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Surgical castration of male piglets without analgesia is a painful procedure. This prospective, randomized and double-blinded study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects of four different local anesthetics for piglet castration during the first week of life. In total, 54 piglets aged 3 to 7 days were distributed into 6 treatment groups: handling (H); castration without pain relief (sodium chloride, NaCl); and castration with a local anesthetic: 4% procaine (P), 2% lidocaine (L), 0.5% bupivacaine (B) or 20 mg/ml mepivacaine (M). By excluding stress and fear as disruptive factors via a minimum anesthesia model, all piglets received individual minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) isoflurane anesthesia. Twenty minutes before castration, all treatment groups except group H received one injection per testis. Then, 0.5 ml of a local anesthetic or NaCl was injected intratesticularly (i.t.), and 0.5 ml was administered subscrotally. Acute physiological responses to noxious stimuli at injection and castration were evaluated by measuring blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine and chromogranin A (CgA); limb movements were quantified. The results confirm that castration without analgesia is highly painful. Surgical castration without pain relief revealed significant changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and HR. Local anesthetic administration significantly reduced changes in BP and HR associated with castration. Piglets receiving a preoperative local anesthetic exhibited the fewest limb movements during castration, while the NaCl group exhibited the most. Injection itself was not associated with significant changes in MAP or HR. However, many piglets exhibited limb movements during injection, indicating that the injection itself causes nociceptive pain. No significant differences were found between groups regarding parameters of plasma cortisol, catecholamines and CgA. In conclusion, all four local anesthetics administered are highly effective at reducing signs of nociception during castration under light isoflurane anesthesia. However, injection of a local anesthetic seems to be painful.

The aim of this observational study was to describe health- and management-related welfare indicators for a conventional broiler strain housed in 2 barn types (Louisiana barn and closed barn) on the same farm and to assess the impact of age and housing conditions on these indicators. Broilers were examined 4 times in each of 7 fattening periods. Their weight gain, gait score, and further animal-based indicators did not differ between the barn types. On average 46% showed no sign, 51% a minor but visible, and 3% a profound lameness at the end of the fattening period (fattening day 39). Soiling of the plumage, skin scratches, foot pad dermatitis, and hock burns worsened with increasing age. Soiling of the plumage was correlated negatively with litter depth (Pearson, r = -0.549, P = 0.042) and positively with litter quality (Pearson, r = 0.641, P = 0.013). Skin scratches occurred in 89% of the broilers (32% deep with penetration of dermis) on fattening day 39 and were correlated positively with cumulative mortality (Pearson, r = 0.615, P = 0.019), indicating a severe animal welfare impact. Foot pad dermatitis did not correlate with health- or management-related indicators, whereas hock burn correlated positively with the broilers' weight (Pearson, r = 0.853, P < 0.001) and with ammonia concentrations (Pearson, r = 0.577, P = 0.031). Management-related indicators (antibiotic treatments, dead on arrival) and cumulative mortality did not differ between the barn types. At the end of the fattening period, the litter quality was worse and concentrations of ammonia and peaks of high carbon dioxide concentrations were higher in the Louisiana than in the closed barn. The light intensity was on average 20 times higher in the Louisiana than in the closed barn without any negative impact. Summarizing, the barn type did not seem to influence the investigated welfare indicators, but Louisiana barns might need a more precise management to maintain the required ranges of noxious gases and litter quality.

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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of four local anesthetics on pain relief during surgical castration under standardized conditions in conscious piglets. Therefore, 71 male piglets (three to seven days) were distributed into control groups (handling, castration without anesthesia or analgesia) and local anesthetic trial groups (procaine, lidocaine, bupivacaine, mepivacaine). Then, 20 min prior to castration, animals of the treatment groups, except piglets in the handling group, received an injection of a local anesthetic or sodium chloride of 0.5 mL intratesticularly and 0.5 mL subscrotally. During injection and castration, defensive behavior was evaluated. Locomotor activity, as well as postoperative bleeding, wound healing and average daily weight gain were assessed to detect side effects. The injection caused increased defensive movements, significantly in the bupivacaine group. Lidocaine and mepivacaine significantly reduced defensive movements during castration, and procaine and bupivacaine only during severing of the spermatic cord. Impairments of locomotor activity were found in piglets injected with lidocaine, bupivacaine or sodium chloride. Considering healing, bleeding and weight gain, no negative impacts were observed. In conclusion, lidocaine and mepivacaine were able to achieve significant pain relief during the castration procedure, whereas procaine and bupivacaine only during the severing of the spermatic cord. Moreover, the injection of bupivacaine seemed to be painful itself.

