Suspected aerosol transmission of swine pathogens: A field case.

A swine production system had 3 sections located a few kilometers apart. Sections A and C contained several thousand sows and nursery and finishing pigs. Section B, located between the other 2 sections, was the smallest and had 6 finishing sites and 2 sow sites. The entire system was infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Section B was depopulated, cleaned, disinfected, and repopulated with negative gilts. Despite extreme measures, recontamination occurred for each pathogen, with aerosol considered the most plausible contamination source.

Transmission suspectée d'agents pathogènes porcins par aérosol : un cas de terrainUn système de production porcine comportait 3 sections situées à quelques kilomètres l'une de l'autre. Les sections A et C contenaient plusieurs milliers de truies et de porcs en maternité et en finition. La section B, située entre les 2 autres sections, était la plus petite et comptait 6 sites de finition et 2 sites de truies. L'ensemble du système était infecté par le virus du syndrome reproducteur et respiratoire porcin, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae et Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. La section B a été dépeuplée, nettoyée, désinfectée et repeuplée de cochettes négatives. Malgré des mesures extrêmes, une recontamination s'est produite pour chaque agent pathogène, les aérosols étant considérés comme la source de contamination la plus plausible.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Breeding practice of indigenous village chickens, and traits and breed preferences of smallholder farmers.

BACKGROUND: Indigenous village chickens, or (IVCs), significantly contribute to rural livelihoods. Although natural selection has a disproportionate impact on the genetic structure of IVCs, farmers have developed locally tailored breeding practices to get the most out of their flocks. OBJECTIVES: Small-scale farmers' insights on trait breed preferences and family flock breeding practices are presented in this cross-sectional study. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two agroecological zones using face-to-face individual interviews with 119 general informants. RESULTS: Farmers prefer IVCs because they are multipurpose birds. Unlike policymakers, who usually underestimate the importance of IVCs, small-scale farmers acknowledge the coexistence of local and commercial chickens. Only 15.7% of farmers recruited homegrown cocks, whereas 47.9% outsourced breeding cocks from local markets and 36.4% from neighbours (χ-squared = 15.976, df = 2, p = 0.0003395). About 49.2% of small-scale farmers believed that consanguineous mating-induced inbreeding has only trivial effects. High flock turnover significantly reduces inbreeding. Regardless of the low production capacity, small-scale farmers prefer local (rank = 1.47) chickens to commercial (rank = 1.61). For cocks, fertility and growth traits were highly sought after, whereas for hens, maternal instincts and laying performance were prioritized. Compared to the highlands, the lowlands had a longer egg storage period (t = 2.677, df = 117, p = 0.009, 95% CI: -3.7607, -0.5622). CONCLUSIONS: This study documented the wisdom of small-scale farmers and encouraged the incorporation of their insights into a sustainable genetic improvement program.

Awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel.

Seasonal scarcity of quality feed continues to be a bottleneck for agro-pastoralists and is the most important limitation to livestock production in agro-pastoral systems in the West African Sahel. In this regard, diverse promising technologies to increase the production and availability of quality feed have been introduced. Despite the introduction of various feed technologies in the region, the adoption rate by smallholder farmers is very low. The objective of this study was to identify factors affecting the likelihood of using improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in two regions of Niger. A logit model was employed using data collected from randomly selected 218 agro-pastoral households between February and April 2023. The study revealed low awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households. The findings suggested the positive impact of education level, membership of farmer groups and ownership of small ruminant on enhancing the probability of using improved livestock feed technologies. Households' geographical area was one of the determinant factors in using improved livestock feed technologies. The use of improved livestock feed technologies was also influenced by family size. The study provides guidance to inform strategies by the decision-makers to enhance the utilization of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel. Suggested strategies may in turn alleviate the current problem of low productivity of livestock, contribute to improving household food security and nutrition among agro-pastoral communities.

Survey assessing foot trimmer involvement in managing lameness in UK beef cattle.

