Group size, density and social dynamics in farm animals

Estévez, Inma; Andersen, Inger Lise; Nævdal, Eric

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.025

Cited by 225 publications

(151 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Literature shows that pigs are able to adopt different behavioural strategies depending on group size (Estevez et al, 2007). Our results would suggest that the adoption of a different strategy, when increasing the group size, does not imply a significant variation in the percentage of time spent lying by growing-finishing pigs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Quantitative assessment of the effects of space allowance, group size and floor characteristics on the lying behaviour of growing-finishing pigs

Averós

Brossard

Dourmad

et al. 2010

Animal

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To obtain quantitative information that can be later used in animal welfare modelling, the relationship between the lying behaviour of growing-finishing pigs (initial body weight (BW) between 19 and 87 kg) and different factors related to the housing conditions, with a potential negative effect on their welfare, was studied by means of a meta-analytical approach. Data from 22 experiments reported in 21 scientific publications were collected. The space allowance, expressed on an allometric basis by means of a k-value (m 2 /BW 0.667 ), the group size (n) and the floor characteristics (fully and partly slatted v. non-slatted floor), as well as their significant two-way interactions were used as fixed effects, and the experiment was used as a random factor to take into account the interexperiment effect. Further regression analyses were performed on the predicted values of observations in order to improve the adjustment of data. A significant quadratic relationship was established between space allowance ( k-value, P , 0.05; squared k-value, P , 0.01) and the percentage of time spent lying. A significant interaction between the k-value and the floor type was also found ( P , 0.05), showing that the relationship between space allowance and lying behaviour is affected by the presence or absence of slats. Threshold k-values were obtained using broken-line analyses, being about 0.039 for slatted floors and almost double for non-slatted floors. Compared to other studies, these values suggest that the ability to rest as space availability decreases may be compromised before a reduced performance becomes apparent. Group size did not show a significant effect. Additional information should be added to the model, as further data become available, to adjust the proposed parameters as well as to try to include the effect of other important aspects such as that of ambient temperature.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Quantitative assessment of the effects of space allowance, group size and floor characteristics on the lying behaviour of growing-finishing pigs

Averós

Brossard

Dourmad

et al. 2010

Animal

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“…In both systems the percentage of very thin cows was higher than that obtained by Regula et al (2004) in loose and tie-stall farms in Switzerland and by Ostojic-Andric et al (2011) in Serbia. Besides the fact that the cows loose weight because of the inadequate quality and quantity of the feed, in LHS often the feed-front is too short for the simultaneous feeding of all of the animals (Estevez et al, 2007). Also, the lame cows spend less time in feeding (Gomez and Cook, 2010).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of the Housing System on the Welfare Quality of Dairy Cows

Popescu

Borda

Diugan

et al. 2014

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the housing systems (loose vs tiestall) on the welfare of dairy cows and to test the hypothesis that dairy cows in loose housing systems have a better welfare quality than those kept in tie-stalls. Sixty commercial dairy farms (30 with loose and 30 with tie-stall housing system) were selected for evaluation, using mainly animal-based measures, as the applied Welfare Quality ® protocol allows it. A total number of 2624 milking cows were assessed in the winter period. There were significant differences between the two housing systems for the majority of the parameters within the four welfare principles. Significant differences were also found in terms of the mean scores of the welfare criteria and principles, with the majority pointing out the loose system as better. Based on the scores of the four principles, most of the farms with loose housing were classified as enhanced, while the majority of the tie-stall farms were acceptable. The results show that the welfare quality of dairy cows is greatly influenced by the housing system, and that the loose system is more advantageous when it comes to the feeding, housing and behaviour of the dairy cow.

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“…In particular, DTS for the 100 lux was 1.5 h, and 64% of the time involved one or two hens. Social behavior provides the framework for predictable relationships among members of a group through social dominance (Estevez et al, 2007). Social discriminations are made by hens under the stress of competition (Syme et al, 1983), and animals with higher ranks would have priority of access to resources (Banks et al, 1979).…”

Section: Daily Time Spentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of lighting needs by W-36 laying hens via preference test

Xin

Zhao

et al. 2016

animal

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Light intensity, spectrum and pattern may affect laying hen behaviors and production performance. However, requirements of these lighting parameters from the hens' standpoint are not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate hens' needs for light intensity and circadian rhythm using a light tunnel with five identical compartments each at a different fluorescent light intensity of <1, 5, 15, 30 or 100 lux. The hens were able to move freely among the respective compartments. A group of four W-36 laying hens (23 to 30 weeks of age) were tested each time, and six groups or replicates were conducted. Behaviors of the hens were continuously recorded, yielding data on daily time spent, daily feed intake, daily feeding time, and eggs laid under each light intensity and daily inter-compartment movement. The results show that the hens generally spent more time in lower light intensities. Specifically, the hens spent 6.4 h (45.4%) at 5 lux, 3.0 h (22.1%) at 15 lux, 3.1 h (22.2%) at 30 lux and 1.5 h (10.3%) at 100 lux under light condition; and an accumulation of 10.0 h in darkness (<1 lux) per day. The 10-h dark period was distributed intermittently throughout the day, averaging 25.0 ± 0.4 min per hour. This hourly light-dark rhythm differs from the typical commercial practice of providing continuous dark period for certain part of the day (e.g. 8 h at night). Distributions of daily feed intake (87.3 g/hen) among the different light conditions mirrored the trend of time spent in the respective light intensity, that is, highest at 5 lux (28.4 g/hen, 32.5% daily total) and lowest at 100 lux (5.8 g/hen, 6.7%). Hen-day egg production rate was 96.0%. Most of the eggs were laid in <1 lux (61.9% of total) which was significantly higher than under other light intensities ( P < 0.05). Findings from this study offer insights into preference of fluorescent light intensity by the laying hens. Further studies to assess or verify welfare and performance responses of the hens to the preferred lighting conditions and rhythm over extended periods are recommended.

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Group size, density and social dynamics in farm animals

Cited by 225 publications

References 114 publications

Quantitative assessment of the effects of space allowance, group size and floor characteristics on the lying behaviour of growing-finishing pigs

Quantitative assessment of the effects of space allowance, group size and floor characteristics on the lying behaviour of growing-finishing pigs

The Effect of the Housing System on the Welfare Quality of Dairy Cows

Assessment of lighting needs by W-36 laying hens via preference test

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