Animals

18 pages, 853 KB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Preferences for Animal Welfare in China: Optimization of Pork Production-Marketing Chains

by Yaoming Liang, Yu Cheng, Yanjie Xu, Gengrong Hua, Zijian Zheng, Hui Li and Li Han

Animals 2022, 12(21), 3051; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12213051 - 6 Nov 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4105

Consumption demands for pork produced by farms that employ strategies to improve animal welfare (“animal welfare pork”) will be an important indicator for predicting domestic pig feeding standards and pork industry development. This paper analyzes consumer preferences for animal welfare pork based on [...] Read more.

Consumption demands for pork produced by farms that employ strategies to improve animal welfare (“animal welfare pork”) will be an important indicator for predicting domestic pig feeding standards and pork industry development. This paper analyzes consumer preferences for animal welfare pork based on the choice experiment data of 1274 pork consumers in Guangdong province, China. The results show that consumers had a significant preference for animal welfare pork and that they were willing to pay a premium of 2.359–10.477 CNY/500 g (5.27–23.39%) on average. There is heterogeneity in consumer preferences regarding age, education level, and income. Producers of animal-derived products can not only adjust the mix of production conditions to improve pig welfare and innovate contractual arrangements for industry chain stakeholder groups, but they can also develop differentiated marketing strategies for animal welfare products to meet consumer demands for animal welfare. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal Welfare)

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11 pages, 2201 KB

Open AccessArticle

Cortisol in Manure from Cattle Enclosed with Nofence Virtual Fencing

by Christian Sonne, Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup, Cino Pertoldi, John Frikke, Anne Cathrine Linder and Bjarne Styrishave

Animals 2022, 12(21), 3017; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12213017 - 3 Nov 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3894

Abstract

To increase the efficiency and geographic expansion of nature conservation, large grazers have recently been used, either in the form of wild hoof-bearing animals or as domesticated ruminants including cattle. Using physical fencing limits migrating wildlife, while virtual fences encourage the animals to [...] Read more.

To increase the efficiency and geographic expansion of nature conservation, large grazers have recently been used, either in the form of wild hoof-bearing animals or as domesticated ruminants including cattle. Using physical fencing limits migrating wildlife, while virtual fences encourage the animals to stay in the desired area without physical restrictions on wild animals. However, virtual fences raise ethical questions regarding the electric impulses emitted by the collar and stress in the fenced animals. Here, we tested if keeping twelve Angus cows (Bos Taurus) in a virtual fencing (Nofence©) compromised their welfare. For this purpose, we collected manure samples from five cows every second day prior to and after the transition from traditional to virtual fencing over a period of 18 days. Cortisol concentrations were 20.6 ± 5.23 ng/g w/w (mean ± SD), ranging from 12 to 42 ng/g w/w across individuals and concentrations did not change over the study period. We, therefore, conclude that there is no evidence suggesting that the cows were stressed from the use for virtual fencing, thus making virtual fencing a reasonable alternative to traditional electric physical fencing of cows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal Welfare)

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13 pages, 1218 KB

Open AccessArticle

Limitations of Spatial Judgment Bias Test Application in Horses (Equus ferus caballus)

by Giovanna Marliani, Irene Vannucchi, Irini Kiumurgis and Pier Attilio Accorsi

Animals 2022, 12(21), 3014; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12213014 - 3 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2365

Abstract

Affective states are of increasing interest in the assessment of animal welfare. This research aimed to evaluate the possible limitations in the application of a spatial judgment bias test (JBT) in horses, considering the influence of stress level, personality traits, and the possible [...] Read more.

Affective states are of increasing interest in the assessment of animal welfare. This research aimed to evaluate the possible limitations in the application of a spatial judgment bias test (JBT) in horses, considering the influence of stress level, personality traits, and the possible bias due to the test structure itself. The distinction between two positions, one rewarded (Positive) and the other not (Negative), was learned by 10 horses and 4 ponies,. Then, the latency to reach three unrewarded ambiguous positions (Near Positive, Middle, Near Negative) was measured. Furthermore, the validated Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) was employed to assess personality traits. Fecal and hair cortisol levels were measured through radioimmunoassay (RIA), and the frequency of behavioral stress indicators was recorded. Results showed that horses that had the rewarded position (Positive) on the right approached Near Negative and Middle faster than those that had Positive on the left. Certain personality traits influenced the latency to reach Middle and Near Positive, but chronic stress did not seem to affect horses’ judgment bias. This preliminary study highlighted several limitations in the employment of spatial JBT for the assessment of affective state in horses and that personality traits can partially influence the cognitive process. Further research is needed to refine the use of this test in horses, considering the peculiarities both of species and of individuals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring of Behavior, Affective States, and Health to Identify Welfare Concerns of Farm Animals)

