Applied Animal Behaviour Science最新文献

{"title":"The influence of an unfamiliar person’s presence on shelter use, feeding, and exploratory behavior in domestic rabbits during animal-assisted interventions","authors":"Michaela Součková ,&nbsp;Lucie Přibylová ,&nbsp;Martina Frühauf Kolářová ,&nbsp;Hana Vostrá-Vydrová ,&nbsp;Helena Chaloupková","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106721","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106721","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rabbits have been increasingly used in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) in recent years. The issue of their welfare during these interventions, however, remains insufficiently explored. The common practice of holding a rabbit on the client’s lap often leads to signs of stress. An alternative could be the use of a therapeutic table which allows for partial movement and provides a hiding place. This study aimed to analyze rabbits’ behavior during AAI and determine whether the therapeutic table represents an appropriate compromise for ensuring their well-being, or whether a no-contact approach with the client would be more suitable. The study included 9 female domestic rabbits habituated to human handling and 4 children, aged 9–11 years, unknown to the rabbits. A randomized controlled within-subject design with repeated measures was used. Each rabbit was tested twice in two different conditions: either on a specially adapted table with a hiding place in the presence of a child or without the presence of a child. A total of 36 sessions, each lasting 10 min, were conducted. The use of the hiding place, exploratory behavior, and feed intake were monitored, with all sessions video-recorded and later analyzed using Observer XT software. Statistical analysis was performed using R software (version 4.3.3; unction <em>glmer</em> in lme4 package and <em>nlme</em> package). The results showed that the rabbits spent on average three times more in the shelter during therapeutic sessions when a child was present compared to sessions without a child (F_1,34 = 2.051; p = 0.051). Rabbits displayed exploratory activity significantly less (F_1,34 = 6.308; p &lt; 0.0001) in the presence of a child, whereas in his absence, this time increased. Additionally, we observed a significant reduction in feed intake: in the presence of a child, the rabbits ate in less than 20 % of the observation time, while in the control group, feed intake was recorded in more than 80 % of the observation time (F_1,34 = 2.709; p = 0.007). The findings suggest that even though the therapeutic table provided hiding opportunities and allowed for movement, it did not fully mitigate the negative impact of the unfamiliar child’s presence on the rabbits’ welfare during AAI. These insights must be considered when planning and conducting these interventions, taking into account the welfare of the participating animals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106721"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Having a gander at goose behaviour. Evaluating time-activity of captive and wild geese at two different wetland sites","authors":"Paul Rose ,&nbsp;Amelia Roper ,&nbsp;Christopher Giorgio ,&nbsp;Joe Thomas ,&nbsp;Robert Kelly ,&nbsp;Michelle F. O’Brien","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106719","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106719","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Geese are not common subjects for behavioural investigation in zoological facilities, despite their popularity in waterfowl collections and their complex ecological needs. This research evaluated time-activity budgets of six goose species located at two UK Wildfowl &amp; Wetland Trust (WWT) centres, comparing captive population behaviours with two species of wild goose. Using a standardised ethogram and instantaneous focal sampling, we recorded over 220 h of behavioural data across 892 observations. All data were recorded in spring and summer of 2015, 2017 and 2018. Data were analysed using linear mixed models and zero-inflated models to account for high frequencies of zero occurrences in alert and social behaviours. Results show that whilst captive and wild geese broadly perform similar species-typical behaviours, captive birds exhibited higher levels of resting and lower social engagement. Foraging and locomotion differed significantly by species, and this may be a factor of ecological niche. Minimal stereotypic behaviour (&lt;2 % of observations) was recorded in the captive birds, suggesting that the large, naturalistic enclosures provided by WWT support positive welfare by enabling appetitive behaviours, such as grazing. However, high inactivity rates highlight the need for further enrichment and dynamic enclosure management to be considered to further improve goose behavioural diversity. Comparisons with wild geese provide useful benchmarks for evaluating behavioural normality under human care. This research supports the use of time-activity budgets as a practical tool for developing evidence-based, species-specific husbandry guidelines. We recommend future research focusses on long-term, individual-bird behavioural monitoring, seasonal comparisons, and the incorporation of personality profiling to further our understanding of how geese respond to their captive care at the population, species and individual bird level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106719"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined reinforcement: Poisoned cue or a panacea for modern equine training? A narrative review","authors":"Ella Bradshaw-Wiley ,&nbsp;Cathrynne Henshall ,&nbsp;Andrew McLean ,&nbsp;Rafael Freire","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106718","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106718","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Equine industry stakeholders have identified that inappropriate training practices are of significant concern for the welfare of domestic horses. Common approaches to horse training are largely based upon traditional practices, which frequently do not align with equine telos, ethology or cognition, and consequently, the techniques used to facilitate human-horse interactions warrants this concern. Given the current pressure on equestrianism’s social licence, it is timely to review what is currently known about equine