•Application of real-time localisation systems in fattening pigs yet unexplored.•Potential to gain insight into the spatial behaviour of fattening pigs.•Accuracy is comparable to similar systems used ...in cowsheds.•Sufficient accuracy for functional area analysis but not social relationships.•Challenges remain in permanently attaching sensors to pigs.
Real-Time Location Systems (RTLSs) are promising precision livestock farming tools and have been employed in behavioural studies across various farm animal species. However, their application in research with fattening pigs is so far unexplored. The implementation of these systems has great potential to gain insight into pigs’ spatial behaviour such as the use of functional areas and pigs’ proximity to each other as indicators for social relationships. The aim of this study was therefore to validate the accuracy, precision, and data quality of the commercial Noldus Information Technology BV TrackLab system. We conducted different measurement sets: first, we performed static measurements in 12 pens at four different locations in each pen at three heights each using a single ultra-wideband tag (UWB). We recorded unfiltered x- and y-coordinates at 1 Hz. We repeated these measurements with six tags aligned in a 2 × 3 grid with varied spacing to test interference between the tags. We also tested dynamic performance by moving the tags along the centre line of the pens. Finally, we measured the data quality with 55 growing pigs in six pens, including the identification of location 'jumps' from the inside to the outside of the pen. Each pen housed ten animals fitted with a UWB tag attached to their farm ear tag. We collected data for 10 days and analysed seven 24-h periods of raw and filtered data. The mean accuracy of the RTLS measurements was 0.53 m (precision: 0.14 m) for single and 0.46 m (precision: 0.07 m) for grouped tags. Accuracy improved with increasing measurement height for single tags but less clearly for grouped tags (P height single = 0.01; P height grouped = 0.22). When tags were fitted to animals, 63.3% of the filtered data was lost and 21.8% of the filtered location estimates were outside the pens. Altogether, the TrackLab system was capable of fairly accurate and precise assignment of the functional areas where individual animals were located, but was insufficient for the analysis of social relationships. Furthermore, the frequent occurrence of gaps in signal transmission and the overall high data loss rates presented significant limitations. Additionally, the challenging hardware requirements for attaching sensors to the animals underline the need for further technological advances in RTLS for the application with growing-finishing pigs.
The pig industry faces many animal welfare issues. Among these, biting behaviour has a high incidence. It is indicative of an existing problem in biters and is a source of physical damage and ...psychological stress for the victims. We categorize this behaviour into aggressive and non-aggressive biting, the latter often being directed towards the tail. This review focusses specifically on predisposing factors in early life, comprising the prenatal and postnatal periods up to weaning, for the expression of aggressive and non-aggressive biting later in life. The influence of personality and coping style has been examined in a few studies. It varies according to these studies and, thus, further evaluation is needed. Regarding the effect of environmental factors, the number of scientific papers is low (less than five papers for most factors). No clear influence of prenatal factors has been identified to date. Aggressive biting is reduced by undernutrition, cross-fostering and socialization before weaning. Non-aggressive biting is increased by undernutrition, social stress due to competition and cross-fostering. These latter three factors are highly dependent on litter size at birth. The use of familiar odours may contribute to reducing biting when pigs are moved from one environment to another by alleviating the level of stress associated with novelty. Even though the current environment in which pigs are expressing biting behaviours is of major importance, the pre-weaning environment should be optimized to reduce the likelihood of this problem.
