In the Netherlands, the welfare of farmed fish is subject of growing public and governmental concern. Comparable to concerns regarding the intensity of terrestrial livestock production, stocking densities applied in fish farming have been highlighted as an important area of welfare concern. The...

In this study the circumstances of horse husbandry in a region of Western Germany were gathered under aspects of animal welfare. For this reason a questionnaire based on recommendations and guidelines was created. Within the study 83 horse-keeping farms and 1580 horses were recorded. Results:...

Premating period is often associated with intense stress for sows in commercial production systems, due to the change of management, diet, facilities, among others. Most sows during the premating period are kept in crates, which challenge their welfare with an increase in cortisol release, altering ...

Observations were made at 3 farms on gilts and sows penned individually or group-housed. On 1 farm, sows group-housed for 1 reproductive cycle were penned individually for the next cycle, and vice versa. The females housed individually showed more contact-seeking activity (P<0.01) and stronger reaction to the observer during oestrus than group-housed females ,...

Current pig production systems, combined with advanced genetic improvement programs, have brought numerous productive and health gains to the industry. However, the species' natural behavioral repertoire, which is important for maintaining good animal welfare, is rarely prioritized in commercial...

Innovation in animal production has been increasingly demanded by consumers. In the field of egg production, the greatest demand is for eggs coming from alternative systems to traditional cages, mostly from the trends observed in Europe, and thus, research highlighting the Brazilian reality is...

In Brazil, the intensive confinement system prevails for male breeding pigs, causing stressful situations that can trigger changes throughout their organism, reflecting on reproductive characteristics. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate whether housing in environmental conditions with more space...

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...

In view of the increased adoption of non-insulated fattening houses for pigs, effects of various housing systems on pig production and welfare were examined on 10 farms in Switzerland with a total of 12 pig houses (4 of the Krieger system (non-insulated), 2 with kennels (non-insulated), 3 with...

Common sole (Solea solea) has a high potential for commercial aquaculture because of its consumer popularity and high market values in Europe. However, a major economic constraint for the culture of sole is its slow and variable growth. The aim of this thesis was to investigate: (1) the importance...