behaviour modification approaches and identify areas where there is a deficit of knowledge. Uniquely in horse training, negative reinforcement is the fundamental basis for the majority of human-horse interactions, compared to the wider reliance on positive reinforcement in other animal species. While positive reinforcement offers many advantages for animal training, the characteristics of the ridden horse interaction necessarily relies on the use of aversive stimuli during training, such as pressure cues, even if of low intensity. Therefore, the question of whether a combined reinforcement model, incorporating both positive and negative reinforcement, can provide the benefits of positive reinforcement while accommodating pressure cues from negative reinforcement is worth investigating. This review seeks to outline current knowledge and application of combined reinforcement in the equine training literature for comparison with positive and negative reinforcement modalities. A survey of the literature highlighted a large number of inconsistencies in the description and classification of different forms of reinforcement used in training. Many studies putatively exploring positive reinforcement incorporate unacknowledged aspects of negative reinforcement, thereby confounding experimental outcomes and the interpretation of the results. Consequently the lack of specific focus on how these approaches actually consist of combined reinforcement has meant opportunities to advance scientific understanding in this area have been missed. As a result, knowledge of combined reinforcement remains poor, whilst training approaches and outcomes arising from positive reinforcement are inconsistent or incorrectly classified. These inconsistencies highlight the need for targeted research on the use of combined reinforcement, to better understand how to incorporate rewards-based training programs in horse training, including during riding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106718"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144482451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ability to interpret affective states in horses' body language is associated with experience with animals","authors":"Moritz Nicolai Braun ,&nbsp;Sina Bülow ,&nbsp;Alicia Müller-Klein ,&nbsp;Ulrike Link-Dorner ,&nbsp;Tanja Michael ,&nbsp;Johanna Lass-Hennemann","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106716","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106716","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In light of an increasing interest in the human ability to read equine emotions, Braun et al. (2024) recently showed that horse-experienced individuals performed better in interpreting affective states in horses’ body language than horse-inexperienced individuals. Further, individuals with a high emotion recognition ability performed better in interpreting horses’ affective states than individuals with a low emotion recognition ability. The authors operationalized the ability to interpret affective states from horses’ body language by means of the behavior identification test (BIT). In the BIT, participants are presented with 32 photographs of horses that express different affective states and, for each photograph, are asked to choose which out of eight affective states the depicted horse expresses in its body language. In the present study, we scrutinized the replicability and the robustness of these findings. Further, we tested the idea that a better ability to interpret affective states in horses’ body language is associated with experience with animals in general but even more so with horses in particular. We did so by employing the design by Braun et al. (2024) in a novel sample, expanded by a number of quasi-experimental variables (i.e., animal/horse contact while growing-up; current pet/horse ownership; contact with animals/horses during work). We directly replicated the effect reported by Braun et al. (2024) that horse-experienced individuals outperform horse-inexperienced individuals in the BIT. Further, we demonstrated that a higher emotion recognition ability was associated with a better ability to interpret affective states in horses’ body language. Moreover, we found strong evidence in support of the notion that a better ability to interpret affective states in horses’ body language is associated with experience with animals in general and, more strongly, with horses in particular, be it during childhood or currently. We call future research to test the idea that the ability to interpret affective states in horses’ body language can be trained through contact with horses or other animals by means of experimental designs to identify a potential causal relation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 106716"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144335853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Systematic review and meta-analysis of the occurrence and association of physical diseases and behavioural problems in dogs and cats","authors":"Worakan Boonhoh ,&nbsp;Chaithep Poolkhet ,&nbsp;Natalie Waran ,&nbsp;Tuempong Wongtawan","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106717","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106717","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is believed that physical diseases may influence animal behaviour, though the prevalence and strength of this association remain unclear. Understanding the relationship between physical conditions and behavioural abnormalities is essential for improving prevention and treatment strategies. This study aimed to examine the occurrence and association of physical diseases and behavioural disorders through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles. Relevant studies were sourced from PubMed and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria required articles published between 2004 and 2024 that reported the presence or association of behavioural disorders with physical diseases and were either research articles or case reports. Exclusion criteria were review articles, conference proceedings, books, and articles without full-text access. For the meta-analysis, at least three studies with similar methodologies were required. Three independent researchers reviewed the data to minimise bias, and article quality was assessed using established guidelines for