Milking stall dimensions have not been adapted to the increase in cow body size caused by selection for better milking performance over the past decades. Improper milking stall dimensions might limit ...cow comfort, could lead to stress responses during milking and thus could negatively affect cow welfare. A crossover study was conducted in an experimental milking parlor that was converted from a herringbone (HB) to a side-by-side (SBS) parlor. The milking stall dimensions were modified in length and width and for HB also in depth (perpendicular distance between rump rail and breast rail). The stall dimensions applied during the experiments ranged from much smaller than common in European dairy farming to much larger. Treatments were applied for 2 wk per milking parlor type. In each milking parlor type, a total of 30 cows, kept in 2 groups were observed during milking for behavioral and physiological stress responses and for milking performance. In addition, milk cortisol levels and somatic cell counts were measured at the end of the 2-wk period. Outcome variables were selected based on a principal component analysis and analyzed using mixed effects models reflecting the experimental design. The results showed that the first cow per milking batch required more time (on average >40 s) to enter very small HB stalls than to enter small, large and very large stalls (<30 s). Also, cows yielded more milk per milking in very small and very large HB stalls than in the small and large milking stall dimensions very small: 15.8 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI), 14.2–17.4 kg); small: 14.3 kg (95% CI, 12.8–15.9 kg); large: 14.6 kg (95% CI, 13.1–16.1 kg); very large: 16.1 kg (95% CI, 14.6–17.6 kg). The other behavioral, physiological and milk flow parameters as well as udder health were not affected by stall dimensions. For the SBS parlor, effects of milking stall dimensions were not detectable in any of the parameters. Despite the strong avoidance behavior to enter the milking parlor (measured as latency), no acute stress responses were found during milking. However, the study cannot exclude long-term effects of narrow stall dimensions on stress levels and possibly udder health, which should be investigated in future studies.
Background
Comprehensive data on the epidemiology and comorbidities of chronic urticaria (CU) in Germany are either limited, or not contemporary.
Objectives
To investigate the epidemiology of CU, ...overall comorbidities and healthcare resource utilized by patients with CU in Germany, using an anonymized statutory health insurance (SHI) database.
Methods
Anonymized SHI claims research database of the Institute for Applied Health Research, Berlin InGef (01 January 2015–30 September 2018) was used to analyse insured individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of CU (ICD‐10‐GM codes). Twelve‐month diagnosed prevalence and incidence, comorbidities (vs. atopic dermatitis and psoriasis), and healthcare utilization by patients with CU were investigated.
Results
Of 4 693 772 individuals of all ages listed in the database, 3 538 540 were observable during 2017. Overall, 17 524 patients (˜0.5%) were diagnosed with CU; chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU: 71.2%), chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU: 19.7%), CSU+CIndU (9.1%). Females, vs. males, had higher diagnosed prevalence (0.62% vs. 0.37%) and diagnosed incidence (0.18% vs. 0.11%) of CU among all patients. Patients most frequently visited general practitioners (41.3% of total visits). Hypertensive diseases (43.5%), lipoprotein metabolism disorders (32.1%) and affective disorders (26.0%) were the most frequently reported comorbidities of special interest. Rates of most comorbidities of special interests were similar to atopic dermatitis and psoriasis patients, and all higher vs. overall population. More than half (54.1%) of all CU patients were not prescribed any treatment. Second‐generation H1‐antihistamines were the most commonly prescribed medication for adult (17.9%) and paediatric (27.9%) patients. Patients with CIndU (paediatric, 15.5%; adult, 7.8%) were more often hospitalized versus patients with CSU (paediatric, 9.9%; adult, 4.6%).
Conclusions
In Germany, prevalence of CU along with multiple comorbidities may pose increased burden on the healthcare system. Awareness of adhering to treatment guidelines, and aiming for complete control of urticaria, needs to be driven and may improve outcomes.
•Investigation of acute stress-induced changes in percentage of visible eye white and maximum eye temperature by using a cattle crush as stressor and a feeding situation as control treatment.•Cattle ...crush situation was indeed stressful as seen in salivary cortisol and heart beat parameters.•No effect of cattle crush treatment on visible eye white or maximum eye temperature.•Breed-specific differences in visible eye white and maximum eye temperature.
The aim of this study was to investigate if visible eye white and eye temperature measurements are feasible non-invasive physiological indicators of acute stress in cows when they are exposed to cattle crush treatment for claw trimming.
In the experimental setting, 30 cows of two breeds (Red Holstein and Brown Swiss) were exposed to a non-stressful (feeding) and a stressful situation (claw trimming in a cattle crush) for 10min each. We took pictures of the eyes at 0, 5 and 10min after starting of exposure to measure the percentage of visible eye white (from photographs) and the maximum eye temperature (from thermographs). Heart rate and heart rate variability parameters were recorded continuously throughout both situations. Twenty minutes after the beginning of each situation, saliva samples were taken to determine the cortisol concentration.