BACKGROUND: Cattle lameness is a significant welfare and economic problem facing the livestock industry. Published research has investigated foot trimming practices in dairy herds, but little is known about the practices in beef herds. Therefore, the objective of this study was to obtain information about the current practices of professional cattle foot trimmers concerning beef cattle within the UK. METHODS: An online survey comprising 16 questions was created using the Joint Information Systems Committee platform. The survey was open for 3 months. RESULTS: There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the proportions of dairy cattle and beef cattle receiving preventative foot trims. Digital dermatitis was the most commonly recorded cause of lameness when a lame beef animal was trimmed by the respondents, followed by white line disease. A thematic analysis of foot trimmers' opinions of barriers to engagement on beef farms is presented, in addition to their opinions on veterinary involvement with beef lameness. LIMITATIONS: Distribution bias may have affected the results, as the survey was distributed online with support from the Cattle Hoof Care Standards Board and the National Association of Cattle Hoof Trimmers. The percentage of foot trimmers not affiliated with either professional body is not known. CONCLUSION: Further research on the impact of lameness on suckler and finishing cattle, including investigations into preventative actions to reduce lameness in beef systems, is warranted.

Leveraging browse and grazing forage estimates to optimize index-based livestock insurance.

African pastoralists suffer recurrent droughts that cause high livestock mortality and vulnerability to climate change. The index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) program offers protection against drought impacts. However, the current IBLI design relying on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) may pose limitation because it does not consider the mixed composition of rangelands (including herbaceous and woody plants) and the diverse feeding habits of grazers and browsers. To enhance IBLI, we assessed the efficacy of utilizing distinct browse and grazing forage estimates from woody LAI (LAIW) and herbaceous LAI (LAIH), respectively, derived from aggregate leaf area index (LAIA), as an alternative to NDVI for refined IBLI design. Using historical livestock mortality data from northern Kenya as reference ground dataset, our analysis compared two competing models for (1) aggregate forage estimates including sub-models for NDVI, LAI (LAIA); and (2) partitioned biomass model (LAIP) comprising LAIH and LAIW. By integrating forage estimates with ancillary environmental variables, we found that LAIP, with separate forage estimates, outperformed the aggregate models. For total livestock mortality, LAIP yielded the lowest RMSE (5.9 TLUs) and higher R2 (0.83), surpassing NDVI and LAIA models RMSE (9.3 TLUs) and R2 (0.6). A similar pattern was observed for species-specific livestock mortality. The influence of environmental variables across the models varied, depending on level of mortality aggregation or separation. Overall, forage availability was consistently the most influential variable, with species-specific models showing the different forage preferences in various animal types. These results suggest that deriving distinct browse and grazing forage estimates from LAIP has the potential to reduce basis risk by enhancing IBLI index accuracy.

Surface water monitoring of chemicals associated with animal husbandry in an agricultural region in the Netherlands using passive sampling.

Compounds originating from animal husbandry can pollute surface water through the application of manure to soil. Typically, grab sampling is employed to detect these residues, which only provides information on the concentration at the time of sampling. To better understand the emission patterns of these compounds, we utilized passive samplers in surface water to collect data at eight locations in a Dutch agricultural region, during different time intervals. As a passive sampler, we chose the integrative-based Speedisk® hydrophilic DVB. In total, we targeted 46 compounds, among which 25 antibiotics, three hormones, nine antiparasitics, and nine disinfectants. From these 46 compounds, 22 compounds accumulated in passive samplers in amounts above the limit of quantification in at least one sampling location. Over the 12-week deployment period, a time integrative uptake pattern was identified in 53% of the examined cases, with the remaining 47% not displaying this behavior. The occurrences without this behavior were primarily associated with specific location, particularly the most upstream location, or specific compounds. Our findings suggest that the proposed use of passive samplers, when compared in this limited context to traditional grab sampling, may provide enhanced efficiency and potentially enable the detection of a wider array of compounds. In fact, a number of compounds originating from animal husbandry activities were quantified for the first time in Dutch surface waters, such as flubendazole, florfenicol, and tilmicosine. The set-up of the sampling campaign also allowed to distinguish between different pollution levels during sampling intervals on the same location. This aspect gains particular significance when considering the utilization of different compounds on various occasions, hence, it has the potential to strengthen ongoing monitoring and mitigation efforts.

Strategic control of the cattle tick Rhipicephlaus microplus applied to rotational and silvopastoral grazing systems in subtropical areas.

