The health and welfare status of Swedish laying hens are favourable in an international perspective. Despite the high stocking density in non-caged hen flocks (7-9 hens/m² available area), increasing flock sizes, longer production periods and limited use of vaccines, the number of disease outbreaks ...

We compared welfare measures of horses among Swedish riding schools (RS) during winter where horses were kept either in group housing (n=8) or in tie-stalls/boxes (n=8), Health data for six previous months were obtained for all horses at each RS from their records. Ten horses per RS were examined,...

The domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) originates from the solitary living African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). However, through domestication, the domestic cat has become more social towards conspecifics and group housing of cats is common, for example in cat shelters in some countries....

Conventional dairy farming practices usually involve early separation of calves from their dams. Cow-calf contact (CCC) systems may offer an alternative rearing solution that allows for the expression of natural behaviours, such as suckling and bonding. However, literature exploring the effects of...

Background: Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare through reducing tail biting. Straw has previously been identified as one of the means of how to raise pigs without tail docking, through improving natural exploratory behaviour. Straw has however been linked...

Although the welfare of farm mink has been debated for decades, the status at mink farms has not previously been reported. Likewise, little is known about the variation in housing conditions and animal responses between mink farms, although relevant for identifying key opportunities and challenges. ...

Two slower-growing hybrids (Rowan Ranger and Hubbard) are currently reared in organic broiler production in Sweden, but knowledge of bird welfare on commercial farms is limited. This study examined chicken behaviour, including free-range use and features of this, in order to enhance knowledge,...

Tail biting is a common issue within commercial pig production. It is mainly an indicator of inadequate housing environment and results in reduced health welfare and production. To reduce the impact of tail biting, pigs are commonly tail docked, without pain relief, within the first week of life....

Reducing piglet mortality is important, often demanding a large part of the working time. The present study aimed to improve. piglet welfare and reduce workload by designing a prototype for free-farrowing sows aiming to influence the behaviour of the sows to simplify suckling for piglets and work...