The objective of this study was to obtain variables that enabled estimation of variation in stall occupancy times based on the cow-to-stall ratio. First, stall use by Holstein-Friesian cows was analyzed on 16 farms in Galicia, Northwest Spain, by continuously recording cow behavior for 24 h....

In order to evaluate the welfare of lambs reared up to 4 months of age in different management systems in Europe, nine lamb meat farms (3 in Spain, 2 in Portugal, 1 in Germany, 1 in Slovenia and 2 in Italy) belonging to different production systems (intensive, semi-intensive, semi-extensive,...

The study investigated the effect of farrowing environment on the weaning adaptability of sows and piglets. One farrowing crate (FC) and two farrowing pens with temporary crating (TC: SWAP and JLF15) were compared. Sixty-four sows and 663 piglets were followed until 5 days post-weaning. At weaning...

The aim of this characterization study was to describe several welfare indicators on the farm and find possible difference between the prevalence of hock injuries, body condition (BCS), and hygiene score across 15 free stalls with cubicles (F) and 15 tie stalls (T) dairy cattle farms in...

Animal welfare is difficult to measure, but a combination of physiological, productive and behavioural parameters can provide a good indication of stress levels. The welfare of 96 sows in the dry period was analysed under 3 different housing systems (an outdoor paddock, tied in an indoor partial ...

Rabbits are the third species in terms of number of animals reared for meat production in the world. However, in comparison to other species, very few studies have focused on their welfare. The aim of the present study is to implement an animal welfare-assessment protocol developed through a...

This study aims to review the current available literature regarding circus animals from the perspective of the five domains proposed for evaluating animal welfare to identify the critical points in the use of these animals and understand how circus spectacles affect their mental state and health....

Heat stress accounts for millions of dollars in losses for swine producers worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine and evaluate cortisol and cortisone in hair as indicators of thermal stress in growing pigs reared under high environmental temperatures. The study was carried out in...

The aim of the study is to investigate the reduction of stress in dogs in municipal shelters through easy-to-implement activities, ie, 25-minute sessions of exercise and human contact, that do not require a significant investment in terms of funding, staff or time. The results demonstrate that the...