This work evaluated if strategic control based on no more than three or four annual treatments is useful to control Rhipicephalus microplus infestations on cattle when it is applied to intensive rotational grazing and silvopastoral systems with high stocking rates in subtropical areas. In the intensive rotational grazing system, three annual treatments with chemical acaricides were applied on cattle in two different schemes: between spring and early summer and from late winter and late spring. Strategic control based on three treatments with chemical acaricides from late winter to late spring plus an additional fourth treatment in summer was tested in the silvopastoral system. In the intensive rotational grazing systems, the control schemes allow to reach a significant reduction in the tick load on cattle considering a time interval from spring to autumn. However, the efficacy levels were not high enough in some specific moments, namely, the tick counts of summer and autumn (there were not significant differences between treated and control groups). The scheme evaluated in the silvopastoral grazing system yielded better results than those tested for the intensive rotational system, because significant differences in tick load between treated and control groups were observed in all post-treatment counts and when the analysis was performed for the whole study period. However, values of efficacy in the count-by-count comparison were disparate, ranging from 64.1 to 99.7. Although the efficacy values obtained in the silvopastoral system were better than those of the rotational grazing systems, the total tick load on treated cattle in autumn was not low enough (mean abundance values 25.14 and 38.14). Ticks were more evenly distributed among hosts in late summer and autumn than in spring or early summer, where few hosts carry most of the ticks. Some management strategies as intensive rotational systems or silvopastoral structures can lead to a more efficient forage use, but they imply greater tick challenge than in extensive grazing systems. In these situations, the schemes of strategic control bases on three or four annual treatments should be complemented with additional tactical treatments in late summer or autumn.

Knowledge, attitudes, practices and risk perception of cattle farmers in Namibia to antibiotic use and resistance.

The misuse of antibiotics in livestock contributes to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria of animal origin is of public health concern since drug resistant pathogens in animals can spread to humans. Several countries have therefore introduced regulations to restrict the use of antibiotics in livestock. Namibia was the first African country to ban the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and restrict the use of antibiotics to the treatment of bacterial diseases with a prescription from a veterinarian. However, there are limited studies on antibiotic stewardship among farmers in the country. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic awareness and usage of cattle farmers in Oshikoto region Namibia. A questionnaire on antibiotic knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) was administered to 274 randomly selected cattle farmers in Namibia. To calculate the KAP scores, one mark was awarded for each correct answer and zero was awarded for incorrect or unsure responses. Respondents having ≥ 50% correct answers were considered as having good KAP scores. The KAP score ranged from 8 to 73%. Forty-three per cent of the respondents had good KAP scores. Good KAP was associated with age, farm type and education status. Semi-commercial/commercial farmers had significantly better KAP than post and homestead farmers. The findings of this study indicate that there is a need to improve antibiotic usage and resistance education programmes in order to promote rational antibiotic usage.

Sero-epidemiology of bluetongue in ruminants raised on private holdings in North-Western Pakistan.

This study investigated the sero-epidemiology of bluetongue in ruminants in North-Western Pakistan. A total of 3,173 serum samples were collected from small (n = 1,651) and large (n = 1,522) ruminants being reared by farmers in 14 districts. Antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV) were detected using competitive ELISA. The overall prevalence of BTV antibodies was 65%. A significant association (P < 0.05) between the prevalence of BTV antibodies and the risk factors including sex, species, age, area, husbandry practices and breed was shown by univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, the seroprevalence was 6.5 (95% CL = 3.7-11.4), 5.9 (95% CL = 3.8-9.4) and 2.4 (95% CL = 1.5-3.7) times higher in buffaloes, cattle and goats than sheep, respectively. The seroprevalence was 1.4 (95% CL = 1.1-1.7) times higher in local breeds than in cross/exotic breeds. The seroprevalence was 1.6 (95% CL = 1.1 to 2.3) times higher in sedentary animals than in nomadic animals. The seroprevalence was significantly associated with age. Further work is required to determine the BTV serotypes prevalent in the study area for effective control of the disease.

Unveiling the power of proteomics in advancing tropical animal health and production.

Proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins in biological systems has emerged as a pivotal tool in the field of animal and veterinary sciences, mainly for investigating local and rustic breeds. Proteomics provides valuable insights into biological processes underlying animal growth, reproduction, health, and disease. In this review, we highlight the key proteomics technologies, methodologies, and their applications in domestic animals, particularly in the tropical context. We also discuss advances in proteomics research, including integration of multi-omics data, single-cell proteomics, and proteogenomics, all of which are promising for improving animal health, adaptation, welfare, and productivity. However, proteomics research in domestic animals faces challenges, such as sample preparation variation, data quality control, privacy and ethical considerations relating to animal welfare. We also provide recommendations for overcoming these challenges, emphasizing the importance of following best practices in sample preparation, data quality control, and ethical compliance. We therefore aim for this review to harness the full potential of proteomics in advancing our understanding of animal biology and ultimately improve animal health and productivity in local breeds of diverse animal species in a tropical context.

Testing and characterization of herding dogs' behaviors.

Breeding for phenotype in herding dogs (HDs) mainly relies on their performance in national field trial competitions, which has been shown to be inadequate for identifying HDs suited for real livestock farming conditions. In this study, a different field trial with a new scoring system consisting of 28 items to consider was designed to assess young HDs, the results of which culminated in a statement of adequate phenotype (AP) or non-adequate phenotype (NAP). An AP HD was defined as being able: to control the direction of a flock, to keep it grouped close to a handler when needed, to confront animals it is dealing with in a respectful manner, and able to create movement of the flock without excessive disturbance, threatening or attacking it through chasing, or uncontrolled biting. This innovative trial is composed of a pre-test (PT) and a test (T) phase. To evaluate its efficiency in detecting AP/NAP, 460 French Border Collies aged between 8 and 24 mo, underwent the trial. Its average duration (PT + T) was 3 min and 16 s (SD = 26 s). According to experts' assessments (Gold Standard), 16.5% of tested HD reached an AP score, and the Idele scoring system correctly identified 93.3% of them (sensitivity). Specificity and accuracy values were of 96.1% and 95.7%, respectively (P value < 0.0004). Recursive feature elimination identified 25 of the 118 features (categories of items) from the scoring system as significant predictors of AP/NAP. An AP HD was statistically defined as a dog who completed the PT and T phases, showed keenness, correct position in relation to the handler, and absence of prey drive. Four environmental effects significantly influenced AP/NAP: the field trial session, the owner's experience with HDs, the conditions of the HD's first contact with livestock, and the type of livestock with which the HD is accustomed to working (P-values <0.0005, <0.05, <0.05, and <0.007, respectively). Inter-evaluator agreement was substantial (0.70). The field trial proved to be a short, easily implemented, standardized, reproducible method for detecting AP/NAP. Hence, the field trial and its scoring system could provide a basis for a breeding program based on phenotype pending additional testing of HDs and genetic analyses.

Herding dogs are extremely useful in handling all types of livestock. They are selectively bred for success in herding dog competitions, but the abilities which that to success in these are not always the same as those needed on a farm. To produce efficient herding dogs, other abilities therefore needed to be tested, via new trials. So, a new field trial, with a specific scoring system, was set up and tried out using 460 young French Border Collies, with the aim of correctly assessing herding dogs that would be fully adapted to French farmers' needs. This corresponded to an "Adequate Phenotype". A herding dog with an adequate phenotype was defined as being able: to control the direction of a flock, to keep it grouped close to the handler when needed, to confront the animals it is dealing with in a respectful manner, and able to create movement of the flock without excessive disturbance, threatening or attacking through chasing or uncontrolled biting. The new protocol was found efficient in detecting such herding dogs. Moreover, it was easy to set up, short, standardized, and reproducible.

A Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) study on sheep owners regarding fasciolosis in northwest of Tunisia.