As expected, sympathetic activity and cortisol concentration were higher in the claw trimming than in the feeding situation. However, neither maximum eye temperature nor percentage of visible eye white differed between treatments. Instead, the results of these measurements differed between the breeds. The maximum eye temperature increased during and after both situations in Brown Swiss cows, whereas in Red Holstein cows, it increased after (but not during) both situations. Furthermore, we found that Red Holstein cows had a lower percentage of visible eye white than Brown Swiss in general. This finding might be due to differences in eye coloration patterns, with Red Holstein cows having more contrast between eye white and iris and Brown Swiss having less contrast because of their darker eye white. This breed effect might have masked potential treatment effects.
•We aimed at determining whether special feed and being brushed are judged as positive by calves.•Behaviour and heart rate parameters in preference tests and a negative-contrast test were ...examined.•Special feed, specifically concentrate, and being brushed by a person are rated as positive.
In studies concerning animal welfare, especially on methods to enhance positive welfare, different stimuli are used to create positive situations or “rewards”. A positive judgement by the animals, however, cannot be assumed a priori. The aim of this study was to determine by means of preference tests whether special feed and being brushed are judged as positive by young cattle. Three female and five male calves were given the choice between special feed (concentrate and carrots) and their ordinary feed (corn silage and hay). After this feed test, the animals were allowed to choose between an empty compartment and a compartment with a person who brushed the animal (brushing test). Next, in a negative-contrast test, the animals were given the choice between a person and an empty compartment. However, in one third of the choices for the person, the animals were not brushed but the person left the compartment after the animal's choice. For every trial, the choice and the latency to making a choice were noted. In the brushing test and the negative-contrast test, behaviour and heart rate variables during the stay in the choice compartments were also recorded. Results from the feed preference test showed that six of the eight animals significantly preferred the special feed during the third of the three test sessions, while the remaining two animals tended to prefer this feed (binomial test). When choosing the special feed, all animals fed on the concentrate in all trials but only three animals fed on the carrots. During the brushing test, four animals chose the brushing person more often than expected by chance during at least one session, while the remaining three animals showed a tendency in this preference (binomial test). The behaviours “leaning against the brush” and “stretching the neck while being brushed” were seen in all animals, indicating some kind of perceived pleasure when being brushed. When choosing to be brushed, animals seldom showed turning, exploring, self-grooming, or vocalising. In the empty compartment, however, these behaviours occurred more often, probably indicating signs of frustration. Similarly, the animals showed exploring and self-grooming when in the empty compartment and when not being brushed although the person was chosen in the negative-contrast test. We conclude that special feed, specifically concentrate, and being brushed by a person are rated as positive by calves.
In the artificial rearing of dairy calves, the same feeding plan is applied to all animals during the milk-feeding period, with individual differences attributable to development or health status ...rarely considered. The aim of this study was 1) to analyze whether the parameters of feeding behavior automatically recorded by a feeding computer and weight gain are suitable for predicting the health status and rumen development of male dairy calves, and 2) to compare a conventional weaning method (end of milk provision at 12 wk of age, n = 23 calves) with a concentrate-dependent weaning method (with reduction in the milk amount depending on the consumption of concentrate, n = 24). The health status of each animal was evaluated daily by a scoring list (health score), and body temperature was measured automatically during each milk intake. In addition, the number of veterinary treatments per calf was recorded. Rumen development was assessed by measuring rumen papillae in 8 rumen areas after slaughter (n = 24, half of each treatment group). During the milk-feeding period, body temperature was elevated (≥39.5°C) on 40.8 and 43.2% of all days for calves on the concentrate-dependent weaning method and the conventional weaning method, respectively. Hay and concentrate intake (but not milk intake) and weight gain were clearly affected by health status. In addition, health score and the probability of being treated by a veterinarian were significantly related to decreases in concentrate consumption. During the milk-feeding period, increased body temperature, an increased number of veterinary treatments, and decreases in milk consumption were all associated with reduced weight gain. Calves on the concentrate-dependent weaning method were weaned at an average age of 76 d, which was significantly shorter than the age at the end of milk provision for conventionally fed calves (84 d). Weight gain and health status did not differ between treatment groups. Weight gain was positively associated with papillae length. A treatment effect on rumen development could not be found. We conclude that the concentrate-dependent weaning method allows a faster physiological development without any negative impact on rumen development, weight gain, or health status; we therefore recommend its use in practice.
