Reliability and feasibility of selected measures concerning resting behaviour for the on-farm welfare assessment in dairy cows
Resting is important for regeneration and disturbances are welfare relevant as they may be associated with insufficient recuperation, frustration, discomfort or pain and increased risk for health problems such as lameness or lesions. As part of the Welfare Quality® project this study aimed to identify feasible and reliable resting measures in terms of inter-observer reliability […]
Alternative housing systems for fattening bulls under Austrian conditions with special respect to rubberised slatted floors
Previous studies have noted significant welfare problems in cattle housed on fully slatted floors. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of alternative housing systems under on-farm conditions. Health, behavioural and farm data of fattening bulls were collected on seven Austrian farms between January 2006 and April 2007. The housing systems studied […]
Comparison of the behaviour of piglets raised in an artificial rearing system or reared by the sow
Over the last 15 years, rising sow fertility has led to a considerable increase in litter size. As a consequence, the number of live born piglets may outnumber the number of functional teats, and surplus piglets are removed from the sow at the age of 3–6 days and fed with artificial milk. The objective of […]
Can Sleep and Resting Behaviours Be Used as Indicators of Welfare in Shelter Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?
Previous research on humans and animals suggests that the analysis of sleep patterns may reliably inform us about welfare status, but little research of this kind has been carried out for non-human animals in an applied context. This study explored the use of sleep and resting behaviour as indicators of welfare by describing the activity […]