Elisabetta Macchi

Effect of Breed, Cage Type, and Reproductive Phase on Fecal Corticosterone Levels in Doe Rabbits

Fecal corticosterone concentration (FCC) is increasingly being used as a noninvasive indicator of stress in assessment of nonhuman animal welfare. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of breed, cage type, reproductive phase, and their interactions on FCC levels in doe rabbits. A total of 252 doe rabbits were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Does were individually housed in either standard dimension cages (SC) or in cages with a volume more than double that of the SC. Bigger cages (BC) were equipped with a plastic foot mat. Breed, cage type, and reproductive phase significantly affected FCC. New Zealand hybrids showed higher FCCs (p < .001) when compared witho the autochthonous breed (27.77 ± 0.47 vs. 24.61 ± 0.36 pg g−1, respectively). Increased cage size coupled with a plastic foot mat resulted in a significant decrease in doe FCC. The highest FCCs were detected at partum (BC: 30.40 ± 0.81 pg g−1; SC: 33.36 ± 0.86 pg g−1; p ≤ .05), followed by postweaning (BC: 25.09 ± 0.95 pg g−1; SC: 27.63 ± 0.95 pg g−1; p ≤ .05). These results support the hypothesis that measurement of FCC provides a useful indicator of chronic stress in doe rabbits.

Effects of culling on vigilance behaviour and endogenous stress response of female fallow deer

Abstract Context. Human activities can induce behavioural and stress responses in wild animals. Information is scarce on the effects of culling on anti-predator behaviour and endogenous stress response of wild ungulates. Aims. In a Mediterranean area, we evaluated the effects of culling on vigilance, foraging and endogenous stress response of female fallow deer (Dama dama). Methods. Effects of culling were evaluated through behavioural observations and hormone analyses of faecal samples. Key results. In an area where culling occurred (C), individuals showed significantly greater vigilance rates and foraged closer to wood than in an area with no culling (NC). In C, 24 h after culling, faecal cortisol concentrations were greater than those recorded in NC, but they decreased significantly to values comparable to (48 h post-shot) and lower than (72 h post-shot) those observed in NC. Conclusions. Most likely, culling determined behavioural responses in female fallow deer, but did not trigger long-term physiological effects. Implications. Increased anti-predator behaviour may complicate the implementation of long-term culling programs.

Haematological and physiological responses of Piemontese beef cattle to different housing conditions

Public concern for animal welfare has progressively grown over the recent years. In this context, stress has a great economical impact on growth of animals and quality of animal products. The development and validation of methods to assess animal stress, particularly at the farm level, are desirable to evaluate animal production systems. Piemontese breed is traditionally tie-stall housed in the fattening period. Hence, the objective of this study was to characterise a profile of physiological and haematological changes of Piemontese beef cattle under different management conditions (tie-stall and loose housing). Our results suggest that the housing system is an important factor in animal welfare. Indeed, the values of the total protein, lysozyme, cortisol, serum and faecal corticosterone concentration and GR-α gene expression indicate that the tie-stall housing is more stressful than the loose system. All the alterations highlighted in this study considered together may be effective biomarkers of stress and disease susceptibility.

An association between feather damaging behavior and corticosterone metabolite excretion in captive African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus).

Background African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) are kept as pets and are frequently hand-reared. It has been observed that hand-reared African grey parrots may develop behavioral disorders such as feather damaging behavior (FDB). It is well known that chronic stress is involved in behavioral disorders in captive parrots. The main glucocorticoid in birds is corticosterone; its quantification provides information about adrenocortical activity and is considered to be a reliable indicator of stress levels in birds. We analyzed the differences in the excretion of corticosterone metabolites (CM) in the droppings of African grey parrots characterized by: 1. different rearing histories (parent rearing vs. hand rearing); and 2. the presence or absence of FDB in hand-reared parrots. Methods A total of 82 African grey parrots that were kept in captivity were considered. According to breeding methods, three groups of birds were defined: 1. The parent-reared (PR) parrots included birds kept in pairs (n = 30 pairs) with a conspecific partner of the opposite sex. All of these birds were healthy and never showed FDB signs; 2. The healthy hand-reared parrots (H-HR) included pet parrots individually kept, that were hand-reared and did not display any sign of FDB (n = 11, 7 males and 4 females); 3. The FDB hand-reared parrot (FDB-HR) included pet parrots individually kept, that were hand-reared and displayed FDB (n = 11, 7 males and 4 females). Droppings were collected in the morning over three alternating days in autumn 2014 and spring 2015. The CM were determined using a multi-species corticosterone enzyme immunoassay kit. Split-plot repeated-measure ANOVA was used to examine any differences using group, season and group × season as the main factors. Results Different quantities of CM in droppings were found for the three groups. The mean CM value was 587 ng/g in the PR parrots, 494 ng/g in the H-HR parrots and 1,744 ng/g in the FDB-HR parrots, irrespective of the season. The excretion of CM in FDB-HR was significantly higher than in PR or H-HR parrots. CM in droppings were not influenced by the season (autumn vs. spring); furthermore, the interaction between group and sampling season was not significant. Limited to the H-HR and FDB-HR groups, a trend in the significance of the difference in the mean CM excreted by male and female birds was observed, with the levels excreted by males being higher than those excreted by females. When the effect of age was considered (in the two separate groups), there was a statistically significant positive correlation only for H-HR. Conclusions The highest amount of CM excretion was found in FDB-HR parrots, and a positive correlation between age and CM excretion was found in H-HR. Given that the CM excretion of both PR and H-HR parrots was similar in our study, future research is recommended to investigate the specific aspects of hand-rearing to improve parrot welfare.