Fasciolosis is a worldwide zoonotic snail-borne infection that affects ruminants, it causes high economic losses among livestock. A participatory epidemiological survey was conducted on 204 sheep owners of Sejnane region (District of Bizerte, Northwest Tunisia) to assess their knowledge, attitude and practice regarding fasciolosis. All interviewed sheep owners are aware of this parasitic infection (100%, 204/204), among them, 81% (165/204) reported history of clinical cases in their sheep flocks. According to 33.73% (113/335) of them, sheep get infected by fasciolosis mainly by grazing in wet areas, 79.9% (163/204) of these farmers think that wet climate is the most favourable for the infection. Weight loss (28.40%, 121/426) and submandibular oedema (20.42%, 87/426) are the main clinical signs of fasciolosis cited by interviewed sheep owners and the majority of them (98.53%; 201/204) confirmed that fasciolosis causes significant economic losses. Fasciolosis infection persists in Sejnane region despite the use of antiparasitic drugs, this is due mainly to the fact that animals graze in moist grass (39.88%, 132/331). Treat animals (51.47%, 193/375), prohibit grazing on moist grass (15.20%, 57/357), prohibit grazing on wet soils (14.33%, 53/357) and avoid pastures (10.93%, 41/357) are the main prevention measures cited by interviewed sheep owners. Only 18,14% (37/204) of responders knew that fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease. These results could be considered by animal health decision makers and field veterinarians when implementing control programmes in order to increase breeders' knowledge of fasciolosis.

Internal Organ Colonization by Salmonella Enteritidis in Layer Pullets Infected at Two Different Ages During Rearing in Cage-Free Housing.

The poultry-housing environment plays a significant role in the transmission and persistence of the egg-associated pathogen Salmonella Enteritidis in laying flocks. The commercial egg industry is in the midst of a transition toward cage-free housing, but the food safety ramifications of this shift are not yet certain. The present study assessed internal organ colonization by Salmonella Enteritidis in layer pullets reared in cage-free housing and infected at two different ages. Groups of 280 pullets were transferred from the rearing facility (at 9 wk of age in one trial and 15 wk in another) to a containment facility with four isolation rooms simulating commercial cage-free barns with perches and nest boxes (70 birds/room). Twenty-four pullets in each room were orally inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis immediately after placement in the containment facility. At 1-2 wk postinoculation in each trial, samples of liver, spleen, and intestinal tract were collected from all birds in two rooms for bacteriologic culturing to detect Salmonella Enteritidis. At 21-22 wk of age, samples of spleen, ovary, and intestinal tract were similarly collected and tested from all birds in the remaining two rooms. Among samples collected at 1-2 wk postinoculation, Salmonella Enteritidis was isolated significantly more often from groups of pullets infected initially at 15 wk of age than from those infected at 9 wk (61% vs. 38% of livers, 59% vs. 31% of spleens, and 84% vs. 57% of intestines). Among samples collected at 21-22 wk of age, the frequency of recovery of Salmonella Enteritidis was again significantly greater in birds infected at 15 wk of age than in those infected at 9 wk (16% vs. 6% of spleens, 9% vs. 1% of ovaries, and 26% vs. 10% of intestines). These data suggest that Salmonella Enteritidis infections introduced into flocks during the later stages of pullet rearing have greater potential to persist into the early phase of egg production.

Nota de investigación- Colonización de órganos internos por Salmonella Enteritidis en pollitas de postura infectadas en dos edades diferentes durante la crianza en alojamiento sin jaulas. El ambiente en alojamientos avícolas juega un papel importante en la transmisión y persistencia del patógeno asociado a los huevos Salmonella Enteritidis en parvadas postura. La industria comercial del huevo se encuentra en medio de una transición hacia alojamientos sin jaulas, pero las ramificaciones de este cambio en la seguridad alimentaria aún no están determinadas. El presente estudio evaluó la colonización de órganos internos por Salmonella Enteritidis en pollitas de postura criadas en alojamientos sin jaulas e infectadas a dos edades diferentes. Se transfirieron grupos de 280 pollitas desde las instalaciones de cría (a las 9 semanas de edad en un ensayo y a las 15 semanas en un segundo ensayo) a una instalación de contención con cuatro salas de aislamiento que simulaban alojamientos comerciales sin jaulas con perchas y nidos (70 aves/sala). Veinticuatro pollitas en cada sala fueron inoculadas oralmente con Salmonella Enteritidis inmediatamente después de su colocación en la instalación de contención. En cada ensayo, de una a dos semanas después de la inoculación, se recolectaron muestras de hígado, bazo y tracto intestinal para cultivo bacteriológico de todas las aves en dos salas para detectar Salmonella Enteritidis. A las 21-22 semanas de edad, se recolectaron y analizaron de manera similar muestras de bazo, ovario y tracto intestinal de todas las aves en las dos salas restantes. Entre las muestras recolectadas entre una y dos semanas después de la inoculación, Salmonella Enteritidis se aisló significativamente con mayor frecuencia en grupos de pollitas infectadas inicialmente a las 15 semanas de edad que en aquellas infectadas a las 9 semanas (61% contra 38 % en los hígados, 59% contra 31% de bazos y 84 % contra 57% en intestinos). Entre las muestras recolectadas a las 21-22 semanas de edad, la frecuencia de recuperación de Salmonella Enteritidis fue nuevamente significativamente mayor en aves infectadas a las 15 semanas de edad que en aquellas infectadas a las 9 semanas (16% contra 6% de bazos, 9% contra 1% en ovarios y 26% contra 10% de los intestinos). Estos datos sugieren que las infecciones por Salmonella Enteritidis introducidas en las parvadas durante las últimas etapas de la cría de pollitas tienen un mayor potencial para persistir en la fase inicial de la producción de huevos.