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27 pages, 675 KB

Open AccessReview

The Impacts of Colony Cages on the Welfare of Chickens Farmed for Meat

by Jenny L. Mace and Andrew Knight

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2988; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212988 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4789

Abstract

There is growing interest in keeping meat chickens in modern colony cages (CCs) rather than conventional litter-floor barns. Suggested welfare improvements for chickens in such systems include reduced bodily lesions due to lower contact with flooring contaminated with faeces and urine, due to [...] Read more.

There is growing interest in keeping meat chickens in modern colony cages (CCs) rather than conventional litter-floor barns. Suggested welfare improvements for chickens in such systems include reduced bodily lesions due to lower contact with flooring contaminated with faeces and urine, due to slatted flooring and automated faeces removal. This systematic review sought to determine the animal welfare impacts of CCs using slatted flooring, in comparison to litter-based non-cage systems. Overall, 23 relevant studies were retrieved. From one perspective, the extant research appeared mixed. Fifteen (65%) of these 23 studies identified some form of welfare concern about slatted floors, and thus CCs. Yet, when considering actual welfare indicators assessed, the tallies generated in favour of each housing system were similar. Crucially however, there were incomplete behavioural welfare measures in 100% of the empirical studies reviewed. Accordingly, significant welfare concerns exist about CCs, centring around behavioural deprivation. Given that over 70 billion chickens are farmed then slaughtered each year globally, widespread implementation of CCs would create a major animal welfare concern. Instead of implementing such CC systems, research and development is recommended into improving welfare outcomes of conventional litter barns using different forms of commercially feasible enrichment. As a minimum, a full behavioural analysis, as detailed in the Welfare Quality Assessment protocols, should form a mandatory part of any future studies aimed at assessing the welfare impacts of housing systems on farmed chickens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal Welfare)

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14 pages, 3047 KB

Open AccessReview

Investigating Unused Tools for the Animal Behavioral Diversity Toolkit

by James Edward Brereton and Eduardo J. Fernandez

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2984; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212984 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3928

Abstract

Behavioral diversity is a commonly used tool used to quantify the richness and evenness of animal behaviors and assess the effect of variables that may impact an animal’s quality of life. The indices used in behavioral diversity research, and the study subjects, have [...] Read more.

Behavioral diversity is a commonly used tool used to quantify the richness and evenness of animal behaviors and assess the effect of variables that may impact an animal’s quality of life. The indices used in behavioral diversity research, and the study subjects, have not been formally reviewed. This paper aims to identify which indices are being used in behavioral diversity research, and under which scenarios, and uncover novel indices from other disciplines that could be applied to behavioral diversity. To investigate the techniques and species investigated in behavioral diversity literature, a Web of Science literature search was conducted. Two methods: behavioral richness and the Shannon–Wiener index, were the most frequently used indices, whereas the Behavioral Variability index featured rarely. While a range of species appeared in the behavioral literature, mammals were the most frequently studied Class, whereas amphibians did not feature in any papers. There are several diversity indices which did not feature in behavioral diversity including Simpson’s index, and Chao. Such indices could be used to better understand animal behavioral study outputs or be used to estimate the number of ‘unobserved’ behaviors that an animal may express. Future studies could therefore extend beyond the Shannon–Wiener and richness indices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal Welfare)

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20 pages, 653 KB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Management, Welfare, Emotional State, and Human-Related Docility in Stallions

by Silvana Popescu, Eva Andrea Lazar, Cristin Borda, Anamaria Blaga Petrean and Elena Mitrănescu

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2981; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212981 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3252

Abstract

Despite an increase in awareness of their essential needs, many stallions continue to be kept in conditions limiting their social interactions and movement. To supplement the studies which highlight the effects of these practices on selected aspects of equine mental and physical wellbeing, [...] Read more.