In order to assess chronic stress in entire and castrated male pigs and to describe effects of a provision of grass silage in those pigs, a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment comprising the factors ...castration, chronic intermittent social stress and provision of grass silage was carried out with 147 growing-finishing pigs from 25.6 to 102.1 kg body weight. The experimental design allowed investigating interactions between the three factors, but only few were statistically significant. Stress exposure consisted of repeated short-term confrontations with unfamiliar pigs and short-term separations. Carcasses of stress-exposed pigs had thicker backfat, lower lean meat percentage and a different fatty acids composition of the adipose tissue. While entire males differed strongly from castrates in performance, carcass characteristics and adipose tissue properties, we found no evidence for an increased level of chronic stress in entire males compared to castrates. Provision of grass silage increased stomach weight and reduced dressing percentage, but did not impair performance, adipose tissue properties or meat quality.
•Effects of castration, chronic stress, and grass silage were studied in pigs.•Chronic intermittent social stress had an effect on carcass and adipose tissue properties.•Indicators for chronic stress were not elevated in entire male pigs.•Provision of grass silage increased stomach weight and reduced dressing percentage.•Provision of grass silage did not impair performance, meat or adipose tissue properties.
Dairy cow body size has increased over time because of breeding selection for higher milk yield, but milking stall dimensions have never been adjusted and are based on the practical experience of ...milking-machine manufacturers and advisory institutions. Narrow, limited milking stall dimensions might lead to behavioral changes during milking due to lack of comfort. The aim of this study was to examine the current space allowance in milking stalls on dairy farms and assess the effect of space allowance on cow behavior during milking. On 15 Swiss dairy farms, we measured clear milking stall dimensions and cow body dimensions. We calculated space ratios for length (SRlength) and width (SRwidth) by dividing the milking stall length or width by cow body length or belly width, respectively. When the space ratio was >1, we assumed that the body length or width of cow was smaller than the milking stall length or width. On each farm, 10 healthy cows were chosen for behavioral observation during 1 evening milking. We recorded rumination, elimination, and latency to enter the milking stall by direct observation. Hind leg activity was recorded using acceleration loggers. Data were analyzed using general linear mixed-effects models with farm as a random effect. Due to a strong collinearity between SRwidth and SRlength, we chose SRlength for further analysis, because it is based on skeletal characteristics. The SRlength was smallest in side-by-side parlors (1.07 ± 0.01) and largest in tandem parlors (1.18 ± 0.01). More cows had a tendency to ruminate with increasing SRlength (odds ratio: 1.8). None of hind leg activity, maximum peaks of hind leg accelerations, or latency to enter the milking stall were significantly affected by SRlength. Latency to enter the milking stall was longer for group milking parlors (side-by-side: 44.0 ± 3.2 s; herringbone: 34.3 ± 2.9 s) than for tandem parlors (19.0 ± 2.7 s). Milking parlor type had no effect on hind leg activity, maximum peaks of hind leg accelerations or rumination. The SRlength affected rumination behavior to some extent, indicating that cow comfort was positively affected by larger milking stall length. Because cow comfort is important for good milking performance, further investigations of milking stall dimensions for cow comfort and thus welfare are needed. Furthermore, the results showed that parlor type affected cow behavior, irrespective of SRlength, making future research necessary to identify the factors leading to this effect of parlor type.
Two flocks of ewes with lambs were compared for differences in performance. One group was permanently infected with footrot, the other one served as healthy control. They were kept in the same barn ...but in different bays during lambing and on pasture during the summer. Biweekly all animals were weighed and in the affected group all feet were scored for severity of footrot and if necessary the claws were treated. Furthermore the body condition was scored 4 times in the ewes. The lambs were slaughtered with 43 kg. At that time age and carcass quality were used as parameters. In 20 lambs of each group the lying behaviour was measured using a datalogger during 5 consecutive days. The results revealed significant differences in the performance of ewes and lambs between the two groups. The overall duration of fattening was 31.8 days longer in affected animals. Most importantly, even mild footrot led to significantly impaired growth of the lambs and an altered lying behaviour compared to the healthy controls. The lying periods were more frequent but of shorter duration in affected lambs.
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