The housing of sows during gestation, farrowing and lactation is one of the most controversial animal welfare issues in livestock production. From 2017, the Australian Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Pigs will limit the duration of housing of gestating sows in gestation stall to ...

Barn production systems in Australia are either an indoor-housing floor system or an aviary system with multilevel structures, equipped with nesting boxes, perches and feeding and watering systems. These systems offer hens the freedom of movement and an opportunity to display a repertoire of...

Free-range laying hen systems are increasing within Australia and research is needed to determine optimal outdoor stocking densities. Six small (n=150 hens) experimental flocks of ISA Brown laying hens were housed with access to ranges simulating one of three outdoor stocking densities with two pen ...

Despite being phased out in the EU, several states in the USA and other select countries such as Australia, gestation stalls remains a common sow housing system worldwide. In Canada, the 2014 Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs permits the operation of existing stall barns, provided...

Baseline information on demographics and practices on semi-intensive free-range egg farms with an outdoor stocking density of ≤1500 hens/hectare in Australia is presented. Free-range egg production is changing the structure of the egg industry in Australia and a broad variety and tiers of...

Free-range laying hen housing systems are prevalent in Australia and perceived by consumers to provide greater opportunities for the expression of natural behaviour resulting in higher hen welfare. However, all housing systems have both benefits and risks and scientific evidence is needed on the ...

In Australia, free-range pullets are typically reared indoors, which may hinder later adjustment to outdoor access. Rearing enrichments could optimise pullet development. Hy-Line Brown® chicks (n = 1700) were reared indoors across 16 weeks with 3 enrichment treatments: (1) a standard control; (2)...

Canine behaviour assessments are commonly used in shelters to identify behaviour problems in dogs prior to adoption. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether kennel monitoring of dogs could identify early signs of behaviour problems, thereby facilitating early intervention and better...

A recent review of the code of practice for pigs brought attention to the question of how to assess the impact of housing conditions on pig welfare. The stance adopted by the law-makers, which mirrors that of industry, is that the status quo should be maintained until there is irrefutable...

It has been proposed that terminology on commercially available eggs can impact the manner in which the eggs are discussed and ultimately consumer support. In this paper we tested if the label of 'furnished cage' eggs is a barrier for its support in Australia. Furthermore, we examined if...