Despite an increase in awareness of their essential needs, many stallions continue to be kept in conditions limiting their social interactions and movement. To supplement the studies which highlight the effects of these practices on selected aspects of equine mental and physical wellbeing, we aimed to monitor a group of 32 adult intact stallions during their transition from tethered housing with limited outdoor access to free group housing through the lens of their overall welfare, perceived emotional status, and docility toward humans. Over three visits (before the management change, two weeks, and three months after, respectively), their welfare, qualitative behavior, and docility were assessed. Analysis of the data collected showed an improvement in the stallions’ overall welfare and no decrease in their docility after their group-release, with a constant correlation between these two aspects. The evaluation of their emotional states was less relevant, lacking consistency between the assessments for most of the descriptors used, warranting further research in similar conditions. Although our study covered a relatively short period of time, our results provide encouraging support for stallion owners in deciding on a similar management change for the welfare of their animals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Improvement of Husbandry and Management Relating to Farm Animal Welfare)

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23 pages, 2593 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Animal Stocking Density and Habitat Enrichment on Survival and Vitality of Wild Green Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas, Maintained in the Laboratory

by Charlotte H. Wilson, Russell C. Wyeth, John I. Spicer and Iain J. McGaw

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2970; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212970 - 28 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2642

Abstract

The wide geographic distribution, large size and ease of capture has led to decapod crustaceans being used extensively in laboratory experiments. Recently in the United Kingdom decapod crustaceans were listed as sentient beings, resulting in their inclusion in animal care protocols. Ironically, little [...] Read more.

The wide geographic distribution, large size and ease of capture has led to decapod crustaceans being used extensively in laboratory experiments. Recently in the United Kingdom decapod crustaceans were listed as sentient beings, resulting in their inclusion in animal care protocols. Ironically, little is known about how captive conditions affect the survival and general condition of wild decapod crustaceans. We used the green shore crab, Carcinus maenas, to investigate the effects of stocking density and shelter on survival and vitality indices during a 6 month period in the laboratory. Neither stocking density nor the presence of shelter affected survival. Stocking density also had no effect on the vitality indices (limb loss, claw strength, BRIX, righting time, leg flare and retraction). The presence of shelter did affect the number of limbs lost and the leg retraction response, but had no effect on the other vitality indices. All vitality indices changed, and mortality increased over time, independent of treatment: this became most apparent after 8 to 11 weeks storage in the laboratory. This decline in condition may have been due to repeated handling of the crabs, rather than the stocking conditions. In support of this, untracked, non-handled (control) individuals sustained a 4% mortality rate compared with 67% mortality in experimental crabs during the 6 month period. Although simple experimental monitoring of crabs with biweekly vitality tests only produced transient short-term stress events, the repeated handling over time apparently led to a cumulative stress and a deterioration in animal health. Bringing wild crustaceans into the laboratory and holding them, even with modest experimental manipulation, may result in high mortality rates. Researchers and animal care committees need to be aware that wild captive invertebrates will respond very differently to laboratory-bred vertebrates, and plan experiments accordingly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal Welfare)

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13 pages, 285 KB

Open AccessArticle

Animal Welfare Compromises Associated with Causes of Death in Neonatal Piglets

by Kirsty L. Chidgey, Nutnapong Udomteerasuwat, Patrick C. H. Morel and Fernanda Castillo-Alcala

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212933 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3028

Abstract

This pilot study aimed to assess the welfare impacts of different causes of pre-weaning deaths in piglets. Piglets that died between 0–7 days after birth (n = 106) were collected from two commercial pig farms and subject to post-mortem examination to confirm [...] Read more.

