The effect of biting tails and having tails bitten in pigs
Tail-biting is a behavioral abnormality which compromises the welfare of pigs. The goal of this study was to characterize the tail-biting phenotype using behavior and measures of heart-rate (HR) and its variability (HRV) in pigs. Thirty pigs were categorized as tail-biters (n = 10), tail-bite victims (n = 10), and control pigs (n = 10) […]
Temperamental turkeys: Reliability of behavioural responses to four tests of fear
Open field (OF), tonic immobility (TI), voluntary approach (VA) and novel object (NO) tests are used to assess fear responses, activity levels and coping styles of poultry. Fear tests are also used as part of welfare assessment programmes. Little is known about fear responses of turkeys. Specifically, it is unknown whether turkeys’ fear responses are […]