systematic reviews. Publication bias was evaluated using Fail-safe-N analysis and a rank association test for funnel plot asymmetry. Data were recorded in Microsoft Excel 365 and analysed using the meta-analysis package in Jamovi software. Of the 14,267 articles identified, 29 met the criteria for the systematic review, and 4 were included in the meta-analysis. Aggression was the most frequently reported behavioural issue (18 articles), while hormonal imbalances were the most reported physical disease (13 articles). All physical disease categories showed some connection to aggressive behaviour. The meta-analysis focused on aggression in cats infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV). The pooled prevalence of aggression was 64 % in FIV-positive cats and 60 % in FeLV-positive cats, with a statistically significant association between aggression and FIV or FeLV infection (P &lt; 0.001). However, the meta-analysis indicated substantial heterogeneity across studies. Two hypotheses were proposed to explain the link between aggression and FIV/FeLV infection: first, aggressive cats are more likely to engage in fights, facilitating disease transmission; second, the progression of these infections may cause local and systemic inflammation and pain, leading to behavioural changes. A key limitation of this study was the small number of published articles addressing the association between physical disease and behavioural disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106717"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Escape patterns of companion parrots kept in Brazilian Households","authors":"Rodrigo Mendes Aguiar ,&nbsp;Cristiano Schetini Azevedo ,&nbsp;ChalineNicolas Châline","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Uncontrolled escapes of pet psittacine birds present significant risks to individual welfare, public health, and local ecosystems. In Brazil, a country with a strong cultural tradition of parrot keeping, such events are frequent and often poorly managed. This study aimed to describe the dynamics of escape, assess preventive strategies, and evaluate recovery efforts following escape events. An online questionnaire collected data from 865 respondents, yielding 1053 individual bird records. A high escape incidence was reported (63.6 %), with most events occurring indoors, often due to open or unscreened windows. Although 67.4 % of birds had undergone wing clipping at some point, 70.6 % of those that escaped had fully regrown feathers at the time of the event. Birds with clipped wings exhibited a significantly higher escape probability (OR = 7.60, 95 % CI [3.33, 18.37]), possibly due to reduced caregiver vigilance. None of the prevention strategies such as window netting or enclosure confinement were fully effective, and escape rates remained high even in households that reported combined efforts. A total of 57.2 % of escaped birds were recovered, most within 12 h. Recovery was more likely when owners engaged in active search methods, while wing clipping and low effort were associated with delayed retrieval. Thirteen percent of recovered birds were found ill, injured, or died shortly after,reinforcing the need to replace restrictive practices with ethical, behaviorally sound alternatives. These findings highlight the urgency of improving husbandry standards, promoting caregiver education, and adopting science-based, welfare-centered strategies for the management of companion psittacines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 106700"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144306815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"Irene Camerlink","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106715","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 106715"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relative preference for different pecking blocks offered as pairwise comparisons in White and Brown-feathered laying hens","authors":"Tunmise Faith Ehigbor ,&nbsp;Elijah G. Kiarie ,&nbsp;Alexandra Harlander ,&nbsp;Tina Widowski","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106708","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106708","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Different commercially available pecking blocks (PBs) have varying nutrient composition, appearance, and texture. However, the relative preferences of laying hens for different PBs are unknown. We housed 120 Dekalb White and 120 Bovans Brown in twelve (360 cm x 116 cm x 60 cm) test cages from 18 weeks of age. Test cages had two identical sections, each containing a nest, scratch mat, and container. Then, three PB types (A, B, C) were offered in a series of pairwise comparisons over three, 4-week periods (Phase 1). Pairwise comparisons were repeated over three, 2-week periods (Phase 2). Block A mainly comprised mineral + grains, B of mineral + grain + molasses, and C was primarily mineral based. PB use (disappearance) was measured by weekly weighing. Pecking and scratching behaviour was measured at the individual level by live observations of 7 focal birds (per cage) once a week (thrice daily). Behaviour at the group level was measured from video cameras mounted over each PB. The number of birds pecking or scratching at the blocks was counted every 5 min throughout the light period using instantaneous scan sampling (total = 169 scans/day, split into 3 times-of-day (TOD): a.m., mid-day, and p.m.). For phase 1, Browns used the B block more than any other block and strain combination (p &lt; 0.0001). At group level, pair-wise comparison affected pecking or scratching behaviour (p &lt; 0.05). In Whites (p = 0.04), the pair-wise comparison of blocks B and C resulted in more birds pecking or scratching at C. The opposite was observed in Browns, with more birds directing pecks or scratches at B (p = 0.01). Interactions were observed between the time-of-day and PB type (White: p &lt; 0.0001, Brown: p = &lt; 0.0001). The Whites pecked and scratched the C block at p.m. more than any other block at any other TOD. In the Browns, pecking or scratching was directed at the B block at mid-day and a.m. more than any other block at any TOD. The two common strains of laying hens in this study preferred different types of PB (Browns preferred B, Whites preferred C) and used them at different TOD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 