This pilot study aimed to assess the welfare impacts of different causes of pre-weaning deaths in piglets. Piglets that died between 0–7 days after birth (n = 106) were collected from two commercial pig farms and subject to post-mortem examination to confirm their cause of death as well as any contributing factors. Using the Five Domains Model, the most likely affective experiences associated with the pathological findings were carefully inferred to better understand affective experience as it related to known causes of liveborn piglet mortality. The most common causes of liveborn piglet mortality were starvation (23%), crushing (23%) and non-viable (21%). Thirty one piglets had evidence of starvation, but it was only considered the primary cause of death in 15 piglets, as cofactors such as poor viability (n = 13) were also present in many piglets with evidence of starvation. All 15 piglets that were crushed died within 24 h after birth and most had evidence of thoracic and/or abdominal internal bleeding. This study found that common causes of liveborn piglet death were associated with compromises in Domains 1 (Nutrition/hydration), 3 (Health/function), and4 (Behavioural interactions), with the most likely resulting affective states described in Domain 5 (Mental state). This highlights the interaction between physical/functional and situation-related (behavioural) aspects that influence an animals’ welfare status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Sentience: Theories and Practices)

16 pages, 1833 KB

Open AccessArticle

Generalizability, Robustness and Replicability When Evaluating Wellbeing of Laboratory Mice with Various Methods

by Dietmar Zechner, Benjamin Schulz, Guanglin Tang, Ahmed Abdelrahman, Simone Kumstel, Nico Seume, Rupert Palme and Brigitte Vollmar

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2927; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212927 - 25 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2794

Abstract

An essential basis for objectively improving the status of animals during in vivo research is the ability to measure the wellbeing of animals in a reliable and scientific manner. Several non-invasive methods such as assessing body weight, burrowing activity, nesting behavior, a distress [...] Read more.

An essential basis for objectively improving the status of animals during in vivo research is the ability to measure the wellbeing of animals in a reliable and scientific manner. Several non-invasive methods such as assessing body weight, burrowing activity, nesting behavior, a distress score and fecal corticosterone metabolites were evaluated in healthy mice and after three surgical interventions or during the progression of four gastrointestinal diseases. The performance of each method in differentiating between healthy and diseased animals was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. The ability to differentiate between these two states differed between distinct surgical interventions and distinct gastrointestinal diseases. Thus, the generalizability of these methods for assessing animal wellbeing was low. However, the robustness of these methods when assessing wellbeing in one gastrointestinal disease was high since the same methods were often capable of differentiating between healthy and diseased animals independent of applied drugs. Moreover, the replicability when assessing two distinct cohorts with an identical surgical intervention was also high. These data suggest that scientists can reach valid conclusions about animal wellbeing when using these methods within one specific animal model. This might be important when optimizing methodological aspects for improving animal wellbeing. The lack of generalizability, however, suggests that comparing animal models by using single methods might lead to incorrect conclusions. Thus, these data support the concept of using a combination of several methods when assessing animal welfare. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Reproducibility to Enhance Scientific Rigor and Laboratory Animal Welfare: Looking Ahead)

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10 pages, 521 KB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond “Doing Better”: Ordinal Rating Scales to Monitor Behavioural Indicators of Well-Being in Cats

by Jacklyn J. Ellis

Animals 2022, 12(21), 2897; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212897 - 22 Oct 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5270

Abstract

Safeguarding the well-being of cats is essential to the mission of any responsible animal shelter. Environmental enrichment and behaviour modification are often key to this goal. Measuring response to these interventions is essential to ensure strategies are successful. There are often many staff [...] Read more.

Safeguarding the well-being of cats is essential to the mission of any responsible animal shelter. Environmental enrichment and behaviour modification are often key to this goal. Measuring response to these interventions is essential to ensure strategies are successful. There are often many staff and volunteers involved in these efforts, and a lack of standardised language can make monitoring progress difficult. Ordinal rating scales of key behaviours can be a useful way to summarise observations and ensure that common language is used. However, it is crucial that these scales have good interobserver agreement and reliability, so operational definitions and training systems are important. This paper presents a method for evaluating four different expressions of cat welfare on a 0–5 scale: modified Fear, Anxiety, and Stress score; Response to Petting score; Participation in Play score; and Food Intake Summary score. All scales showed almost perfect average interobserver agreement (linear weighted κ) and excellent average interobserver reliability (interclass correlation coefficient). These scales may prove useful to other shelters, or any other environment where evaluating response to interventions is important to the welfare of cats, such as research facilities or home environments. The exceptional interobserver agreement and reliability of this study compared with some others highlights the importance of standardised training programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal Welfare)

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Animals, Volume 12, Issue 21 (November-1 2022) – 173 articles

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