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...

Various types of partly slatted floor were studied on 4 pig farms; the proportion of solid floor in the stall varied from 40-60% and all the stalls were unheated and naturally ventilated. Alternatives studied were pens with the solid floor directly behind the trough and pens with the slatted floor...

The project Varkens in ComfortClass (Pigs in Comfort Class) is searching for a system of stalls which respects the needs of the fattening pig as much as possible yet is still economically viable for the pig farmer. This study analyses the housing costs of both existing stalls and new stalls built...

This report presents the results of a study of roosting preference of broiler breeders during the laying period, whereby the animals could choose between grids and perches. In addition, the animals could spend the night on the litter, the drinking line or in the laying nest. This experiment was...

Pen designs with partly slatted floors for piglets were compared to find a welfare-acceptable and environmentally friendly design with a clean floor that would prevent ammonia emission. Although pigs prefer a solid floor for lying, Netherlands Animal Health and Welfare Regulations propose a partly ...

A new triangular pen was designed at the Research Institute for Pig Husbandry, Rosmalen, Netherlands, between Apr. 1992 and Mar. 1994, in response to proposed legislation in the Netherlands giving fattening pigs a total surface of ≥0.7 m² per animal. It is very difficult to prevent dirtiness of the ...

In a study at Swine Innovation Centre Sterksel the effect of two weaning procedures on the development of pigs raised in a multi-suckling (MS) system with five sows and their litters was studied. One MS group was weaned abruptly at 4 weeks of age and was subsequently housed in an enriched pen in a...

Five types of grid flooring for farrowing houses were assessed in terms of their effect on animal health and behaviour, and the cleanness of the grid. The floors examined were solid with a small dunging area with grids made from metal, plastic and cast iron. Experimental results are tabulated and...

Experiments were carried out to develop and test pans which are placed below slatted floors in farrowing houses to collect slurry. The aim was to reduce the surface area of the slurry and lower ammonia emissions. The 2 best types (shallow sloped and square) were compared. Ventilation rate, temp....

This report describes the innovation programme "Duurzame konijnenhouderij" [Sustainable rabbit farming] that ran from 2016-2020. The program is an initiative of the farmers group of LTO (the major Dutch farmers organization), supported by the innovation and valorization fund "Topsector Agri &...