Cecilie Marie Mejdell

Responses to climatic variables of horses housed outdoors under Nordic winter conditions

The aim of this study was to investigate the responses to cold winter weather of Icelandic horses kept permanently outdoors. The horses were kept in a 0.8-ha enclosure, with free access to grass silage and a shelter. Behaviours were recorded during 23 d using direct observation scan sampling at 20-min intervals between 1600 and 0000, embracing air temperatures down to -31°C. Body condition score, coat length and serum thyroid hormone (T4) level were recorded. Horses spent most of their time outdoors under all weather conditions, and the average incidence of being outdoors was 70%. The horses made more use of the shelter at low ambient temperatures (P < 0.01). There was also a strong tendency for increased use of the shelter in response to rain and wind (P < 0.07). Precipitation as snow had no effect. Shivering was observed once in a single horse, on a rainy day at +5°C. Average maximum neck coat length was 4.6 ± 0.9 cm. Body condition score remained within satisfactory limits during winter. Serum T4 showe...

Growth rate, health and welfare in a dairy herd with natural suckling until 6–8 weeks of age: a case report

Over a period of two years, growth rate and health were measured for dairy calves allowed to suckle their mothers up to 6–8 weeks of age. Thirty-one calves were weighted weekly, and the mean daily growth rate was 1.2 ± 0.03 kg from birth up to 13 weeks of age. Illness in calves and young stock was not observed. In the cows, the mean incidences of ketosis, displaced abomasum, puerperal paresis, mastitis, teat injury and retained placenta were 0, 0, 8, 22, 1 and 1%, respectively, during a 6-year period. The mean daily gain of 56 growing bulls was 1.4 kg when slaughtered at 15 months of age, which is higher than the mean daily gain of 0.95 kg in the population. Probiotics, hormones and vaccines were not used, and antibiotics were only used for treating illness. The present study indicates many advantages and few problems when dairy calves are penned together with the cows and allowed natural feeding up to 6–8 weeks of age. This production system was easy to manage, preferred by the farmer, and may satisfy the public concern regarding the practice of immediate separation of cow and calf in commercial milk production.

Ectoparasitic sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) affect behavior and brain serotonergic activity in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.): Perspectives on animal welfare

Scientific research and public debate on the welfare of animals in human custody is increasing at present. Fish are in this context mentioned with particular attention to the high numbers of individuals reared in aquaculture. Research on fish has also contributed to the understanding of individual variation in the ability to cope with stress and disease. One mediator of such variation is the brain serotonergic (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system, which conveys physiological and behavioral responses to stress and sub-optimal rearing conditions. Here we study links between the 5-HT response, melanin-based skin pigmentation, and behavior in laboratory-reared Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) experimentally infested with ectoparasitic sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). Lice numbers were more variable in less pigmented fish, while the neurochemical response to ectoparastic lice-increased levels of the main 5-HT catabolite 5-HIAA in the brain stem-did not differ between pigmentation groups. A strong depression of growth and locomotor activity was seen in all infested fish but less pigmented fish grew better than fish with more skin melanization regardless of infestation status. The observed combination of neurochemical and behavioral effects clearly suggest that animal welfare concerns can be added to the list of negative effects of ectoparasitic sea lice.

Air Quality in Alternative Housing Systems May Have an Impact on Laying Hen Welfare. Part I—Dust

The new legislation for laying hens in the European Union put a ban on conventional cages. Production systems must now provide the hens with access to a nest, a perch, and material for dust bathing. These requirements will improve the behavioral aspects of animal welfare. However, when hens are kept with access to litter, it is a concern that polluted air may become an increased threat to health and therefore also a welfare problem. This article reviews the literature regarding the health and welfare effects birds experience when exposed to barn dust. Dust is composed of inorganic and organic compounds, from the birds themselves as well as from feed, litter, and building materials. Dust may be a vector for microorganisms and toxins. In general, studies indicate that housing systems where laying hens have access to litter as aviaries and floor systems consistently have higher concentrations of suspended dust than caged hens with little (furnished cages) or no access to litter (conventional cages). The higher dust levels in aviaries and floor housing are also caused by increased bird activity in the non-cage systems. There are gaps in both the basic and applied knowledge of how birds react to dust and aerosol contaminants, i.e., what levels they find aversive and/or impair health. Nevertheless, high dust levels may compromise the health and welfare of both birds and their caretakers and the poor air quality often found in new poultry housing systems needs to be addressed. It is necessary to develop prophylactic measures and to refine the production systems in order to achieve the full welfare benefits of the cage ban.

