Environmental Enrichment

Captive domesticated zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) have increased plasma corticosterone concentrations in the absence of bathing water

Keeping animals in captivity should always favour conditions that aim to improve their welfare with respect to species-specific requirements. For laboratory animals, the majority of welfare issues have been explored in rodents thus far, whereas the effect of housing conditions...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Krause, E. T., Ruploh, T. 2016. Captive domesticated zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) have increased plasma corticosterone concentrations in the absence of bathing water. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 182, 80-85.

Curtained nests facilitate settled nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages

Egg location can be used to determine the nests that hens prefer, but it does not indicate whether the design of that nest satisfies a hen's nesting motivation. Hens that are satisfied with the nest resources exhibit characteristic settled nesting...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hunniford, M. E., Widowski, T. M. 2018. Curtained nests facilitate settled nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 202, 39-45.

Laying hens’ preferences for nest surface type are affected by enclosure

The nest surfaces preferred by hens are inconsistent with those typically provided in commercial settings. However, little research has explored hens' preferences for commercially available nest surfaces. Our objective was to compare hens' preferences for two such surfaces – red...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hunniford, M. E., Mason, G. J., Widowski, T. M. 2018. Laying hens' preferences for nest surface type are affected by enclosure. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 201, 7-14.

The effect of auditory enrichment, rearing method and social environment on the behavior of zoo-housed psittacines (Aves: Psittaciformes); implications for welfare

The psychological and physiological effects of different genres of music are well documented in humans. These concepts have also been studied in kenneled dogs and some exotic animals, implying that animals may experience benefits similar to those of humans. This...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Williams, I., Hoppitt, W., Grant, R. 2017. The effect of auditory enrichment, rearing method and social environment on the behavior of zoo-housed psittacines (Aves: Psittaciformes); implications for welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 85-92.

Housing conditions do not alter cognitive bias but affect serum cortisol, qualitative behaviour assessment and wounds on the carcass in pigs

Measures of animal emotions are essential to assess animal welfare. Recently, the cognitive bias technique has been proposed as a measure of animal affective state. This technique is based on the premise that subjects in negative affective states make more...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Carreras, R., Mainau, E., Arroyo, L. et al. 2016. Housing conditions do not alter cognitive bias but affect serum cortisol, qualitative behaviour assessment and wounds on the carcass in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 185, 39-44.

Using automated image analysis in pig behavioural research: Assessment of the influence of enrichment substrate provision on lying behaviour

Visual monitoring of pig behaviours over long periods is very time consuming and has possibility for observer bias. Automated image processing techniques now give the potential to carry out behavioural research in a more effective way. To illustrate this, an...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Nasirahmadi, A., Edwards, S. A., Matheson, S. M. et al. 2017. Using automated image analysis in pig behavioural research: Assessment of the influence of enrichment substrate provision on lying behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 196, 30-35.

Influence of enrichment material and herbal compounds in the behaviour and performance of growing pigs

Pigs reared in barren conditions are exposed to many different stressors, compromising their welfare and producing physiological and behavioural changes. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of environmental enrichment (EE) consisting of natural hemp ropes, sawdust,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Casal-Plana, N., Manteca, X., Dalmau, A. et al. 2017. Influence of enrichment material and herbal compounds in the behaviour and performance of growing pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 195, 38-43.

Effects of environmental enrichment on decision-making behavior in pigs

The animal's emotional state, potentially modulated by environmental conditions, may affect cognitive processes such as interpretation, judgement and decision making behaviour. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a common method to examine decision making behavior in humans in terms of...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: van der Staay, F. J., van Zutphen, J. A., de Ridder, M. M. et al. 2017. Effects of environmental enrichment on decision-making behavior in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 14-23.

Evaluating environmental enrichment as a method to alleviate pain after castration and tail docking in pigs

Castration and tail docking are common management practices performed on commercial swine farms in the US and around the world to reduce adverse behaviors and the occurrence of boar taint. However, these practices themselves are a welfare concern for the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Analgesia, Body Modification/Mutilation, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Backus, B. L., McGlone, J. J. 2018. Evaluating environmental enrichment as a method to alleviate pain after castration and tail docking in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 204, 37-42.

An explorative study on the effect of provision of preferred and non-preferred enrichment on behavioural and physiological parameters in laboratory ferrets (Mustela putorius furo)

Environmental enrichment is often advocated to refine animal studies. Despite the increasing use of ferrets as an animal model in biomedical research, the knowledge on effects of the provision of enrichment on these animals is limited. Additionally, it is unknown...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Ferret

Citation: Reijgwart, M. L., Vinke, C. M., Hendriksen, C. F. M. et al. 2018. An explorative study on the effect of provision of preferred and non-preferred enrichment on behavioural and physiological parameters in laboratory ferrets (Mustela putorius furo). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 203, 64-72.