Toward the automated detection of behavioral changes associated with the post-weaning transition in pigs.

We modified an automated method capable of quantifying behaviors which we then applied to the changes associated with the post-weaning transition in pigs. The method is data-driven and depends solely on video-captured image data without relying on sensors or additional pig markings. It was applied to video images generated from an experiment during which post-weaned piglets were subjected to treatments either containing or not containing in-feed antimicrobials (ZnO or antibiotics).

Consequences of timing of organic enrichment provision on pig performance, health and stress resilience after weaning and regrouping.

Most pigs in slatted systems are provided with enrichment meeting only minimum legal requirements. We aimed to explore the effects of a novel enrichment treatment consisting of daily provided fodder beet and jute bags for pigs in slatted systems, and investigate the timing of enrichment provision on performance, health and stress resilience. We used 280 weaners allocated into standard (S, meeting only legal requirements consisting of a plastic toy and softwood) or enriched (E) treatment (n = 14 groups/treatment).

Indication of social buffering in disbudded calves.

Most dairy calves are housed individually in early ontogeny but social housing has positive effects on calf welfare including an advantage of social buffering, i.e., when negative effects of stress are mitigated through social support of conspecific.

Do greater levels of in-cage waking inactivity in laboratory mice reflect a spontaneous depression-like symptom? A pharmacological investigation.

We previously identified in laboratory mice an inactive state [being awake with eyes open motionless within the home cage; inactive but awake, 'IBA'] sharing etiological factors and symptoms with human clinical depression. We further test the hypothesis that greater time spent displaying IBA indicates a depression-like state in mice by investigating whether the antidepressant Venlafaxine, environmental enrichment, and their combination, alleviate IBA. Seventy-two C57BL/6J and 72 DBA/2J female mice were pseudo-randomly housed post-weaning in mixed strain-pairs in non-enriched (NE; 48 pairs) or in environmentally enriched (EE; 24 pairs) cages.

The effect of pair housing on dairy calf health, performance, and behavior.

Individual housing of dairy calves prevails in Europe and North America despite its negative effects on calf development. One of the main reasons is that farmers find individual housing of calves more practical than group housing. A compromise between practice and welfare could be housing calves in pairs.