítottuk a jövőbeni földhasználat hajtóerőit. Összehasonlítást végeztünk az új és régi tagállamok között a hajtóerők vonatkozásában. Irodalmi összefoglalót készítettünk a társadalmi, gazdasági aspektusokat is magukban foglaló földhasználati modellekről. Adaptáltuk a SWFM modellt. | The aim of the research was to develop a methodology which can be used for examining the interrelationship in sustainable development of agriculture, pattern of land use and climate change. We examined these issues in the European Union, showing the differences of the new members. We have also given a series of indicators based on our data for showing the new trends. We have examined their correlations and possibilities for aggregations in the form of a single index. We have also analysed the possibilities of measuring the social factor productivity and its reserves by using the Malmquist index. The biggest challenge of sustainability is climatic change. A measurement suggestion was given by us, which can be used for measuring for sensibility, vulnerability and adaptation capability and furthermore for integrated analysing of the impacts of economic processes used in land use. Vulnerability assessment in combination with scenario analyses allows the project results to contribute towards policy formulation. According to us the land use should get central attention both in mitigation and adaptation policy. For successful adaptation to climate it is necessary to have more targeted subsidy policy. We have identified the future drives of land use change. A comparison of drives was also done between the old and new member states. A literature review of land use models has been made. The SWFM (Silsoe Whole Farm model) was also adapted by us

Search Behavior in Goat (Capra hircus) Kids From Mothers Kept at Different Animal Densities Throughout Pregnancy

Individual differences in cognitive performance are often reported but factors related to variation within species are rarely addressed. Goats (Capra hircus) have been subjects of many cognitive studies recently but without focus on individual variation. Among others, factors such as prenatal stress and sex of the individual have been proposed as possible explanations for individual variation in cognitive skills. We aimed to study whether prenatal environment, prenatal stress, litter size, sex, and birth weight influences search behavior skills of goat kids. Pregnant Norwegian dairy goats were exposed to different spatial allowance (namely 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 m2 per animal) within the commercially applied range during pregnancy and their serum cortisol levels were measured six times within this period. Twenty-six of the kids born entered a three-stage searching task with increasing difficulty when they were 6 weeks old. The tasks included finding a bucket of milk: while moving (stage 1), after moving and disappearing behind a curtain (stage 2), and moving behind a displacement device and the device moving behind a curtain while hiding the bucket (stage 3). We found that prenatal animal density had no effect on the search skills of the offspring, while kids with higher prenatal maternal cortisol levels performed better at the highest stage tested: finding an object after single invisible displacement. At this stage, singleton kids and males performed better than twins and females. Birth weight had no effect at this stage. The findings suggest that maternal cortisol in the observed range had a facilitating effect on cognitive development of goat kids

Konspecifikus és heterospecifikus szociális információszerzés lehetőségei és korlátai kutyák esetében = Possibilities and constrains of conspecific and heterospecific acquisition of social information in dogs

