Public acceptance of microbiome management strategy in dairy calves: a European survey on colostrum, probiotic provision and prolonged cow-calf contact.

The microbiome plays a crucial role in the calves' early stages of life. Several management practices can be considered to enhance the development and composition of the microbiome in calves. However, their social acceptance is largely unknown.

Measuring dairy cow welfare with real-time sensor-based data and farm records: a concept study.

Welfare assessment of dairy cows by in-person farm visits provides only a snapshot of welfare and is time-consuming and costly. Possible solutions to reduce the need for in-person assessments would be to exploit sensor data and other routinely collected on-farm records. The aim of this study was to develop an algorithm to classify dairy cow welfare based on sensors (accelerometer and/or milk meter) and farm records (e.

Economic feasibility of interventions targeted at decreasing piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality across European countries.

Background: Piglet perinatal and pre-weaning mortality is a welfare problem causing economic losses in pig production. In this study, the effects of housing and management interventions on the economic result of sow enterprises representing six European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands and Spain) were tested. Interventions concerned: (1) installing mechanical ventilation, (2) re-designing of the gestation unit, (3) drying and warming newborn piglets, (4) providing enrichment for gestating sows, including high-fiber dietary supplementation and point-source objects, and (5) music provision and backscratching of sows in the farrowing unit.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Seven Measures to Reduce Tail Biting Lesions in Fattening Pigs.

Tail biting is an important animal welfare issue in the pig sector. Studies have identified various risk factors which can lead to biting incidents and proposed mitigation measures. This study focused on the following seven key measures which have been identified to affect the risk of tail biting lesions: improvements in straw provision, housing ventilation, genetics, stocking density, herd health, provision of point-source enrichment objects, and adoption of early warning systems.

A Systematic Review on Validated Precision Livestock Farming Technologies for Pig Production and Its Potential to Assess Animal Welfare.

Several precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies, conceived for optimizing farming processes, are developed to detect the physical and behavioral changes of animals continuously and in real-time. The aim of this review was to explore the capacity of existing PLF technologies to contribute to the assessment of pig welfare. In a web search for commercially available PLF for pigs, 83 technologies were identified.

A Systematic Review on Commercially Available and Validated Sensor Technologies for Welfare Assessment of Dairy Cattle.

In order to base welfare assessment of dairy cattle on real-time measurement, integration of valid and reliable precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies is needed. The aim of this study was to provide a systematic overview of externally validated and commercially available PLF technologies, which could be used for sensor-based welfare assessment in dairy cattle. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify externally validated sensor technologies.

High biosecurity and welfare standards in fattening pig farms are associated with reduced antimicrobial use.

In order to reduce antimicrobial use in pig production, the consequences of insufficient biosecurity and welfare problems need to be known. This study aimed to investigate associations between the number of antimicrobial treatments per fattening pig, and biosecurity, indicators for animal welfare as well as the prevalence of lesions at slaughter. The data used in this study were extracted from the pig health and welfare classification system (Sikava), which gathers data on medicine usage, meat inspection, animal welfare and the condition of farm buildings from over 95% of pig production in Finland.

Analyses of body weight patterns in growing pigs: a new view on body weight in pigs for frequent monitoring.

Frequent BW monitoring of growing pigs can be useful for identifying production (e.g. feeding), health and welfare problems.

Multivariate dynamic linear models for estimating the effect of experimental interventions in an evolutionary operations setup in dairy herds.

Evolutionary operations is a method to exploit the association of often small changes in process variables, planned during systematic experimentation and occurring during the normal production flow, to production characteristics to find a way to alter the production process to be more efficient. The objective of this study was to construct a tool to assess the intervention effect on milk production in an evolutionary operations setup. The method used for this purpose was a dynamic linear model (DLM) with Kalman filtering.

Monitoring growth in finishers by weighing selected groups of pigs - A dynamic approach.

Application of BW monitoring methods for the whole batch of pigs is not common in commercial herds. Instead, farm managers may regularly weigh a chosen subset of pigs (observed group) and use the obtained information for monitoring, forecasting, and decision support. The objective of this study was to construct a model for growth monitoring and forecasting in pig fattening herds and use the developed model framework to quantify the value of information on BW.

The economic and environmental value of genetic improvements in fattening pigs: An integrated dynamic model approach.

The selection of animals for improved performance affects the profitability of pig fattening and has environmental consequences. The goal of this paper was to examine how changes in genetic and market parameters impact the biophysical (feeding patterns, timing of slaughter, nitrogen excretion) and economic (return per pig space unit) results describing pig fattening in a Finnish farm. The analysis can be viewed as focusing on terminal line breeding goals.

Optimal management of replacement heifers in a beef herd: a model for simultaneous optimization of rearing and breeding decisions.

The aim of this study was to provide farmers an efficient tool for supporting optimal decisions in the beef heifer rearing process. The complexity of beef heifer management prompted the development of a model including decisions on the feeding level during prepuberty (age <10 mo), the time of weaning (age, BW, calendar month), the feeding level during the reproductive period (age ≥10 mo), and time of breeding (age, BW, and calendar month). The model was formulated as 3-level hierarchic Markov process.

[Prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of congenital isolated developmental defects of fetal extremities].

The paper shows that echography can be used in the diagnosis of most congenital fetal limb developmental defects. The detection accuracy for severe anatomic defects was 83.3%.

[Ultrasonic diagnosis of malformations during the 1st trimester of pregnancy].

Available are the results of ultrasonic investigations for 11 women with embryonal anomalies in the I pregnancy trimester. Echography was demonstrated to detect gross CNS malformations (anencephaly, exencephaly), lymphangiomas, omphalocele, conjoined twins, acardia of amorphic embryo, etc. Transvaginal sensors proved highly informative.

[Ultrasonographic diagnosis of developmental facial defects in fetuses].

Findings of 55 ultrasound examinations have been evaluated in 35 fetuses with various facial malformations detected by ultrasound and confirmed at birth. Ultrasonographic presentations and diagnostic criteria are given for major facial, palate and lip clefts, abnormal nasal shape, hypo and hypertelorism, microphthalmia, exophthalmia, micro and macrogenia, macroglossia. Ultrasonography proves to be a highly revealing diagnostic study with the provision of a good structural visualization and physicians' skill.

[Prenatal ultrasonic diagnosis of developmental abnormalities of the organs of the digestive system].

Analysis is made of the results of ultrasound diagnosis of developmental abnormalities of the alimentary tract. It has been established that the information content of echography is dependent on the anatomic intensity of an abnormality and the period of pregnancy at which the examination was done. It has been shown that the method is not of high diagnostic significance in revealing developmental abnormalities of the upper lip and hard palate, atresia of the esophagus, large intestine and rectum.

[Value of echography in the diagnosis of postoperative complications].

The results of ultrasonic investigation of 54 females with a variety of complications following uterine and adnexal surgery are reviewed. Echograms are presented, and echographic description of intraperitoneal hemorrhages, hematomas at various sites, peritonitis, infiltrations, abscesses, ligature fistulas, pelvic foreign bodies, etc. is made.