Environmental Enrichment

Does the location of enrichment material affect behavior and dirtiness in growing female pigs?

The objective of this study was to investigate if female growing pigs spend similar amounts of time exploring a wooden stick as they do exploring enrichment material regardless of its proximity to the feeder. Forty-eight pigs aged 18 to 26...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Dalmau, A., Areal, B., Machado, S. et al. 2019. Does the location of enrichment material affect behavior and dirtiness in growing female pigs? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 22(2), 116-126.

Effect of simple and low-cost enrichment items on behavioral, clinical, and productive variables of caged laying hens

Housing layers in battery cages is a practice still used by many countries but it has been criticized because of its influence on behavioral repertoire of birds. We investigated whether simple and affordable enrichment devices alone impact behavior, foot condition...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Frediani, M. H., Pizzutto, C. S., Alves, M. B. R. et al. 2019. Effect of simple and low-cost enrichment items on behavioral, clinical, and productive variables of caged laying hens. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 22(2), 139-148.

Individuality matters for substrate-size preference in the Nile tilapia juveniles

Preference tests have usually been used to identify nonhuman animal preferences for welfare purposes (environmental enrichment), but they are mostly at the group level—that is, group preferences for resources or environmental conditions. However, a more robust method was developed to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Maia, C. M., Volpato, G. L. 2018. Individuality matters for substrate-size preference in the Nile tilapia juveniles. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 21(4), 316-324.

Exercise reward induces appetitive 50-kHz calls in rats

Rats express affective states by visible behaviors (like approach or flight) and through different kinds of ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). 50-kHz calls are thought to reflect positive affective states since they occur during rewarding situations like social play or palatable food....

Year Published: 2015Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Heyse, N. C., Brenes, J. C., Schwarting, R. K. W. 2015. Exercise reward induces appetitive 50-kHz calls in rats. Physiology & Behavior 147, 131-140.

Sham dustbathing in cages by subordinate hens is increased by a partition providing isolation

Subordinate hens express less sham dustbathing in cages than higher ranked hens, their bouts often being disturbed by a higher ranked hen. However, seeing conspecifics seems to encourage this behaviour by hens. So to avoid being disturbed, a partition between...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Moroki, Y. 2019. Sham dustbathing in cages by subordinate hens is increased by a partition providing isolation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 68-72.

Can access to an automated grooming brush and/or a mirror reduce stress of dairy cows kept in social isolation?

In dairy farming, social isolation of cattle is commonly practiced for husbandry procedures such as artificial insemination, claw trimming and at times, for provision of medical treatment. When isolated, cows express physiological and behavioural signs of stress, such as elevated...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Mandel, R., Wenker, M. L., van Reenen, K. et al. 2019. Can access to an automated grooming brush and/or a mirror reduce stress of dairy cows kept in social isolation? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 1-8.

Implication and impact of straw provision on behaviour, lesions and pen hygiene on commercial farms rearing undocked pigs

According to the European Union Council Directive 2008/120EC, measures to minimise the risk for tail biting shall be taken before practicing tail docking, e.g. provision of manipulable material. Still, >90% of the pigs within EU are tail docked. Thus, management...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Wallgren, T., Larsen, A., Lundeheim, N. et al. 2019. Implication and impact of straw provision on behaviour, lesions and pen hygiene on commercial farms rearing undocked pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 26-37.

Does grouping environmental enrichments together affect the way they are used by commercially housed broiler chickens?

Identifying the most attractive ways of presenting environmental enrichments in commercial broiler housing may encourage use and optimise their effectiveness. This study investigated the effect of grouping straw bales (SB), oat hulls (OH; as a dustbathing substrate) and pecking chain...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Baxter, M., O'Connell, N. E. 2019. Does grouping environmental enrichments together affect the way they are used by commercially housed broiler chickens? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 52-59.

The effects of green odour on domestic dogs: A pilot study

Green odour (a mixture of cis-3-hexenol and trans-2-hexenal), similar to cut grass, has been demonstrated to appease subjects of various species (rats, cattle, humans etc.) subjected to different stressful stimuli. The aim of this study was to investigate whether green...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Carlone, B., Gazzano, A., Gutiérrez, J. et al. 2018. The effects of green odour on domestic dogs: A pilot study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 207, 73-78.

The effect of experience of ramps at rear on the subsequent ability of layer pullets to negotiate a ramp transition

In commercial situations, laying hens must negotiate levels to reach resources such as food, water and litter. Providing ramps in aviary systems reduces collisions and resultant keel bone fractures in adults. We investigated whether providing ramps during rear improved the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Norman, K. I., Weeks, C. A., Pettersson, I. C. et al. 2018. The effect of experience of ramps at rear on the subsequent ability of layer pullets to negotiate a ramp transition. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 208, 92-99.