A meta-analysis of probiotic interventions to mitigate ruminal methane emissions in cattle: implications for sustainable livestock farming.

In recent years, the significant impact of ruminants on methane emissions has garnered international attention. While dietary strategies have been implemented to solve this issue, probiotics gained the attention of researchers due to their sustainability. However, it is challenging to ascertain their effectiveness as an extensive range of strains and doses have been reported in the literature. Hence, the objective of this experiment was to perform a meta-analysis of probiotic interventions aiming to reduce ruminal methane emissions from cattle. From 362 articles retrieved from scientific databases, 85 articles were assessed independently by two reviewers, and 20 articles representing 49 comparisons were found eligible for meta-analysis. In each study, data such as mean, SD, and sample sizes of both the control and probiotic intervention groups were extracted. The outcomes of interest were methane emission, methane yield, and methane intensity. For the meta-analysis, effect sizes were pooled using a fixed effect or a random effect model depending on the heterogeneity. Afterward, sensitivity analyses were conducted to confirm the robustness of the findings. Overall pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) with their confidence intervals (CIs) did not detect significant differences in methane emission (SMD = -0.04; 95% CI = -0.18-0.11; P = 0.632), methane yield (SMD = -0.08; 95% CI = -0.24-0.07; P = 0.291), and methane intensity (SMD = -0.22; 95% CI = -0.50-0.07; P = 0.129) between cattle supplemented with probiotics and the control group. However, subgroup analyses revealed that multiple-strain bacterial probiotics (SMD = -0.36; 95% CI = -0.62 to -0.11; P = 0.005), specifically the combination of bacteria involved in reductive acetogenesis and propionate production (SMD = -0.71; 95% CI = -1.04 to -0.36; P = 0.001), emerged as better interventions. Likewise, crossbreeds (SMD = -0.48; 95% CI = -0.78 to -0.18; P = 0.001) exhibited a more favorable response to the treatments. Furthermore, meta-regression demonstrated that longer periods of supplementation led to significant reductions in methane emissions (P = 0.001), yield (P = 0.032), and intensity (P = 0.012) effect sizes. Overall, the results of the current study suggest that cattle responses to probiotic interventions are highly dependent on the probiotic category. Therefore, extended trials performed with probiotics containing multiple bacterial strains are showing the most promising results. Ideally, further trials focusing on the use of probiotics to reduce ruminal methane in cattle should be conducted to complete the available literature.

Exploring individual responses to welfare issues in growing-finishing pig feeding behaviour.

