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Upright versus inverted catching and crating end-of-lay hens: a trade-off between animal welfare, ergonomic and financial concerns Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Femke Delanglez, Anneleen Watteyn, Bart Ampe, Veerle Segers, An Garmyn, Evelyne Delezie, Nathalie Sleeckx, Ine Kempen, Niels Demaître, Hilde Van Meirhaeghe, et al.
This study explores upright versus inverted catching and crating of spent laying hens. Both catching methods were compared using a cost-benefit analysis that focused on animal welfare, ergonomic, and financial considerations. Data were collected on seven commercial farms (one floor system and six aviary systems) during depopulation of approximately 3,000 hens per method per flock. Parameters such as wing flapping frequency, catcher bird ...

Happy wings: Multifunctional elevated platforms to improve litter quality and broiler chickens welfare in commercial farm Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Bassem Khalfi, Patricia Soster de Carvalho, Kobe Buyse, Camila Lopes Carvalho, Imad Khan, Annelike Dedeurwaerder, Frank Hartmann, Gunther Antonissen, Frank Tuyttens
Environmental enrichment using elevated platforms is one of the emerging approaches to improve the welfare of broiler chickens. Following promising results of these platforms with integrated additional functionalities i.e. cooling system, manure collection trays and sheltered area on litter quality and related welfare indicators in experimental settings, this study aimed to test these platforms in a commercial pilot farm. The objectives were a) ...

Effect of supplementing an α-amylase enzyme or a blend of essential oil components on the performance, nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen balance of dairy cows Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Tine Van den Bossche, Karen Goossens, Bart Ampe, Johan De Boever, Leen Vandaele
Lowering the dietary protein content is a promising strategy to reduce N excretions in cattle but requires an improved N utilization by the animal. Feed enzymes (e.g., exogenous α-amylase) and plant extracts (e.g., essential oils (EO)) are 2 additives which may enhance rumen function and possibly also microbial protein yield. This may increase fat and protein corrected milk yield (MY) and milk nitrogen efficiency (MNE) and thus lower N losses ...

The role of temperature in vitality and survival assessments of beam-trawled and discarded European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Sven Sebastian Uhlmann, Silvia Paoletti, Bart Ampe, Konstantinos Theodoridis, Marc Kochzius, Barbara Koeck
Thermal stress can influence the recovery of fish released after capture. Vitality assessments using reflex and behavioural responses require that responses can be observed reliably, independent of temperature. Here, we tested whether reflex and behavioural impairment and survival of beam-trawled and discarded European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) are independent from seasonal air and water temperature deviations. In total, 324 beam-trawled ...

Effects of lighted incubation and foraging enrichment during rearing on individual fear behavior, corticosterone, and neuroplasticity in laying hen pullets Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Saskia Kliphuis, Maëva W E Manet, Vivian C Goerlich, Rebecca E. Nordquist, Hans Vernooij, Frank Tuyttens, T Bas Rodenburg

Environmental conditions during incubation and rearing can influence stress responsivity of laying hen pullets throughout their lifespan, and therefore have important implications for their welfare. In this study, a 12:12h green LED light-dark cycle during incubation and larvae provisioning as enrichment during rearing were tested as strategies to optimize early-life conditions and thereby decrease stress responsivity in ISA Brown laying ...

Involving caregivers in behavioural research: A SWOT analysis of two citizen science research methodologies to study cat-cat interactions at home Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ghent University

Morgane J. R. Van Belle, Noema Gajdos Kmecova, Frank Tuyttens, Daniel S. Mills, Tiny C. B. M. De Keuster
Citizen science, which involves engaging the general public in research tasks, is increasingly used in animal behaviour studies. In this review we conducted a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to evaluate two methodologies of data collection using citizen science in order to study cat-cat interactions: online survey responses and caregiver-recorded home videos analysed by researcher(s). Using the SWOT-analysis on both ...

Quantifying agonistic interactions between group-housed animals to derive social hierarchies using computer vision Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ghent University

Nusret Ipek, Liesbeth Van Damme, Frank Tuyttens, Jan Verwaeren

In recent years, computer vision has contributed significantly to the study of farm animal behavior. In complex environments such as commercial farms, however, the automated detection of social behavior and specific interactions between animals can be improved. The present study addresses the automated detection of agonistic interactions between caged animals in a complex environment, relying solely on computer vision. An automated pipeline ...

What caregivers don't tell you ... A comparison between survey responses and home videos of cat-cat interactions ... Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ghent University

Morgane VAn Belle, Noema Kmecova, Frank Tuyttens, C P H Moons, Daniel Mills, Tiny De Keuster

Domestic cats are increasingly popular as companion animals, but behavioural problems are often reported, especially in multicat households. Social tension is a common stressor, so understanding intercat interactions and their dynamics is crucial. Nevertheless, direct research in the home setting is rare. As caregivers witness their cats' behaviour on a daily basis, they are a potentially important source of information, but might be ...

Brown and white layer pullet hybrids show different fear responses towards humans, but what role does light during incubation play in that? Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Maëva Manet, Saskia Kliphuis, Rebecca Nordquist, Vivian Goerlich, Frank Tuyttens, T Bas Rodenburg
Early-life conditions are increasingly recognized as essential to animal welfare later in life. Light during incubation is being investigated as a method to improve welfare in later life in poultry. It approximates more closely chicken natural environment before hatching, compared to the current conventional incubation
conditions in darkness. Previous studies were promising: lighted incubation resulted in more species-relevant behavior and ...

Innovative multifunctional platforms for broiler chickens: effects on litter quality and animal welfare Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Bassem Khalfi, Camila Lopes Carvalho, Patricia Soster de Carvalho, Imad Khan, Ana Martos Martinez-Caja, Frank Hartmann, Brecht Van Kerrebroeck, Gunther Antonissen, Frank Tuyttens
Chickens are highly motivated to access elevated structures for perching and roosting. For fast growing broilers elevated platforms better accommodate this behavioral need as they find it difficult to access, and maintain balance on, narrow perches. In order to increase the animal welfare benefits and commercial
uptake, we’ve designed prototype platforms with additional functionalities: local cooling for thermoregulation via the footpads, a ...