Hair coat condition: A valid and reliable indicator for on-farm welfare assessment in adult dairy goats

Battini, M.; Peric, Tanja; Ajuda, Inês; Vieira, A.; Grosso, L.; Barbieri, Sara; Stilwell, George; Prandi, Alberto; Comin, A.; Tubaro, Franco; Mattiello, S.

doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2014.12.009

Cited by 30 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Hair coat condition: this parameter may indicate the existence of pathologies or diseases on animals (BERG et al, 2009). Dairy goats with matted, rough and scurfy hair had lower ECC, deficiency or excess of minerals and increased presence of abnormal sounds in lungs compared to goats with shiny and homogeneous coat (BATTINI et al, 2015).…”

Section: Animal-based Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Indicators to assess goat welfare on-farm in the semiarid region of Brazilian Northeast

2017

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In 2015, AWIN Goat Protocol was published in Europe, with indicators that identify welfare level of lactating dairy goats; however, there are no welfare protocols for meat goat. Therefore, the objective of this study was to select animal and resource-based indicators to assess welfare in meat goat in different types of grazing systems in Brazilian semiarid Northeast. Eighteen indicators were selected to evaluate the welfare of meat goat. The knowledge of the welfare degree of these animals is the best way to make improvements and promote a better quality of life to meat goat.

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Section: Animal-based Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Indicators to assess goat welfare on-farm in the semiarid region of Brazilian Northeast

2017

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“…Much of the research reported to date has used samples excluding hair follicles, using the hair shafts only (eg. Raul et al, 2004;Gonzalez-de-la-Vara et al, 2011;Battini et al, 2015;Keckeis et al, 2012;Vanaelst et al, 2013;Stubsjøen et al, 2015;Salaberger et al, 2016). However, based on the formation of hair in a follicle, the use of hair shafts will not exclude cortisol levels measured to originate from local production in the hair follicle (Keckeis et al, 2012).…”

Section: Associations Between Tbf and Steroids In Hairmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hair cortisol as a biomarker of chronic stress in animals has received increasing attention, and studies have been carried out on for instance cattle, goats and sheep (Gonzalez-de-la-Vara et al, 2011;Battini et al, 2015;Stubsjøen et al, 2015;Salaberger et al, 2016). Hair is a biomaterial that may accumulate GC over weeks to months (Gow et al, 2010) and is thought to be insensitive to the impact of acute stress, including stress caused by handling during sampling procedures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring hair cortisone concentration as a novel tool to assess chronic stress in sheep with tick-borne fever

Stubsjøen

Sørheim

Chincarini

et al. 2018

Small Ruminant Research

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A B S T R A C TTick-borne fever (TBF), caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and transmitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus, has considerable consequences for animal welfare and economy in the sheep industry. Non-invasive, objective methods to quantify chronic stress are needed in order to evaluate the welfare impact of disease. The aim of this study was 1) to evaluate hair cortisol (HC) and hair cortisone (HCn) as biomarkers of chronic stress in sheep with TBF and 2) to test whether there was an association between the development of TBF and concentrations of HC, HCn and faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) and body weight. The experiment took place in an area with a high prevalence of TBF, and thirty lambs were used in the study. Wool samples were collected in Week 0, in Week 3 (before turn out on homeland spring pasture), in Week 6 (before turn out on summer rangeland pasture) and at the end of the summer (Week 15). Faecal samples were collected every week (ie. Week 0-6 and Week 15). Symptoms of TBF developed in 15 lambs, of which all recovered from the disease after treatment with antibiotics. HC levels decreased progressively, and significantly, between Week 0, 3, 6 and 15 (p < 0.001), while HCn only decreased from Week 0 to Week 3 (p < 0.001) and then remained stable between Week 3-15. FCM increased between Week 0 and 5 (p = 0.027), and a significant association was found between increased FCM levels in Week 5 and lambs developing clinical signs of TBF (p = 0.022). We also found an association between lambs developing clinical signs of TBF and elevated HCn levels in Week 6 (p = 0.013). A slightly lower weight gain at later time points (Week 6 and 15) were found in the affected lambs compared to clinically healthy lambs. Our results indicate local production and/or metabolism of glucocorticoids in the hair follicles. This study strengthens our previous finding of a potential merit of hair cortisone as a biomarker of chronic stress in sheep.

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“…Hair coat condition (AWIN 2015;Battini et al 2015b) The number of goats with poor hair coat condition (described as: matted, rough, scurfy, uneven, shaggy hair coat, frequently longer than normal) is identified. The number of kneeling goats (front legs flexed, the rear up) is counted while they are at the feeding rack.…”

Section: G Omentioning

confidence: 99%

Results of testing the prototype of the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats in 30 intensive farms in Northern Italy

Battini

Barbieri

Vieira

et al. 2016

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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The AWIN project aimed at developing an on-farm welfare assessment protocol for adult dairy goats. A prototype protocol was tested in 30 intensive dairy goat farms to evaluate its feasibility in farms of different size. Time for applying the prototype was recorded and any other constraint was taken into account. Moreover, data collected during the prototype testing provided information on the prevalence of welfare issues in intensive dairy goat farms in Northern Italy. The prototype included 25 animal-based indicators (14 group-and 11 individual-level indicators). The prototype showed a good on-farm feasibility and it was highly accepted among stakeholders, as its application did not interfere with the daily routine. Approximately 2 h were required for the application of the prototype. When feeding racks were available, using them for locking the animals during the individual assessment resulted advantageous to speed the data collection and to reduce handling stress to the goats and disturbance to the farmers. Farm size and different management systems influenced the prevalence of some indicators, with small farms in general better welfare conditions compared to larger farms. The results of the present study represent an important starting point to set up an epidemiological database that may lead to improve the welfare status of goats. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Hair coat condition: A valid and reliable indicator for on-farm welfare assessment in adult dairy goats

Cited by 30 publications

References 27 publications

Indicators to assess goat welfare on-farm in the semiarid region of Brazilian Northeast

Indicators to assess goat welfare on-farm in the semiarid region of Brazilian Northeast

Exploring hair cortisone concentration as a novel tool to assess chronic stress in sheep with tick-borne fever

Results of testing the prototype of the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for dairy goats in 30 intensive farms in Northern Italy

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