Societal demands for group housing of social farm animals such as rabbits are increasing due to animal welfare concerns. When breeding does are housed in groups, maternal protective behaviour negatively affects the reproductive performance of the does. In part-time group housing, does are housed in ...

Commercial rabbit farms commonly house breeding does in single-litter cages that generate concerns for animal welfare. Group housing increases the space per animal and allows for more natural behaviour. When housed in group, however, does exhibit aggressive behaviour around parturition and...

Housing is a key factor in animal welfare as it determines whether or not cows spend time in a comfortable living place. Appropriate housing results in healthy cows living in a comfortable barn, optimizing production and reproduction. This article reviews some critical points of housing dairy...

The ban by 2013 in the EU of individual accommodations for gestating sows and the renewed interest for litter systems could promote in the future the group-housing of gestating sows on litter. But what are the environmental impacts of this rearing technique? To answer this question, a study was...

There is a global move from individual to group housing of gestating sows. In the European Union, individual gestating stalls will be banned by 2013. Just like in other industrialized regions, these stalls have been the standard housing system for intensively kept sows from the 1960s onward in the...

In the light of the EU ban on individual confinement of gestating sows which will have to be fully implemented by 2013, a survey was conducted among a representative sample of Flemish pig producers. The questionnaire was sent by post to 250 farmers in 2003 and 352 farmers in 2005 of which 219 and...

As of 2012, the EU has banned the use of conventional cages (CC) for laying hens, causing a shift in housing systems. This study's aim was to gain insight into farmers' opinions on hen health and welfare in their current housing systems. A survey was sent to 218 Belgian egg farmers, of which 127...

Claw lesions and lameness in sows are an important welfare concern as well as a cause of considerable economic loss. These problems are more common in group housing than in individual housing systems. Given that group housing for gestating sows will become mandatory in the EU from 2013 onwards, the ...

Aviary systems for laying hens offer space and opportunities to perform natural behaviors. However, hen welfare can be impaired due to increased risk for keel bone and foot pad disorders in those systems. This cross-sectional study (N=47 flocks) aimed to assess prevalences of keel bone and foot pad ...

On 1 January 2012, conventional cages for laying hens were banned in the European Union (EU); all egg farmers must now use alternative hen housing systems. In total, 218 Flemish egg farmers were surveyed in 2013 to 2014 regarding which housing systems they currently use, their degree of...