The feeding behaviour of individual growing-finishing pigs can be continuously monitored using sensors such as electronic feeding stations (EFSs), and this could be further used to monitor pig welfare. To make accurate conclusions about individual pig welfare, however, it is important to know whether deviations in feeding behaviour in response to welfare issues are shown only on average or by each individual pig. Therefore, this study aimed (1) to quantify the individual variation in feeding behaviour changes in response to a range of welfare issues, and (2) to explain this individual variation by quantifying the responses to welfare issues for specific subgroups of pigs. We monitored four rounds of 110 growing-finishing pigs each (3-4 months per round). We collected feeding behaviour data using IVOG® EFSs and identified health issues and heat stress using climate sensors and twice-weekly health observations. For each pig, a generalised additive model was fitted, which modelled feeding behaviour through time and estimated the effect of each welfare issue that the pig had suffered from. The range of these effect estimates was compared between pigs to study the individual variation in responses. Subsequently, pigs were repeatedly grouped using physical and feeding characteristics, and, with meta-subset analysis, it was determined for each group whether a deviation in response to the welfare issue (i.e. their combined effect estimates) was present. We found that the range in effect estimates was very large, approaching normal distributions for most combinations of welfare issues and feeding variables. This indicates that most pigs did not show feeding behaviour deviations during the welfare issue, while those that did could show both increases and reductions. One exception was heat stress, for which almost all pigs showed reductions in their feed intake, feeding duration and feeding frequency. When looking at subgroups of pigs, it was seen that especially for lameness and tail damage pigs with certain physical characteristics or feeding strategies did consistently deviate on some feeding components during welfare issues (e.g. only relatively heavier pigs reduced their feeding frequency during lameness). In conclusion, while detection of individual pigs suffering from heat stress using feeding variables should be feasible, detection of (mild) health issues would be difficult due to pigs responding differently, if at all, to a given health issue. For some pigs with specific physical or behavioural characteristics, nevertheless, detection of some health issues, such as lameness or tail damage, may be possible.

Impact of farrowing system and prepartum nest-building material on nest-building behaviour and farrowing in sows.

Farrowing crates are widely used as the main housing system for farrowing and lactating sows on commercial farms although they have a negative impact on sow welfare and behaviour. One of the main reasons for using farrowing crates is to reduce piglet mortality during farrowing and lactation. We compared the effects of temporary crating (TC) versus free farrowing (FF) with different nest-building materials on production and welfare measures. Sows were investigated using a 2 × 3 factorial design. Sows were allocated to two farrowing treatments: FF sows were not crated around farrowing, and TC sows were crated from 2 days before expected farrowing until 3 days after farrowing, when the crate was opened. In both farrowing treatments, the nest-building material was given from 7 days prior to farrowing as follows: (1) 1 L of straw twice per day, (2) 1 sheet of newspaper twice per day or (3) fastened jute fabric to the farrowing crate. The study consisted of two parts; part 1 included a total of 87 sows for data on piglet mortality and growth, and part 2 included data on nest-building and farrowing behaviour from a subset of these sows (n = 34). Farrowing treatment affected piglet mortality; FF sows had a lower number of stillborn piglets than TC sows (P = 0.04), but the number of crushed piglets was higher (P < 0.01). Nest-building material tended to have an impact on total number of crushed piglets (P = 0.08) and piglets that died during 3 days of lactation (P = 0.09). Litter growth was better in the FF group than in the TC group from piglet age of 1 day to 3 weeks (P = 0.04). Overall, little nest-building-related behaviour occurred, probably due to the small amount of nest-building material. The usability of the nest-building material varied with farrowing treatment; FF sows used newspaper most for nest-building, while TC sows used straw and jute fabric (P = 0.01). There were no differences in the piglet birth intervals or the farrowing duration. In conclusion, free farrowing can have positive effects on piglet growth but negative effects on piglet survival in early lactation. Different nest-building materials have different effects depending on the type of farrowing system.

Exploring the impact of biosecurity measures on somatic cell score in mountain dairy farms considering the CLASSYFARM system.

