The Aviary Transect (AT) is a method for assessing welfare in cage-free laying hen flocks, and comprises standardized walks along each aisle screening the flock for selected welfare indicators: feather loss (FL) on head, back, breast, and tail, wounds on head, back, tail, and feet, dirty plumage,...

The vast majority of sheep in Norway are housed indoors during the cold season, most commonly in insulated buildings with expanded metal floors, and grouped in pens with high stocking densities. However, various designs of simple, non-insulated sheds are increasingly being built for this purpose,...

Background: Digital dermatitis (DD) is a contagious bovine foot disease causing painful lesions, lameness, and reduced animal welfare. Previous studies indicate a complex aetiology of the disease. The aim of this study was to compare DD negative and DD positive herds to identify factors associated...

Due to stricter animal welfare regulations, in Norway tie-stalls for dairy cows are banned from 2034 onwards. The aim of this paper is to explore the profitability, risk and agricultural policy consequences associated with the transition from tie-stalls to loose housing. Data on farm economics and...

Based on data from a field survey of 85 Norwegian farms, we aimed to investigate associations of group size, floor space per pig and type of feed with selected welfare- and performance indicators in finishing pigs. On each farm, we registered the number of pigs per pen, floor space per pig (m²),...

Data from research and commercial use of lumpfish were collected from the research facilities of Gifas (Inndyr, Northern Norway, 67.0° N, 14.0° E). The data were sourced from 12 main lumpfish groups subdivided into 66 subgroups (N = 160,729) delivered to Gifas between 2013 and 2020 and used in...

Background: According to the Norwegian animal welfare regulations, it has been forbidden to build new tie-stall barns since the end of 2004. Previous studies have shown that cow performance and health differ between housing systems. The interaction between housing system and herd size with respect...

Few studies have assessed fearfulness and how it relates to feather condition and management strategies in end-of-lay hens housed in commercial aviaries. As aviary housing for laying hens grows with the phasing out of cages, there is a need to ensure the currently used methods of assessing on-farm...

The objective of the present paper was to discuss the design of farrowing pens and present the first production results of the "SowComfort farrowing pen" (SOWCOMF). The biggest difference between this pen and the traditional pen (TRAD) presented in the study, is that SOWCOMF contains a nest area...

Design of the free stall is of major importance to e.g. cleanliness and cow behaviour because the cows spend the majority of their time in the stalls, mostly lying but also standing. To avoid that cows chose to lie other places than in the free stalls, the design has to be such that it is the...