The literature concerning the relationship between animal welfare and housing in dairy cattle is reviewed in this article. Dairy cow housing was originally conceived as a temporary shelter when required, depending on climatic conditions, for the more at-risk animals. The increase in productivity in ...

The standard condition of housing in intensive dairy farming is to separate the calf and the mother immediately after birth, and then rear the calves in individual boxes for the entire duration of weaning. However, the harmful effects of social isolation are now recognized in many species, as well...

The attention of the supply chains towards a breeding system more sensitive to the welfare of the animal, is certainly the challenge of our time. Meeting this requirement from the delivery room becomes a goal to which the modern pig company must look.. The aim of this study was to evaluate how...

483 pigs were reared in 18 boxes with partially slatted or slatted floors, or solid floors with a separate defaecation area. Stocking density was 1.0 or 1.4 pigs/m² within each type of flooring. Results on the effects of floor type and stocking density on behavioural traits of the pigs are given in ...

In Italy, National Law (281/1991) prohibits euthanasia of shelter dogs if they are not dangerous or suffering seriously. Adoption rates in rescue shelters are often lower than entrance rates, leading inevitably to overcrowded facilities where animals are likely to spend the rest of their lives in ...

In the swine sector, one of the most discussed topics in terms of animal welfare is the management of sows in traditional farrowing crates during farrowing and lactation; these structures in fact, hinder the movements and the natural behavioral expression of the animal. To cope with this, new...

This article describes the behavioural, welfare and regulatory aspects regarding the design and use of conventional farrowing crates in intensive pig production.

There is often discussion about how to achieve or how to enhance an optimal immune response to improve the health and welfare of cattle. Stress-induced alterations of the immune system are widely recognized as a risk factor in breeding for the onset of diseases and their severity. A stressor can be ...

Under current EU legislation, sows can be kept in gestation stalls for 28 days post-service. However, the success of the European Initiative "End the Cage Age" clearly demands a total ban on the use of cages Furthermore, pregnant sows fight to establish a hierarchy at mixing. This poses welfare and ...