Providing supplementary milk to suckling dairy calves improves performance at separation and weaning

Dam rearing can provide health and welfare benefits, but separation and weaning are major welfare challenges. We investigated whether access to an additional source of milk from an automatic milk feeder (AMF) would improve weight gains after separation and weaning. During the first 6wk of life (dam phase), calves were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments using a parallel group design with repeated measures: nursing (n=10) and combined (n=10) calves could suckle from their dams at night (between 2000 and 0800h), and combined calves also had access to 12 L of milk/d accessible 24h/d from an AMF. Milk feeder calves (n=10) also had access to an AMF 24h/d and were housed with the dam at night but were prevented from suckling by an udder net. Separation from the dam occurred after 6wk in 2 phases with decreasing contact between cow and calf: partial separation (duration 4d) and total separation (duration 3d). At separation, all calves were granted access to 12 L of milk 24h/d from the AMF until weaning began at 7wk of age. We hypothesized that access to an AMF during the dam phase would result in less weight loss at separation and weaning compared with calves that had been nutritionally dependent upon the cow (i.e., nursing calves). Calf weight gain during the dam phase averaged (±SD) 1.1±0.26kg/d and did not vary with treatment. Combined calves drank less milk from the AMF compared with milk feeder calves during the dam phase (mean ± SEM daily milk intake: 1.1±0.38 vs. 8.2±0.34 L/d) and tended to drink less during partial separation (6.7±1.28 vs. 9.8±1.02 L/d), but milk intake from the AMF did not differ between these treatments in the later phases. During the same phases, nursing calves consumed less milk from the AMF than the other treatments; of the 10 calves, 6 did not use the AMF (consuming <1.5 L/d) after the dam phase. After separation, nursing calves gained less weight than calves in both the milk feeder and combined treatments (0.8±0.16 vs. 1.2±0.08kg/d). Calves using the AMF after separation (n=23; 4 nursing calves, 9 combined calves, and 10 milk feeder calves) had a higher average daily gain compared with calves that did not (n=7; 6 nursing calves and 1 combined calf; 1.2±0.07 vs. 0.6±0.21kg, respectively). In conclusion, use of the AMF after separation varied, but providing an additional milk source reduced nutritional dependency on the dam, improving calf performance at weaning and separation.

MODELING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF WELFARE INTERVENTIONS IN FISH FARMING—A CASE STUDY FROM THE U.K. RAINBOW TROUT INDUSTRY

Actions that aim to improve animal welfare are likely to involve costs for the producer, although at the same time such actions may improve the profitability of production. In this article we introduce a quantitative bio-economical approach for estimating the economic consequences for improving animal welfare in the aquaculture industry; for farmers and the industry as a whole. The decision tool can be used with different welfare indicators, different species and production systems. It can be used to rank the economic consequences of different techniques that aim to improve welfare. We illustrate the decision tool with a case study relating to the use of triploids in rainbow trout farming. We highlight the probability how the benefits gained from changes in bio-economical productivity factors, and consumers’ willingness to pay can overcome the costs associated with implementing a specific welfare intervention.

Who cares about fish welfare

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to assess how concerned Norwegians are about fish welfare; second, to investigate Norwegians’ willingness to pay for salmon filet made from welfare-assured farmed fish with high levels of welfare; and third, to examine Norwegian opinions about the appropriate way to pay for better welfare standards in fish production. Design/methodology/approach – On the basis of two focus group sessions, a survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to a representative sample of 2,147 Norwegian households via e-mail. Findings – Results showed that the Norwegian public is concerned about fish welfare and is willing to pay a price premium for products made from welfare-assured fish. Norwegian consumers do not, however, want to be the only ones paying for fish welfare, as the main responsibility for fish welfare lies with producers and the Government. Research limitations/implications – In this study willingness to pay is measured using a hypothetical choice ex...