106708"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144306816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of light spectrum on pig behaviour, health and growth","authors":"Alice J. Scaillierez ,&nbsp;Sofie E. van Nieuwamerongen - de Koning ,&nbsp;Rik P.P.J. van der Tol ,&nbsp;Sabine K. Schnabel ,&nbsp;Eddie A.M. Bokkers ,&nbsp;Iris J.M.M. Boumans","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106711","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106711","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pigs show preferences to display certain behaviours under specific light spectra. Moreover, adding UVB light to the spectrum might enhance pigs’ vitamin D status. Despite the potential, there are still gaps in understanding the broader effects of light spectrum on pig behaviour, health and growth due to the limited number of studies. Therefore, this study investigated how various light spectra, including exposure to UVB light, influence the behaviour, health and growth of growing-finishing pigs. An experiment with a split-plot design was conducted on a commercial farm, testing four different light spectra in plots (warm white; 2594 K, forest white; 4336 K, cool white; 6235 K, fluorescent tubes; 3787 K), and the addition of UVB light in subplots (UVB or non-UVB). Each light spectrum was tested on 112 pigs divided into two batches of eight pens each. Within each light spectrum, 28 pigs received additional UVB light. Pig behaviour was analysed every two weeks, both manually and using computer vision, while health was assessed weekly. Pigs were weighed at the start of the experiment and before transport to the slaughterhouse. During slaughter, abnormalities on carcasses were scored and blood samples were collected for analysis of vitamin D and bone modelling-related variables. Effects of light spectra on positive and negative social interactions, exploration and play behaviour were inconsistent over time and were mainly found in the first six weeks. Moreover, light spectrum had a varying impact on pig activity, depending on the week. From week 6 onwards, pigs exposed to fluorescent tubes and forest white light spent more time in active postures (i.e. standing and sitting) than other light spectra. However, light spectra had no effect on the distance moved by pigs. Additional UVB light reduced damaging behaviours in week 4 and reduced the severity of ear and lesions on the middle body section throughout the growing-finishing phase. Furthermore, pigs exposed to UVB light had a higher blood vitamin D level than pigs not exposed to UVB light, this had, however, no effect on bone modelling variables. None of the light treatments influenced carcass abnormalities or growth. Overall, results suggest that light spectrum seems to have limited effects on behaviour, health and growth of growing-finishing pigs kept in commercial conditions with limited space and a relatively barren environment. As this is the first study addressing effects of light spectrum on different aspects of pig welfare, further research is needed to corroborate these findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106711"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144482450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deck height did not affect behavioural measures of ‘natural movements’ and ‘adequate ventilation’ during 8 h and 23 h transport of weaner pigs","authors":"Cecilie Kobek-Kjeldager ,&nbsp;Line D. Jensen ,&nbsp;Leslie Foldager ,&nbsp;Marianne Kaiser ,&nbsp;Karen Thodberg ,&nbsp;Mette S. Herskin","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106714","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106714","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Annually, more than 30 million weaner pigs cross borders between EU member states mainly transported for further production. The current EU regulation states that the internal deck height of the transport vehicles must on no account hinder natural movements and provide adequate ventilation but without including specific norms. The aim of the present study was to examine impact of deck height (60 vs 80 cm and 70 vs 90 cm) on behaviour reflecting natural movements and adequate ventilation during 16 short (8 h) and 16 long (23 h) journeys of 20–25 kg pigs, mimicking commercial conditions. A secondary aim was to describe the behaviour progressed from departure to arrival including the driver break during short journeys. To address the aim, the first task was to select appropriate behavioural measures that could robustly be annotated with the limited vertical space. As a consequence, head butting against the ceiling and drinking behaviour were omitted in pilot observations. The final behaviours were body posture including huddling and huddling location analysed using 15 min interval instantaneous scan sampling. The frequency of aggression and a pig standing on another pig was recorded using continuous sampling during selected 20 min recording sessions (in total 160 and 120 min for short and long journeys, respectively). During short journeys, this included recording sessions placed immediately before, during and after the mandatory break of the livestock driver. Mixed effects models were used to analyse effects of deck height and the following co-variates: hour since departure, microclimatic conditions and vehicle speed.</div><div>No effect of deck height was found on any of the selected behavioural measures. When examining behaviour of the pigs before, during and after the break, no differences in lying behaviour were found, but for one of the vehicle elements, the trailer, an increase in aggressive behaviour was observed during the break. Overall, the results showed a complex pattern of relations affecting the behaviour of the pigs, such as the microclimatic conditions and driving speed interacting with hour since departure. These findings varied to some extent depending on vehicle element (lorry or trailer) and journey duration (8 h or 23 h, with the associated different stocking densities). Taken together, the results showed that increasing the deck height did not lead to detectable changes in the behaviour of the weaner pigs, but that many other factors influenced the behaviour of weaners during transport and may thus also influence their welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 106714"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}