Biosecurity plays a crucial role in preventing the introduction of infectious diseases to a herd as well as the spread of diseases within or between animals and herds. In particular, biosecurity measures are crucial for maintaining animal health and reducing the need for the application of antibiotic substances for fighting the rising antibiotic resistance. The object of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the presence of biosecurity measures and their association with milk quality parameters, with a special focus on somatic cell count (SCC) - an indicator for udder health -, in small-scale mountain dairy farms. Therefore, for the very first time, the CLASSYFARM system was considered, which is a computer platform integrated into the Italian national veterinary portal, that processes a significant amount of data from various sources collected in the field or from other information systems (e.g. animal welfare, health status, biosecurity, antimicrobial use, slaughterhouse information). A total of 169 dairy farms were included in the study. Biosecurity measures, based on 15 questions required in the CLASSYFARM welfare assessment protocol, as well as information about husbandry systems, milking systems and pasture practices were gathered and combined with milk yield data, provided by the South Tyrolean dairy association. Farms only scored 44.00 points on average in a scoring system from 0.00 to 100.00 points that was be able to summarize 15 different biosecurity measures in one index. Our results show a clear negative correlation (-0.713) between the biosecurity index and somatic cell score (SCS) indicating that a higher level of biosecurity, which reflects the presence of biosecurity measures within a farm, is associated with lower SCC levels. Furthermore, we found significant correlations between SCS and milk production (-0.629), confirming that udder health is linked to higher milk production. Fat, protein, and the fat-to-protein ratio showed a positive correlation with SCS (0.281, 0.146, 0.106), likely to be caused by a concentration shift effect (dilution effect). Husbandry system, breed, milking system, and pasture practices seem to have an impact as well, but the main factor was the biosecurity score. This study highlights the importance of implementing biosecurity measures for ensuring animal health and thus productivity and quality in milk production, even in small-scale farms, which are characterized by limited structure availability and smaller herds compared to big dairy enterprises in the lowlands.

The interaction of genes and environment on percent of juniper in the diet of goats divergently selected for high or low juniper consumption.

Diet selection and preference by grazing animals are determined by genetic and environmental factors that interact and affect their efficacy for managing vegetation as targeted grazers and developing animals adapted to local grazing environments. The effect of the rearing environments on the consumption of juniper (Juniperus spp.) by goats that for 15 years were divergently selected for high (J+) or low (J-) percent juniper in their diet was investigated. To test the effect of rearing environment, at the end of the breeding season, pregnant does from both selection lines were grazed on either juniper-infested (JIR) or juniper-free (JFR) rangelands until their kids were weaned at about 75 days of age. Fecal samples were analyzed with fecal near-IR spectroscopy to determine the percent juniper in the diet. Fecal samples were collected from does on JIR when their offspring were 30 days of age and at weaning. Then, does that raised kids in both rearing environments grazed a common JIR pasture for a 28-day adaptation period before collecting fecal samples. After weaning, kids from both rearing environments grazed JIR for 22 days before collecting fecal samples. The J+ does always consumed more (P < 0.001) juniper than J- does, demonstrating different maternal role models for kids reared in the JIR environment. There was no effect of rearing environment (P = 0.488) or rearing environment × selection line interaction (P = 0.096) when J- and J+ does grazed a common JIR pasture. The percentage of juniper in J- kid diets (7%) was the same regardless of the rearing environment. However, the rearing environment did affect the percentage of juniper in the diet of J+ kids, resulting in a gene-environment interaction (P = 0.022). The percentage of juniper in the diet of J+ kids reared in JFR (16%) and JIR (24%) were about two and three times higher than J- kids, respectively, indicating that genetics and the rearing environment contributed about equally to the increase in the percentage of juniper in the J+ kid diets. Regardless of the rearing environment, the J+ kids had a higher percentage of juniper in their diets than J- kids (P < 0.001). Compared to males, female kids had a higher percentage of juniper in their diets (12 vs 17%, respectively; P = 0.002). The ability to select animals with specific dietary preferences holds promise for targeted grazing strategies to restore degraded rangelands, with potential applications in conservation and ecosystem management.

A Video Mosaicing-Based Sensing Method for Chicken Behavior Recognition on Edge Computing Devices.

Chicken behavior recognition is crucial for a number of reasons, including promoting animal welfare, ensuring the early detection of health issues, optimizing farm management practices, and contributing to more sustainable and ethical poultry farming. In this paper, we introduce a technique for recognizing chicken behavior on edge computing devices based on video sensing mosaicing. Our method combines video sensing mosaicing with deep learning to accurately identify specific chicken behaviors from videos. It attains remarkable accuracy, achieving 79.61% with MobileNetV2 for chickens demonstrating three types of behavior. These findings underscore the efficacy and promise of our approach in chicken behavior recognition on edge computing devices, making it adaptable for diverse applications. The ongoing exploration and identification of various behavioral patterns will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of chicken behavior, enhancing the scope and accuracy of behavior analysis within diverse contexts.