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Animals
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Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Animal Welfare in Livestock Production
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Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Animal Welfare in Livestock Production

A Special Issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615) belonging to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2027 | Viewed by 2141

Editor

Dr. Désirée Gellatly

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal & Veterinary Sciences Department, Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768, USA
Interests: welfare and behaviour; beef cattle; dairy cattle; precision technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue invites cutting-edge research and applied innovations dedicated to enhancing animal welfare across livestock production systems. As the global demand for animal-derived products continues to rise, advancing sustainable, ethical, and welfare-centered practices has become essential.

We welcome multidisciplinary contributions that explore innovative strategies—ranging from behavioral assessment and environmental enrichment to precision livestock technologies and welfare biomarkers—that enable better understanding and management of animals’ physical and emotional well-being. Emphasis will be placed on evidence-based approaches that align productivity with welfare outcomes, including low-stress handling, pain mitigation during husbandry, welfare-friendly housing and transport systems, and nutritional or sensory interventions promoting positive welfare states.

We also encourage studies addressing how genetics, management practices, and policy frameworks influence welfare standards worldwide.

By integrating perspectives from animal behavior, physiology, technology, and ethics, this Special Issue aims to present a comprehensive overview of emerging tools and concepts reshaping welfare assessment and management in modern livestock systems. Ultimately, we seek to inspire innovative, science-driven solutions that improve animal quality of life while supporting the long-term sustainability of animal agriculture.

Dr. Désirée Gellatly
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal welfare
  • innovations
  • livestock production

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4142 KB  
Article
Dried Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae in a Sustainable Diet for Laying Hens: Effects on Welfare and Behavior
by Yosra Znazen, Marwa Gaddes, Geert P. J. Janssens and Madiha Hadj Ayed
Animals 2026, 16(11), 1724; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111724 - 4 Jun 2026
Viewed by 960
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of locally sourced ingredient dietary, with or without supplementation of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens; BSF) larvae, on laying hen welfare. A total of 150 Lohman White hens aged 30 weeks were assigned to three treatments [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effects of locally sourced ingredient dietary, with or without supplementation of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens; BSF) larvae, on laying hen welfare. A total of 150 Lohman White hens aged 30 weeks were assigned to three treatments over ten weeks: a standard corn–soybean diet (CONTROL), an alternative diet incorporating triticale, faba beans and rapeseed meal (ALTER), and the ALTER diet supplemented with 5% dried BSF larvae provided separately (ALTER + BSF). Welfare assessments included larvae consumption time, a novel object test, an avoidance distance test, body condition scoring, and ethological observation of natural behaviors. Hens fed ALTER diet initially showed increased incidence of comb pecking wounds, which declined over the trial, along with reduced morning grooming compared to the CONTROL group (p = 0.009). However, the ALTER diet significantly improved plumage cleanliness (p < 0.001). Supplementation with BSF larvae partially mitigated early stress responses, maintained plumage cleanliness, and improved exploratory behavior and habituation to novelty (p < 0.001). Hens showed sustained and increased motivation to consume BSF larvae with an average consumption time of 5.5 min. Additionally, BSF supplementation was associated with increased resting and the emergence of dustbathing behavior during the afternoon (p < 0.05). No aggressive behaviors were observed, and no significant dietary effects were found for human fearfulness throughout the trial. In conclusion, dried BSF larvae can serve as effective environmental enrichment, improving hens’ adaptability to locally sourced diets in rural farming systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Animal Welfare in Livestock Production)
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20 pages, 2183 KB  
Article
Behavioral Indicators of Heat Stress in Dairy Cows Under Subtropical Conditions: Comparison of Milking Systems
by Chun-Hsuan Chao, Kai-Chen Hsu and Chau-Hwa Chi
Animals 2026, 16(11), 1665; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111665 - 29 May 2026
Viewed by 689
Abstract
Understanding behavioral responses of dairy cows to thermal load under different milking-system environments is essential for welfare monitoring in subtropical production systems, yet field-based evidence remains limited. This study compared heat-related behavioral responses between an automated milking system (AMS) and a conventional parlor [...] Read more.
Understanding behavioral responses of dairy cows to thermal load under different milking-system environments is essential for welfare monitoring in subtropical production systems, yet field-based evidence remains limited. This study compared heat-related behavioral responses between an automated milking system (AMS) and a conventional parlor system under commercial subtropical conditions, with the hypothesis that cows in the AMS would exhibit more stable and less variable behavioral patterns under heat stress. Panting, feeding, and rumination were continuously monitored and analyzed at the barn level in relation to the temperature–humidity index (THI). The AMS barn showed lower panting duration and reduced day-to-day variability, whereas the traditional barn exhibited higher panting levels and greater short-term fluctuations. Panting increased consistently with THI, showing a clear temporal trend (β ≈ 0.65 min/day), and emerged as the most sensitive indicator of thermal load, while feeding and rumination showed weaker responses. During heatwaves, panting increased markedly in both systems, with limited changes in feeding and rumination. Multivariate analyses (PCA) showed more compact clustering in the AMS barn, with higher variance explained along the first principal component (PC1 ≈ 44%), compared to greater dispersion in the traditional barn. These findings demonstrate that cows managed in the AMS exhibited more stable and less variable behavioral patterns under heat stress, whereas cows in the conventional parlor system showed higher panting levels and greater short-term fluctuations. These system-level differences directly address the study objective and support panting as a practical indicator for heat-stress monitoring in subtropical dairy systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Animal Welfare in Livestock Production)
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