Individual Variation in Response to Stressors in Farm Animals: Implications for Experimenters
Physiological and behavioural responses to stressors may affect experimental results. Since individual animals differ in their pattern of response to stressors, it is suggested that stress during experiments has the potential for increasing variability in responses to experimental treatments. Evidence supporting this is given from experiments carried out on farm animals. The main factors accounting […]
Effect of genetic homogeneity on behavioural variability in an object recognition test in cloned Göttingen minipigs
The number of animals used in research should be limited as much as possible. Among cloned animals, genetic variation is minimal and to the extent that behaviour is genetically determined inter-individual variability is expected to be higher among naturally bred animals. However, the cloning procedure per se might affect the resultant phenotype leading to phenotypic […]
Measurement of spatial gait parameters from footprints of dairy cows
The variability in dairy cow gait characteristics, determined by measurements of footprints (trackway measurements), was analysed. Seven gait parameters were determined from 32 non-lame dairy cows during free-speed walking on a slatted concrete walkway. The footprints were revealed by application of a thin lime powder-slurry layer to the walkway surface. The cows were observed on […]