Feather picking in pet parrots: sensitive species, risk factor and ethological evidence

Abstract The goals of this study were to estimate the prevalence of feather picking (FP) in Italian pet parrots and evaluate the risk factors and possible ethological correlation. A web survey was created and addressed to owners of all species of companion parrots, distributed through on line parrots association websites, social networks and by mail. The survey was available for compilation from June to October 2014. In 292 compiled surveys, 20 different parrots genera were indicated; Psittacus spp. (24.3%), Agapornis spp. (19.5%), Nymphicus hollandicus (18.0%) and Amazona spp. (9.0%) were the most represented species. Our study showed a FP prevalence of 17.5%, with the highest prevalence in Agapornis spp. (26.3%) and Psittacus spp. (22.5%). Living with other parrots was positively associated to FP (p < 0.05), such as being fed in neonatal age and weaned by the breeder and not by the final owner (p < 0.001). Moreover, 2.9% of non-FP parrots and 10.0% of FP parrots lived always caged (p = 0.06). A significant difference in the feather picking site was detected (p < 0.001). The most affected body region was the chest (58.8%), followed by the rump (41.2%) and under wing regions (25.4%). At the same time, we conducted another study to better understand some information from the hand-raised parrots through a comparison with the parent-raised parrots. We recorded 1488 parent-raised parrots, and only 1.3% were affected by feather loss. This finding confirm that FP is be considered a multi-factorial behavioral pathology in which factors of different origin may cause behavioral disorders associated to self-injuries.

Effect of Cage Type on Fecal Corticosterone Concentration in Buck Rabbits During the Reproductive Cycle

Fecal corticosterone concentration (FCC) was measured in 14 buck rabbits individually housed in standard-dimension cages (SC) or in bigger cages (BC; with a volume more than double that of SC and equipped with a plastic foot mat) during 4 consecutive reproductive cycles. Cage type and reproductive phase (estrous synchronization of doe rabbits, artificial insemination, partum, preweaning, and postweaning) were not statistically significant but tendentially affected FCCs (.05 < p < .10). Buck rabbits housed in SC showed higher FCCs than those housed in BC (27.42 pg g− 1 dried feces and 25.57 pg g− 1, respectively; SEM = 2.952). The highest FCC values were detected at artificial insemination (BC, 27.91 pg g− 1; SC, 30.45 pg g− 1; SEM = 3.520), highlighting that the phase of semen collection could be one of the most critical moments for buck rabbits, although further investigations are needed. These preliminary results suggest that measurement of FCC could be used as an indicator of chronic stress in buck rabbits.

Double cloprostenol administration during mid luteal phase of oestrous cycle does not modify the interoestrous interval in gilts

The present study was undertaken to test the effect of two vulva injections of D-cloprostenol on day 7, 9 and 10 of oestrous cycle on the duration of the interestrous interval in gilts. Following a pre-treatment oestrous cycle, 87 gilts were assigned to receive vulva injections of 75 μg D-cloprostenol at 08:00 and 14:00 h on day 7 (D7; n=30), day 9 (D9; n=29) or day 10 (D10; n=28) of their second observed oestrous cycle. Across the treatments, the duration of the oestrous cycle with D-cloprostenol treatment (19.1±0.1 d) was not different from that of the previous oestrous cycle (20.1±0.4 days). Plasma progesterone concentrations were evaluated 6 h before and 24 and 72 h after D-cloprostenol treatment in the D9 group. Compared to pretreatment levels (9.6±0.4 ng/mL), plasma progesterone concentrations were reduced (P<0.05) at 24 h (6.3±1.0 ng/mL) and 72 h after treatment but complete luteolysis did not occur. These data indicate that in gilts double vulva administration of D-cloprostenol is not able to induce a complete luteolisys and hence the duration of the oestrous cycle is not modified.