The effect of large milk meals on digestive physiology and behaviour in dairy calves.

It is commonly believed that young calves should not be fed more than about 2l of milk per meal. If calves are fed beyond this volume, it is said that the capacity of the abomasum may be exceeded and that milk could enter the rumen. This can disturb the microbial flora/fauna of the rumen and increase the risk of indigestion, diarrhoea and reduced growth. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of large milk meals on digestive physiology and behaviour in dairy calves. Six calves (19-23days of age at the beginning of the experiment) were fed 2l of warm whole milk by teat bottle three times per day, which was the recommended Norwegian feeding regime at the time. The calves were given free access to hay, concentrates and water. During three morning feeding sessions, each separated by 48h, all calves were offered larger meals. The offered amounts were calculated according to the within patient 3-level Response Surface Pathway (RSP) design. The milk given on the three test days contained a contrast medium (barium sulphate), and the animals were radiographed before, during and immediately after intake to reveal whether milk entered the rumen. Four out of the six calves drank more than 5l in one meal and the highest voluntary intake was 6.8l in one meal (13.2% of BW). Abdominal radiographs showed that the abomasum has a large ability for distension. Milk in the rumen was not observed in any of the calves, regardless of intake. The behaviour of the calves was observed for 2h after each test session. No behaviour indicating abdominal pain or discomfort was observed regardless of intake. The results indicate that when warm whole milk is administered from a teat bottle, farmers can increase the amount of milk they offer their calves beyond the traditionally recommended portion size without risk of milk entering the rumen. Hence, farmers who want to feed their calves more milk can do so by increasing meal sizes, and not necessarily by introducing an additional meal.

A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK FOR BIO-ECONOMIC MODELING IN AQUACULTURE: A WELFARE CASE STUDY

This article summarizes the framework that translated data from multiple disciplines into a bio-economic decision tool for modeling the costs and benefits of improving fish welfare in commercial aquaculture. This decision tool formed the basis of a recent EU research project, BENEFISH which was funded via the European Commissions Sixth Framework (FP6) initiative. The bio-economic decision model can incorporate biological data, productivity data, micro (farm) and macro (industry) level economic data, and consumer marketing and business to business data. It can identify areas for potential added value that might be achieved by improving fish welfare across a range of species and husbandry systems within European aquaculture. This article provides a brief overview of the minimum data requirements for successfully modeling the bio-economic impacts of improvements in farmed fish welfare using the model developed during the BENEFISH project. It also highlights potential bottlenecks and the minimum prerequisites for each potential data set to be used for successful modeling.

GUEST EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION: BENEFISH: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO ECONOMIC MODELLING OF FISH WELFARE MANAGEMENT

During the last decade, fish welfare has attracted a lot of attention, and this has led to the aquaculture industry incorporating a number of husbandry practices and technologies specifically developed to improve the lives of farmed fish. In addition, national and international authorities have developed legislation and guidelines for ensuring high standards of fish welfare. For example, the Council of Europe agreed on recommendations for rearing of fish that came into force in 2006 (Council of Europe, 2006), and the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) has implemented fish welfare in the Aquatic Animal Health Code and aims to harmonize welfare standards throughout their 178-member countries (World Organization for Animal Health, 2012). The EU has also initiated a process of pan-European legislation, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published scientific opinions on the welfare of a number of aquaculture species during production and slaughter (e.g., EFSA, 2008, 2009a, 2009b). In a competitive, expanding and emerging industry, aquaculturists who incorporate welfare considerations into their daily husbandry practices can gain a competitive advantage and added price premium (Olesen et al., 2010) through improved consumer perception and confidence in their products. Any fish welfare improvements can also be incorporated into a wider framework for aquacultural sustainability. Despite efforts to improve the welfare of farmed fish, there is little information on the potential bio-economical costs and benefits of implementing husbandry practices or decisions aimed at improving their welfare. Farmers