In this study, an appropriate visual scoring system for foot-pad dermatitis was validated, considering the histologically measured depth of the inflammation zone and the histopathological grade (no lesion, mild lesion, ulcer). The aim being to evaluate whether the visual, macroscopic scoring of foot-pad dermatitis can represent the histological, microscopic findings. Two hundred Ross 308 broiler chicken feet (birds aged 39–42 fattening days) were collected at a slaughterhouse and scored macroscopically according to a modified version of the Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol for Poultry. Afterwards, 200 histological slides (one per foot) were prepared, the extent of the inflammation measured and all slides scored by veterinarian pathologists using Michel et al's modified scheme. The statistical relationship between microscopic and macroscopic score and depth of inflammation were estimated via regression models. Increasing macroscopic score was found to be linked with an increase in microscopic score and the depth of inflammation. In particular, feet without lesions and feet with ulcers were identifiable using the macroscopic score. Macroscopic scoring of foot-pad dermatitis can mirror histological findings once certain limitations are taken into account (superficial lesions were not clearly identifiable). Foot-pad dermatitis is considered a useful indicator of animal welfare and our findings suggest that visual, macroscopic scoring could be a practicable assessment tool.

The assessment of bird-based welfare indicators plays an important role in the evaluation of bird welfare. The aim of the study was to histologically validate a visual scoring system for hock burn in broilers and to detect threshold values of a visual score to define welfarerelevant alterations in terms of mild lesions or ulcers of the hock. We collected 200 hocks of 39-to 42-day-old Ross 308 broilers after the slaughter process. Each hock was scored visually ("macro scores" 0-4) and evaluated histologically ("micro scores" 0-3), with high scores representing more severe lesions. Although we found a tendency for higher micro scores with increasing macro scores, an exact allocation of macro to micro scores was not possible. For example, macro score 1 could represent micro scores 1, 2 and 3, whereas macro scores 3 and 4 always represented micro score 3 (ulcer). The conditional probability of certain micro scores for given macro scores was estimated using a multinomial logistic regression model. Ulcer showed the highest probability at macro score 1, whereas mild lesions were not found to have an estimated highest probability at any macro score. The depth of inflammation of hock burn lesions increased with increasing macro scores up to macro score 3 with an average depth of 1019 µm. Visually more severe and deeper lesions were also histologically rated with higher scores. Thus, considering limitations, the herein validated macroscopic assessment scheme for hock burn allows an estimation of histological alterations in hocks of broilers. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS. Histological validation of a visual assessment scheme for hock burn in broilers.. Tendency for higher micro scores with increasing macro scores.. Estimation of histological score via macro score possible with limitations.. Histological depth of inflammation increased with an increasing macro score.

Health issues like infestation with poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) and behavioral problems such as feather pecking and cannibalism are reported as current problems on laying hen farms. However, the epidemiological prevalence of these issues in Bavaria, Germany, is not known. The objective of the present survey was to determine the epidemiological prevalence of health and behavioral parameters and the management of hen farms in practice. The survey was sent to all laying hen farmers with more than 1,000 hens in Bavaria, Germany, and contained questions regarding flock management, behavior problems and health issues. The response rate was 40.8% and surveys were answered regarding 293 individual flocks on 147 farms. Three-quarters (77.6%) of the respondents housed their hens under conventional conditions. Farming system had an influence (P ≤ 0.05) on several management measures and the hens' behavior. An infestation of the flocks with poultry red mite was stated in 65.7%, whereby a relationship existed with the farming system (P = 0.001) and the provision of an additional dust bath (P ≤ 0.001). The occurrence of feather pecking (18.5%) was related with the farming system (P = 0.001), the presence of roosters (P = 0.034), the locking of laying hens into the aviary (P = 0.006), not allowing access to the entire litter space after housing (P = 0.044) and nervous (P = 0.002) or chasing behavior (P ≤ 0.001) of laying hens. Similarly, cannibalism (15.0%) was related with locking hens into the aviary system (P ≤ 0.001) and not allowing access to the entire litter space (P = 0.026). According to these results, farmers should avoid locking the hens into the aviary or not allowing access to the entire litter space, because these measures relate to nervous behavior that may result in feather pecking or cannibalism. The provision of an additional dust bath is one of the management measures that can positively influence hens' health and behavior.