Bird

Resource choice during ontogeny enhances both the short- and longer-term welfare of laying hen pullets

We hypothesised that resource choice during early life contributes to both current and longer-term beneficial effects on animal welfare. We investigated this hypothesis in a longitudinal cross-over experiment with laying hen pullets (Gallus gallus domesticus) reared in pens with one...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Holt, R. V., Skånberg, L., Keeling, L. J. et al. 2024. Resource choice during ontogeny enhances both the short- and longer-term welfare of laying hen pullets. Scientific Reports 14(1), 3360.

An interactive feeder to induce and assess emotions from vocalisations of chickens

Understanding the emotional states of animals is a long-standing research endeavour that has clear applications in animal welfare. Vocalisations are emerging as a promising way to assess both positive and negative emotional states. However, the vocal expression of emotions in...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, VocalizationAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Golfidis, A., Kriengwatana, B. P., Mounir, M. et al. 2024. An interactive feeder to induce and assess emotions from vocalisations of chickens. Animals 14(9), 1386.

Exploration of skin redness and immunoglobulin A as markers of the affective states of hens

Non-invasive markers of affective states can help understanding animals' perception of situations and improving their welfare. These markers are scarce in avian species. In this study, we investigate the potential relation between alterations in facial skin redness in hens and...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Soulet, D., Jahoui, A., Guabiraba, R. et al. 2024. Exploration of skin redness and immunoglobulin A as markers of the affective states of hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 274, 106268.

Social reinforcement guides operant behaviour and auditory learning in a songbird

Motivation to seek social interactions is inherent to all social species. For instance, even with risk of disease transmission in a recent pandemic, humans sought out frequent in-person social interactions. In other social animals, socialization can be prioritized even over...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Macedo-Lima, M., Fernández-Vargas, M., Remage-Healey, L. 2024. Social reinforcement guides operant behaviour and auditory learning in a songbird. Animal Behaviour 210, 127–137.

Cooped up: Refinement of a Gallus gallus domesticus environment

Providing an enriched species specific environment, coupled with the principles of the 3Rs (Refinement, Reduction and Replacement) is at the heart of the poulty team team at The Pirbright Institute. Periodically reviwed custom made cage designs (Raised Floor Pens) have...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Matthews, B., New, R., Kanse, Y. M. et al. 2023. Cooped up: Refinement of a Gallus gallus domesticus environment. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(3), 228–230.

A UV lamp for birds

For birds, access to direct sunlight (without the use of glass) is very important. If that cannot be achieved in captivity, then at the very least ensure provision of the right UV lamp. Appropriate UV lighting is not only important...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken, Finch, Fowl, Other Bird, Parrot

Citation: van Es, J., Zandleven, A. 2023. A UV lamp for birds. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 50(3-4), 4-7.

An effective environmental enrichment framework for the continual improvement of production animal welfare

Substrates and objects are provided to farm animals on the assumption that they improve animal welfare by enriching the environment, but these often fail to consider the extent to which an environmental enrichment (EE) improves animal welfare, if at all....

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Taylor, P. S., Schrobback, P., Verdon, M. et al. 2023. An effective environmental enrichment framework for the continual improvement of production animal welfare. Animal Welfare 32, e14.

The effect of short-term classical music stimulus on behavior and tonic immobility reaction of pullets

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term stimulation of classical music on the behavior of pullets and to explore whether classical music as an auditory enrichment factor reduces the fear level in pullets. One hundred...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Chicken

Citation: Zhao, S., Zhang, R., Li, C. et al. 2023. The effect of short-term classical music stimulus on behavior and tonic immobility reaction of pullets. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 26(3), 386–392.

Benchmarking enrichment efforts in the US & Canada across species and enrichment categories

Enrichment is important for animal welfare and data quality. Provision of enrichment opportunities varies between species and enrichment category. However, data benchmarking these differences does not exist. Our objective was to characterize enrichment provision and associated factors across species in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Dog, Ferret, Goat, Macaque, Mink, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., Cloutier, S., Brady, C. M. et al. 2023. Benchmarking enrichment efforts in the US & Canada across species and enrichment categories. JAALAS 62(4), 303–316.

Acetaminophen pharmacokinetics in geese

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen (APAP) after single-dose IV and PO in the goose; to quantify APAP and its main metabolites in goose muscle, heart, lung, liver, and kidney; and to perform a histopathologic evaluation of goose stomach,...

Year Published: 2022Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Bird, Fowl

Citation: Sartini, I., Łebkowska-Wieruszewska, B., Gbylik-Sikorska, M. et al. 2022. Acetaminophen pharmacokinetics in geese. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 260(12), 1–8.