Extensive human presence and regular gentle handling improve growth, survival and immune competence in ostrich chicks
A total of 416 day-old ostrich chicks were randomly allocated to one of the three different husbandry practices for 3 months after hatch; HP1 (extensive human presence with gentle human voice, visual and gentle physical stimuli), HP2 (similar to HP1 but without physical stimuli) and S (human presence limited to supply of feed and water). […]
Effects of Enriched Housing Design on Broiler Performance, Welfare, Chicken Meat Composition and Serum Cholesterol
This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of enrichment housing design on performance, selected welfare indicators, chicken meat composition and serum cholesterol concentration of broiler chicken. For this purpose, 480 Ross-308 chicks were assigned to two groups, Control and Test, each with 4 replications. The pens of the Test Group were enriched with perches […]
Stereotypic behavior of circus tigers: Effects of performance
Little is knownabout the effects of performances on the behavior of animals used for entertainment in circuses. The objective of the study was to determine how one or three performances per day influenced the frequency of stereotypic behavior performed by circus tigers (n = 4) in their home cage, shortly before and after performances and […]
In search of relationships between the acute adrenocortical response and fitness
The assumption that the acute response to stress is adaptive is pervasive in the literature, but there is little direct evidence regarding potential positive fitness consequences of an acute stress response. If acute glucocorticoid (GC) elevation increases lifetime reproductive success (fitness), in what contexts does this occur, and through what combination of effects on annual […]
Central nervous regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its impact on fertility, immunity, metabolism and animal welfare – a review
The paper reviews mechanisms of neuronal control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with a view on its impact on performance and welfare. The limbic hippocampal and amygdaloid input to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus constitutes the basic intracerebral axis by which emotional stimuli affect the stress response. This axis is the backbone of the HPA feedback […]
Fear and stress reactions, and the performance of commercial broiler chickens subjected to regular pleasant and unpleasant contacts with human being
An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of regular pleasant and unpleasant contacts with human beings on tonic immobility (TI) response, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (HLR), body weight, feed conversion ratios (FCR) and mortality in commercial broiler chickens. The following treatments were applied from day 1 to day 21: (1) non-handled controls received no […]
Shyness-boldness predicts performance in working dogs
This study investigates if there are relationships between personality and performance of dogs (Canis familiaris) in working dog trials. Data from 2655 dogs of the two breeds German Shepherd dog (GSD) and Belgian Tervuren (BT) were used. The breeds were chosen because of indications of differences in personality between these breeds, and because both breeds […]
The effects of regular visual contact with human beings on fear, stress, antibody and growth responses in broiler chickens
This study investigated the effects of regular visual contact at various ages on tonic immobility (TI) and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio (HLR) reactions to handling and crating, antibody production, growth performance, and feed conversion ratios in commercial broiler chicks. Broiler chicks were exposed to (1) visual contact with an experimenter for 10 min twice daily from 0 to […]
Relationships between hormones, physiological performance and immunocompetence in a color-polymorphic lizard species, Podarcis melisellensis
Species with alternative phenotypes offer unique opportunities to investigate hormone-behavior relationships. We investigated the relationships between testosterone, corticosterone, morphology, performance, and immunity in a population of lizards (Podarcis melisellensis) which exhibits a color polymorphism. Males occur in three different color morphs (white, yellow, orange), providing an opportunity to test the idea of morphs being alternative […]
Does rubber flooring improve welfare and production in growing bulls in fully slatted floor pens?
This study compared the effects of concrete slats (CS), synthetic rubber slats on aluminium profiles (RS) and slotted rubber mats on concrete slats (RM) in fully slatted floor pens on behaviour, claw and leg disorders, claw horn growth, cleanliness and production parameters of growing dairy bulls from 225 to 650 kg average liveweight. Each pen […]