ABSTRACT The study evaluates the influence of environmental enrichment on behavior, leucometry, and performance of commercial pigs. Thirty-two hybrid pigs (Landrace × Large White × Pietran), at 69 days of life, were divided into four groups and subjected to different environmental stimuli: concrete floor, with no enrichment (C); floor bedding with wood chips (CM); concrete floor, with mobiles (MO); floor bedding with wood chips and the presence of mobile (CM + MO). The study collected behavioral data of the animals […]

ABSTRACT The objective was to study the stress level in dogs during grooming services in a pet shop. A total of 55 grooming services carried out in a pet shop in the city of Janaúba, MG, were evaluated and divided into four categories according to sex and body weight. The flowchart of the grooming process contained six steps that began with the transportation of dogs to the pet shop and finished with their return to the place of origin. Behavioral, […]

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to assess the productive performance, ingestive behavior, and thermal condition of crossbred beef heifers in an integrated livestock-forest (ILF) system with different tree-planting designs. Seventy-two ½ Angus ½ Nellore heifers were divided in three treatments—conventional system (CS) without eucalyptus, integrated livestock system with 187 eucalyptus ha−1 (ILF-1L), and integrated livestock system with 446 eucalyptus ha−1 (ILF-3L)—, in the winter and summer. Total dry mass of forage (TDM), chemical analysis of Marandu palisadegrass, average daily gain […]

ABSTRACT This study investigated the knowledge and perception of Brazilian pig producers in terms of environmental enrichment (EE) for pigs, the materials used, and the forms of presentation, identifying the single conditions that can improve their application on pig farms. A questionnaire was applied to 1340 farms – representing 7.4% of the farms and 12% of the sows in the country. The questions included descriptions of farms and respondents, their knowledge, judgments and level of interest in the use of […]

ABSTRACT The objective was to investigate the effects of available shaded area on behavioural characteristics of lactating cows during the warm season in the subtropics. Twelve Holstein cows were divided into groups, with 2 (SH2) or 10 m2 (SH10) of available shade per cow (six cows per treatment). The behaviour was recorded when animals were grazing from 09.00 to 16.00 h (GMT −02.00 h) throughout the trial. Data considered in the statistical analysis were restricted to the five days when […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to describe the housing system in the hospital pens on growing and finishing (GF) pig farms. This work was developed by using a questionnaire and was conducted between January and April, 2016. Forty-four GF commercial farms (a total of 41,111 animals) were involved, seeking to raise issues concerning the facilities of the hospital pens, environment, management, feeding and the reasons for transferring the animals to these accommodations. About 98% of the evaluated farms […]

ABSTRACT There is an urgent need for sustainable animal production systems. A system or procedure is sustainable if it is acceptable now and if its expected future effects are acceptable, in particular in relation to resource availability, consequences of functioning, and morality of action. What might make any animal usage system unsustainable? The system might involve depletion of resources such that a resource becomes unavailable or a product of the system might accumulate to a degree that prevents the functioning […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of three different intensive silvopastoral systems (ISPS) on cattle animal welfare (AW) in Colombia. The three ISPS differed in area, plant composition, and grazing periods as follows: ISPS1 – low plant diversity in paddocks of 1200 m2, with grazing period of 24 h; ISPS2 – middle plant diversity in paddocks of 600 m2, with grazing period of 12 h; and ISPS3 – high plant diversity in paddocks of 600 […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine whether infrared thermography is a useful tool for the recognition of dairy cows in a state of thermal heat stress, as well as to identify the best region of the animal to be evaluated for this recognition. Physiological variables, including rectal temperature, respiratory frequency, cardiac frequency, and panting score were recorded in 38 lactating cows. For the assessment of environmental parameters, a digital black globe thermometer (TGD-200 model) was used. Thermographic […]

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate how type of hoof injury and corrective trimming alter the behavior of dairy cows. Thirty-four lactating Holstein and Jersey cows were used. They were scored for lameness score on days –2 and 6, before and after trimming and treatment, respectively, using a numerical rating system, in which 1 = perfect gait and 5 = severely lame, and had their postural and ingestive behavior evaluated on days –1 and 6 before and after trimming and […]