Jelen kutatás fő célja az volt, hogy kibővítsük ismeretünket a kutyák szociális tanulási képességeit illetőleg. Számos különböző helyzetben vizsgáltuk, hogy vajon a kutyák tanulnak-e fajtárstól illetve embertől megfigyelés révén. Az ún. „két-akciós”teszt alkalmazásával kimutattuk, hogy a fajspecifikus preferenciák ellenére a kutyák preferenciát mutatnak a demonstrátor által mutatott akcióra. Először végeztünk olyan kísérletsorozatot, amelyben a kutyákat három eltérő szociális tanuláson alapuló tesztben vizsgáltuk. Kiderült, hogy egyes egyedek konzekvensen jobban teljesítenek az ilyen feladatokban, ugyanakkor az eredményeik nem függnek össze a kommunikációs valamint egyéni tanulási helyzetben mutatott viselkedéssel. Egy új kísérletsorozat révén általánosítottuk korábbi eredményeinket, azaz kimutattuk, hogy a kutyák általában rendelkeznek a funkcionális imitációhoz minimálisan szükséges képességekkel. A megfelelően tréningezett kutyák képesek kételemű akciósorozat ismétlésére, rövid ideig emlékeznek a demonstrált akcióra. Más kutatókkal együtt kidolgoztuk és összehasonlító kísérletekben vizsgáltok, hogy miképp lehet az ún. pedagógiai modellt alkalmazni a kutya esetében. Az eredmények itt is felvetik a viselkedés szintű funkcionális analógia lehetőségét kutya és ember (10-12 hónapos csecsemő) között. Összefoglalva, jelen pályázat keretében nagyon fontos felismeréseket tettünk a kutyák szociális tanulási képességeit illetően, így ma jobban tudjuk értelmezni, hogy milyen jellegű szociális információ segíti a kutyák beilleszkedését az emberi csoportokba. | The main aim of the present studies was to extend our knowledge on dogs' ability to learn socially. We have investigated in several experimental situations whether dogs can learn from humans or conspecifics. In the so called ""two action tests"" we have shown that despite species-specific preferences dogs show preferences for the action which was shown by the demonstrator. We were the first to use such a series of social learning tests in which we investigated the dogs in all three tasks in parallel. We have revealed that certain individual dogs are more inclined to perform well is social learning tasks, but at the same times this seems not to be associated with their ability to read human communicative cues, and their performance in spatial learning tasks. In a novel series of experiments we have generalised our previous findings that dogs have the minimal skills to show functional imitative behaviour. Dogs trained to imitate human actions are able to copy two-action sequences, memorize the demonstration for a short time. Together with other researchers we have worked out and tested in comparative how to so called pedagogical hypothesis can be tested in dogs. Our results showed that this phenomenon in dogs could be also a case for functional analogy between humans (10-12 months old children) and dogs. In summary, we have made important new insights on social learning skills in dogs, so today we can understand much better what sort of social information is gathered by dogs, and how this helps them to get integrated into human groups

Early life environment and adult enrichment: Effects on fearfulness in laying hens

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The Effect of LPS and Ketoprofen on Cytokines, Brain Monoamines, and Social Behavior in Group-Housed Pigs

Poor health is a risk factor for damaging behaviors, but the mechanisms behind this link are unknown. Injection of pigs with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can be used to model aspects of poor health. Recent studies have shown that LPS-injected pigs perform more tail- and ear-directed behavior compared to saline-injected pigs and suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines may play a role in these behaviors. The aims of this study were to test the effect of LPS on the social behavior of pigs and the neurotransmitters and modulators in their brains and to test the effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug on the effects of LPS. Fifty-two female pigs (11-12 weeks) were allocated to four treatments comprising two injections: saline-saline (SS), saline-LPS (SL), ketoprofen-saline (KS), and ketoprofen-LPS (KL). Activity was scan-sampled every 5 min for 6 h after the last injection in the pen. Social behavior was observed continuously in 10 x 15-min bouts between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 1 day before (baseline) and 1 and 2 days after the injection. Saliva was analyzed for cortisol and plasma for tryptophan and kynurenine. The frontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and brain stem were sampled 72 h after the injection and analyzed for cytokines and monoamines. LPS activated the HPA axis and decreased the activity within 6 h after the injection. Ketoprofen lowered the effect of LPS on cortisol release and attenuated the behavioral signs of sickness in challenged pigs. SL pigs manipulated the ears of their pen mates significantly longer than SS pigs 2 days after the injection. LPS had no observed effect on IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-18. At 72 h after the injection, plasma tryptophan was depleted in SL pigs, and tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations in the frontal cortex and brain stem of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in SS pigs. Dopamine concentrations in the hypothalamus of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in SS pigs. Serotonin concentrations in the hypothalamus and noradrenaline concentrations in the hippocampus of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in KL pigs. In conclusion, LPS influenced the different neurotransmitters and modulators in the brain that are hypothesized to play an important role in the regulation of mood and behavior.Peer reviewe

Clinical benefits of oral capecitabine over intravenous 5-fluorouracyl regimen in case of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer

Background: During the last decade, one of the most important treatment options for locally advanced, potencially resectable rectal tumours was neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery