Frontiers in animal science最新文献

{"title":"Arterial pCO2 prediction using saphenous pCO2 in healthy mechanically ventilated dogs","authors":"S. Ghilardi, Davide Gamba, A. Zanaboni, Paola G. Brambilla, Antonio Casarrubea, Pauline Drummer, Martina Balsamino, Dario Ghezzi, Cristina Ricci, Danilo Caristi, C. Bussadori, G. Ravasio","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1291233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1291233","url":null,"abstract":"Arterial blood gas analysis is the gold standard for the assessment of oxygenation, ventilation, and metabolic status in dogs; however, its execution is difficult and painful. Therefore, venous blood gas analysis is used in its replacement for the assessment of the metabolic status, but it is not clear whether it can be used to assess respiratory function, too. This study aimed at: 1) comparing jugular and saphenous pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) with the correspondent arterial pH and pCO2 (paCO2) in healthy dogs during general anesthesia; 2) clarifying whether the arterial-venous relationship is better expressed in jugular or saphenous blood samples; 3) mathematically transforming venous pCO2 (pvCO2) and evaluating whether the calculated values more accurately agree with paCO2.Ninety dogs were included and randomly divided into three groups: Group 1 - arterial vs jugular; Group 2 - arterial vs saphenous; Group 3 - arterial vs jugular vs saphenous blood gases. Each group counted 30 dogs. Pearson correlations were calculated. Bland-Altman plots were generated to describe the agreement between venous and arterial values; clinical limits for pH and pCO2 set by the authors were, respectively, ± 0.1 and ± 2.5 mmHg. Univariate linear regression was applied for predicting paCO2 from pvCO2.Saphenous samples showed strong positive correlations with arterial samples for both pCO2 and pH. Pearson ρ values were stronger for pH than for pCO2. Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement between venous and arterial pH, and poor agreement between pvCO2 and paCO2 for both jugular and saphenous samples. Results suggested that saphenous pvCO2 is preferable with respect to jugular as predictor of paCO2. The transformation of saphenous pvCO2 through univariate linear regression produced a model for predicting paCO2; a Bland-Altman plot assessed the transformed pvCO2 agreement with paCO2.In healthy, anesthetized, mechanically ventilated dogs, variations of pH between venous and arterial values are clinically acceptable. Venous and arterial blood gases cannot be interchanged for the evaluation of pCO2. Saphenous pvCO2 is to be preferable to jugular pvCO2 as predictor of paCO2. A formula for the estimation of predicted paCO2 from saphenous pvCO2 is proposed.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"2 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139439928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A systematic review of genotype-by-climate interaction studies in cattle, pigs, and chicken","authors":"István Fodor, Mirjam Spoelstra, M.P.L. Calus, Claudia Kamphuis","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1324830","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1324830","url":null,"abstract":"The genetic progress achieved by animal breeding programs may be affected by genotype-by-climate interactions (GxC). This systematic literature review assesses the scientific evidence for GxC on multiple traits of cattle, pigs, and poultry. Two search engines (Scopus, Web of Science) were queried for original peer-reviewed scientific (English full-text) studies. We included (1) observational studies and designed experiments considering dairy or beef cattle, swine, chicken or turkeys, where (2) at least one production, fertility, or health trait was tested for GxC, (3) the existence of GxC was tested directly based on temperature, relative humidity, or climatic indices for heat or cold stress, and (4) genetic effects within a breed or line were investigated. The search resulted in 46 eligible studies, with a (low) risk that the requirement of full-text English studies may have resulted in some work not included in this review. Our review shows an increase in GxC studies from 2015 onwards. Cattle was the most studied species (n = 36; 78.3%), whereas eligible studies on turkeys were lacking. Climatic parameters used in the studies ranged from well-known parameters (e.g., temperature, temperature-humidity index) to more complex indices combining temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation. All observational studies (n = 40; 87.0%) used weather station data. In total, 75 traits were studied, which were predominantly production traits regardless of species. Studies on fertility and health traits have been emerging from 2010 onwards, but their numbers still lag far behind those for production traits. Genotype-by-climate interaction was confirmed in 54.0% of the study outcomes. This systematic review shows that little is known about the role of GxC in health and fertility traits in cattle, and for all traits in pigs and poultry in general. As current evidence shows that genotype-by-climate interaction is common across species and traits, we suggest to collect detailed climatic data and use them to assess the presence of GxC in indoor and outdoor production systems, as well.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"86 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138954328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lucerne meal in the diet of indigenous chickens: a review","authors":"Muzi M. Ginindza","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1274473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1274473","url":null,"abstract":"Indigenous chicken production consists of an array of activities important to smallholder poultry farmers in Africa. One of the many factors influencing their production and threating the local food security is in the area of nutrition, particularly, that related to protein supplementation. The available feed resources to farmers are not enough to sustain the productivity of the chickens. Hence, the chickens’ diets often require nutritional supplementation. There is therefore an urgent need for the validation of locally grown feed ingredients to improve the sustainability of poultry production in sub-Saharan Africa. A dietary ingredient that may be used in the diets of chickens is lucerne (Medicago sativa), which is also known as alfalfa. In South Africa, lucerne is the most cultivated forage legume and approximately 1.3 million metric tonnes of lucerne are produced per year. Lucerne has high nutritional value, as it is a source of protein, amino acids, vitamins, and fatty acids. The potential of lucerne as a feed resource for indigenous chickens should, therefore, be investigated so that strategies to improve the nutrition of such chickens can be developed. The purpose of this review was to highlight lucerne as a potential dietary ingredient for indigenous chickens and discuss its effects on the productivity of broilers, egg-layers, and dual-purpose chickens.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"101 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138959475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing body condition scores, weight gain dynamics, and fecal egg counts in feedlot and non-feedlot cattle within high throughput abattoirs of the Eastern Cape Province","authors":"Beautiful Isabel Mpofu, Mhlangabezi Slayi, Gabriel Mutero, Sisipho Mlahlwa, I. Jaja","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1302320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1302320","url":null,"abstract":"Feedlots have emerged as an ideal mitigation option to pursue sustainable and efficient livestock production. This paper aims to elucidate how the establishment and widespread adoption of feedlots have provided solutions to complex problems of food security, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.An observational cross-sectional study compared fecal egg count per gram (EPG), weight gain, and body condition score (BCS) in feedlot and non-feedlot cattle at high throughput abattoirs. Cattle (n = 120) of different age and sex groups, farms, and breeds were selected from two commercial abattoirs (EA1 and EA2) in the Eastern Cape Province.At EA1, non-feedlot cattle exhibited higher EPG values (323.3±28.9) than feedlot cattle (73.3±13.3), indicating a potentially greater susceptibility to internal parasitic infections. The similar weight gains between feedlot (298.1±4.7) and non-feedlot cattle (287.16±7.79) were attributed to the sufficient natural pasture in the communally raised cattle. However, body condition scores were significantly (P< 0.05) better in feedlot than in non-feedlot cattle. Nonetheless, the feedlot farms of origin had a significant effect (P< 0.05) on the EPG and body condition score values in EA1, with no significant effect in EA2.Moreover, the negative correlation between EPG and body condition scores highlights that as parasite load increases, there might be a subtle tendency for body condition to decrease. These results underscore the importance of feedlots as an effective management strategy to improve animal health and productivity. Further investigations into the factors driving the differences in non-feedlot cattle are needed for informed decision-making in livestock management and abattoir operations.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"316 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138996514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative study between scan sampling behavioral observations and an automatic monitoring image system on a commercial fattening pig farm","authors":"Queralt Allueva Molina, H. Ko, Y. Gómez, X. Manteca, P. Llonch","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1248972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1248972","url":null,"abstract":"Automation is an important element in modern livestock farming. Image computer analysis is the automation technology aiming to monitor farm animals by recording continuous images. Further analysis can be carried out to assess more precisely and effectively farm animals’ welfare. The aim of this study was to determine the applicability of the commercial multi-sensor device (Peek Analytics) developed by Copeeks SAS (France), in comparison to human-based observations used to assess behaviors in pigs, including posture (standing/resting), area within the pen (feeding/drinking/resting/enrichment), and activity level (number of active pigs). Two Peek Analytics (Peek 3 and Peek 4) were installed on a commercial fattening pig farm in Murcia (Spain). Each device recorded data of two pens (39 pigs in four pens in total). Scan sampling was the human-based behavioral observation method used in this study. Data was collected for five consecutive days, in the following intervals: 09:00-11:00, 13:00-15:00, and 16:00-18:00 (30 hours of observation in total). Every pig was observed six times per hour and hence the information analyzed includes 7020 observations (180 observations/pig). The comparison between data from human observation and Peek Analytics was performed by using Pearson correlation tests. Posture, areas of interest, and activity level were analyzed separately, as well as data recorded by Peek 3 and 4. Results indicated that Peek Analytics showed a better agreement with human observation, when recording posture(r=0.77, P<0.01) and area within the pen (r=0.77, P<0.01), than when recording activity level (r=0.35, P<0.01). Two devices performed differently in general, with Peek 3 having better agreement than Peek 4 with human observation, regardless of posture, area within the pen, and activity level. The better agreement in Peek 3 may be attributed to the smaller number of pigs in Peek 3 (18) compared to Peek 4 (22). We can conclude from the study that image computer analysis may be reliable in assessing posture and area within the pen of pigs. On the other hand, a moderate agreement in activity level between human observation and computer vision can be due to different methodologies of recording the activity, rather than due to low accuracy of Peek Analytics.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"242 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139006009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extruded diet macronutrient digestibility: plant-based (vegan) vs. animal-based diets in client-owned healthy adult dogs and the impact of guardian compliance during in-home trials","authors":"Brooklynn D. Liversidge, Sarah A S Dodd, J. Adolphe, Diego E. Gomez, Shauna L. Blois, A. Verbrugghe","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1288165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1288165","url":null,"abstract":"Plant-based (vegan) diets for dogs are commercially available, however, research investigating long-term nutritional adequacy of these diets is scarce. Use of client-owned animals has become increasingly popular for apparent total-tract nutrient digestibility (ATTD) studies, yet low guardian compliance with the study protocol, such as providing daily dietary intake information, is a challenge. However, the impact of low diet reporting compliance on the overall ATTD results is unknown.Sixty-one, client-owned healthy adult dogs completed a randomized, double-blinded longitudinal study. Dogs were randomly assigned into two groups that were fed either a commercial extruded meat-based diet (MEAT, n=30) or an experimental extruded vegan diet (PLANT, n=31) for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, pet guardians performed a 72-hour total fecal collection for ATTD assessment. Pet guardians were asked to complete a food diary for the duration of the trial, however only a subset of guardians (n=35) provided this food diary at the end of the study.No evidence of an association between pet guardians providing a food diary and apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of crude protein (CP) (p=0.14), crude fat (EE) (p=0.72), and dry matter (DM) (p=0.68) was found. Apparent digestibility coefficients for CP (p=0.52), EE (p=0.78), and DM (p=0.43) did not differ between PLANT and MEAT. Body weight and age were found to be associated with CP (p=0.03) and DM (p=0.01) digestibility, but no association with EE (p=0.07) digestibility was present.These results indicate that vegan- and animal-based diets with similar nutrient profiles can have comparable nutrient digestibility. Moreover, presence or absence of a guardian-reported food diary had no effect on the overall results of the ATTD study. Further studies investigating guardian compliance for ATTD trials are needed to develop a standardized protocol and reduce current challenges and limitations related to pet guardian’s participation in digestibility trials.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"13 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138980089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of parity on cow stress, behavior, and production at a farm with guided traffic automatic milking system","authors":"Lindsey Davis, Elizabeth A. French, Matias J. Aguerre, Ahmed Ali","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1258935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1258935","url":null,"abstract":"The widespread adoption of advanced technology, like automatic milking systems in the United States, allows cows to establish individual milking, feeding, and resting schedules, setting them apart from others. However, it is unknown how cow parity affects cow behavior, stress, and system efficiency. We hypothesized primiparous (PR) cows would spend more time in and around the milking robot (AMS), receive greater agonistic interactions, and show elevated physiological stress behaviors compared to multiparous (MU) cows. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of cow parity on behavior and welfare near and inside the AMS. Twenty-four lactating-Holstein dairy cows [12 primiparous (3.0 ± 0.2 yr) and 12 multiparous (6.1 ± 1.9 yr)] housed in the same pen at a guided traffic AMS facility were marked and observed for 6-consecutive days (91 to 102 of lactation). Study cows were identified by specific colored-paint markings, their milk yield and visits, their behavior, Heart Rate-Variability (HRV), and activity were recorded inside the commitment pen (CP) and the AMS. Statistical calculations were performed using JMP Pro 16.1.0, and P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Multiparous cows produced more daily milk yield than PP cows (47.30 Vs 33.79 kg), while parity showed no effect on daily milking frequency or milk yield per visit. Primiparous cows spent significantly more time inside the CP than MP cows (68.87 vs 24.38 m), while MP cows approached the AMS entry more often than the PR cows (4.83 vs 2.03), MU cows displaced other cows more inside the CP than PR cows (6.90 vs 2.59). PR cows showed lower HRV (RMSSD: 9.23 vs 17.58 ms) and (SDRR: 19.58 vs 33.64 ms) values than MU cows, whereas MU cows showed a lower Low-Frequency to High-Frequency Ratio (4.39 vs 8.65) than PR cows inside the CP. MU cows spent more time (m) lying (698.06), particularly at night (396.57), than PP cows (556.96, 286.68), while MP cows exhibited more prolonged total lying bouts than PP cows (93.06 vs 71.32 m). Overall, cow parity influenced behavior, activity, and stress indicators of primiparous more than multiparous cows and impacted the overall efficiency and success of the AMS","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138978830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers] intercropping improves grain yield, fodder biomass, and nutritive value","authors":"Sanfo Abroulaye, Zampaligré Nouhoun, Delma B Jethro, Kulo E. Abalo, Ouédraogo Abdoulaye, Rios Esteban F., Dubeux José, Boote J. Ken, Adesogan Adegbola","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1233570","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1233570","url":null,"abstract":"Burkina Faso livestock feeding is characterized by a hot dry season fodder deficit, which affects animal performance and causes economic losses. To overcome this challenge, improving quality fodder production through the use of dual-purpose crops is a potential alternative. Hence, this study aimed at testing dual-purpose cultivars of sorghum and cowpea under monoculture and intercropping in the North Sudan zone in Burkina Faso. To do this, a “Mother and Baby trials” approach was adopted. The mother trial was designed as a randomized complete block with eight treatments (combinations of monoculture and intercropping systems for two cowpeas and two sorghum cultivars) and four replications during two cropping seasons (2019 and 2020) at the INERA research station in Saria. The on-farm “baby” trials involved 30 farmers during two cropping seasons (2019 and 2020) in four communes: Koudougou, Poa, Nandiala, and Kokologo. Data were collected on weed biomass and density, fodder biomass and grain yield, intercropping efficiency, and fodder nutritive value. The results of the mother trial showed that intercropping significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced weed density and weed biomass. Sorghum cultivar Ponta Negra had the highest fodder biomass yield (10.05 kg DM/ha) while sorghum Sariaso16 had the highest grain yield (4.42 kg/ha). Cowpea cultivar KVx745-11P had greater fodder biomass (4.72 kg DM/ha) than Tiligré (3.28 kg DM/ha) with similar grain yield (2.17 and 2.17 kg/ha). Intercropping was the most efficient land-use cropping system for fodder biomass and grain yield improvement both in mother and baby trials. For fodder nutritive value, cultivars Sariaso16 and Ponta Negra had similar crude protein concentrations (ranging from 4.1 to 5.4%), and cowpea cultivar KVx745-11P haulms had greater crude protein (ranging from 16.9 to 20.3%). The use of Ponta Negra and KVx745-11P and Sariaso16 and KVx745-11P under intercropping is likely to optimize grain and quality fodder production for crop-livestock farmers in the North Sudan zone.