Reproduction

Includes breeding; fertility; gestation; parturition; and contraception.

Plush, K., Lines, D., Staveley, L. et al. 2024. A five domains assessment of sow welfare in a novel free farrowing system. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11.

The Maternity Ring was developed as a free farrowing alternative to crates that preserved space whilst providing the sow with unrestricted movement. This experiment aimed to apply the Five Domains model to assess sow welfare...

Olsen, H. E., Vogel, K. D., Creutzinger, K. C. 2024. Use of a calving blind that imitates a natural environment. Animals 14(8), 1171.

Many indoor-housed cows isolate at calving when given the opportunity, and calving behaviors vary by blind and pen design. The objectives of this study were to determine if cows preferred calving in a visibly separated...

Barrett, L., Maloney, S. K., Blache, D. 2023. Pekin ducks are motivated to lay in their preferred nest substrate. Animal Welfare 32, e28.

Nest design is one factor contributing to floor-laying in farmed poultry. We investigated: (i) if ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) prefer a particular nest substrate; and (ii) how important that preference is to them, indicated by stress-induced...