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"166 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138981312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hair sheep in the Americas: economic traits and sustainable production","authors":"L. Dearborn, Bakeerah Abdul-Rahmaan, Michael Pesato, E. Memili, Leyla Rios","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1195680","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1195680","url":null,"abstract":"The relevance of hair sheep and their place in animal agriculture in the United States is expanding. Fueled by the exigency of sustainable agricultural practices, the integration of hair sheep to replace their wool breed counterparts is essential. Approximately 10% of all sheep globally are hair sheep but they are growing in numbers and production each year. Hair sheep breeds are widely diverse but share a common origin in tropical countries. Most of the prominent breeds were mindfully developed and crossed with wool breeds (namely, the Mouflon sheep) to improve the economically important traits of the animal. This genetic development has proven successful; hair sheep are considered highly advantageous in carcass quality, meat taste, litter size, and leather quality. Aside from those economically important traits, hair sheep are also advantageous in production traits, such as parasitic resistance, disease resistance, heat tolerance, sperm quality, and nutritional efficiency. These identified traits of hair sheep are highly desirable and contribute to the hair sheep’s positive reputation. However, hair sheep pose some disadvantages, such as an average or below average scrotal circumference, lower meat yield (although high in quality), meat with higher cholesterol than that of the wool breeds, and the lack of wool leaving the hair sheep susceptible to cold stress. These disadvantages can be mitigated with genetic selection and production techniques. The importance to further developing hair sheep is irrefutable. This review focuses on the fundamental and applied science of the most common hair sheep breeds and is expected to be useful for students, scientists, and producers of hair sheep.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138591078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The necessity of pen replication to account for and understand the impacts of social dynamics on individual laying hen behavior","authors":"Dana L. M. Campbell, Brian J. Horton","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1284419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1284419","url":null,"abstract":"Individual laying hens within the same group show variation in their temperament traits and cognitive learning abilities, which can be affected by both their early rearing experiences and housing environments. Hens also have distinct individual patterns of movement within housing systems that may correlate with temperament and cognition. Individual behavioral tests can measure treatment impacts, but social dynamics may impact on an individual’s behavior. The aims of this perspective piece are to provide further evidence of pen-level variation using original data on social ranging patterns and fear assessment of free-range hens exposed to different, enriched rearing environments; and to encourage more studies to consider pen replicate variation as a means to better understand causes and mechanisms. A literature review showed that, while most published studies over the past decade assessing individual laying hen behavior included group-level replication (i.e., 83% of 54 articles reviewed), almost none considered inter-pen variation. The original data analysis of individual hens’ range use recordings showed significant treatment pen replicate variation in pop-hole following movements and hen–pair associations in the time spent together inside or outside. Significant inter-pen variation was also seen in tonic immobility tests on a subset of hens from the same study. Pen-level replication is important for scientific validity and for improving our understanding of why commercial flocks in the same environment can be so variable in their behavior to inform management practices. Further research could help to understand the mechanisms behind why groups of hens reared and housed in the same environments will show significant inter-group variation.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":"135 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138598786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}