Leena Ahola

The development of on-farm welfare assessment protocols for foxes and mink: the WelFur project

The WelFur project aims at the development of on-farm welfare assessment protocols for farmed foxes (the blue fox [Vulpes lagopus], the silver fox [Vulpes vulpes]) and mink (Neovison vison). The WelFur protocols are based on Welfare Quality® (WQ) principles and criteria. Here, we describe the WelFur protocols after two years of developmental work. Reviews for each of the 12 WQ welfare criteria were written for foxes and mink to identify the welfare measures that have been used in scientific studies. The reviews formed the basis for potential measures to be included in the WelFur protocols. All measures were evaluated for their validity, reliability and feasibility. At present, we have identified 15 fox and 9 mink animal-based (or outcome-based) welfare measures, and 11 and 13 input-based (resource-based or management-based) measures. For both foxes and mink, each of the four WQ principles is judged by at least one criterion, and seven out of the 12 criteria include animal-based measures. The protocols will be piloted in 2012. Using the WQ project and protocols as a model has been a fruitful approach in developing the WelFur protocols. The effects of the WelFur protocols will provide benchmarks from which the welfare of animals on European fur farms can be assessed.

Different housing systems for growing dairy bulls in Northern Finland – effects on performance, behaviour and immune status

Abstract We compared performance, behaviour and immune status of Ayrshire bulls raised in different housing environments in Northern Finland. Thirty bulls were allotted to one of three treatments: uninsulated barn (UB bulls, five animals/pen, two pens), forest paddock (PAD bulls, five animals/PAD, two PADs) and tie-stall in an insulated barn (IB bulls, 10 animals in individual stalls). The daily gain tended to be higher in the IB bulls than in the PAD bulls. Energy intake of the UB and PAD bulls was higher but the feed conversion rate was worse than that of the IB bulls. The time budgets and diurnal rhythms of the UB and PAD bulls were quite similar. The measures of immune (IgG) status indicate that the hygiene of the bulls’ surroundings decreased in summer, especially in the IB. Our study indicates that dairy bulls can be overwintered outdoors in Northern Finland without warm housing facilities.

Group housing in row cages: an alternative housing system for juvenile mink.

We studied a group housing system as an alternative to the traditional pair housing of juvenile mink. The focus was on both the welfare and production of mink. The pairs were housed in standard mink cages, whereas the groups were in row cage systems consisting of three standard mink cages connected to each other. The welfare of the mink was evaluated by behavioural observations (stereotypies and social contacts), evaluation of the incidence of scars assumed to be caused by biting, and adrenal function (serum cortisol level after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) administration and adrenal mass). Feed consumption, pelt length, quality and price were used for comparing the two housing systems from the economic point of view. Although the incidence of scars showed that there might have been more aggressive behaviour among the group-housed than among the pair-housed mink, this was not observed unambiguously in behavioural observations, and, at least, aggression did not cause mortality or serious injuries to the animals as has been observed in some earlier studies. In addition, the housing system did not affect pelt size, and, although the quality of the pelts was slightly lower in the group than in pair-housed mink, there was only a tendency for lower pelt prices. The lower pelt prices in the group-housed mink might even be partially compensated for by the group-housed mink eating 10% to 20% less in the late autumn, due to thermoregulatory benefits, than their pair-housed conspecifics. The results on the frequency of stereotypic behaviour (but not adrenal function) suggest that the group-housed animals were possibly less stressed than the pair-housed animals. Group housing of juvenile farmed mink in a row cage system cannot be recommended before the effects on welfare and production are clarified in further studies.

Family break-up in farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) housed in enlarged cage systems as families

Abstract. We monitored the behaviour of farmed silver foxes housed in family units in enlarged cage systems from weaning until late October. Activity of family members, use of space available, and aggressive acts were recorded. Aggressiveness between family members increased from July until October, leading to a more scattered use of the available space. Furthermore, the mean activity level of family members increased, and the synchrony of activity decreased. We conclude that social tension in the fox families increased gradually during the autumn, leading to dispersion of the family members.

Welfare of farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) housed in sibling groups in large outdoor enclosures

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of housing farmed silver foxes in large outdoor enclosures with less abundant human contacts on some behavioural and physiological welfare parameters. Farmed silver fox cubs were housed either singly in traditional fox cages or in sibling groups in enclosures. Mass of adrenals, serum cortisol level after adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) administration and stress-induced hyperthermia, as well as 24-h activity measures and the number of bite scars, were used to draw conclusions on the welfare effects of housing farmed silver foxes in the two experimental housing systems. The housing system had significant effects neither on the serum cortisol level after ACTH administration nor on the mass of adrenals. This result shows that intra-group social tension and non-habituation to humans, both leading to increased long-term stress in foxes housed in large outdoor enclosures, can be partly overcome by, respectively, altering the group composition and keepi...

Gnawing bones as enrichment for farmed blue foxes ( Vulpes lagopus).

According to present acts and regulations, farmed foxes shall have a gnawing or other enrichment object in their cages. However, research on the welfare effects of gnawing objects has been scarce. We assessed physiology and health, that is weight development, urinary cortisol-creatinine ratio, serum cortisol level after adrenocorticotropic hormone administration, internal organ masses and incidence of gastric ulcerations as well as dental and overall oral health, in pair-housed juvenile blue foxes that were housed either with or without a possibility to interact with bones (cattle femur) during their growing season (July to December). The results show that the physiological effects of the possibility to interact with bones were either non-significant or suggested that competition for bones may jeopardize the welfare of subordinate individuals. However, the results clearly show that gnawing bones are beneficial for the dental health of farmed foxes.

A TOP BOX AND A FLOOR BOX AS BREEDING NEST BOXES IN FARMED BLUE FOXES (ALOPEX LAGOPUS) : REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE, USE OF THE BOXES AND CUB CARRYING

The aim of this study was to provide field information on the usefulness of a top box (a nest box placed on the roof of the cage) as an alternative breeding box for blue foxes. Twenty-five primiparous and 25 multiparous vixens were provided with traditional floor boxes and as many vixens with the top boxes. There was no difference between the top (n=43) and floor box (n

Trade-off between floor level and floor material in farmed silver foxes.

Farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were allowed to balance their known preference for an elevated floor against their presumed preference for a sand floor. In Experiment 1, foxes had to choose between two identical cages, connected with an opening. One cage had a wire floor and the other had a sand floor, but the cages either were on the same (low or elevated) or on different levels (one cage 40 cm higher than the other). In Experiment 2, the cage pairs were connected with a 1.2 m long wire-mesh tunnel, one cage was always on a higher level (50 cm) than the other. In Experiment 1, foxes always preferred the sand floor during their active time. They also preferred the sand floor for resting, if it was on the same level as wire floor, but did not show any genuine preference if the floors were on different levels. In Experiment 2, foxes never preferred the lower floor. They preferred the elevated sand floor for activity and the elevated wire floor for lying. When two floors were identical they preferred the elevated one. Their rest consisted of 11-22 bouts, a major part of these being spent in the preferred cage. They also preferred a previous lying site to a new one, often exclusively and independently of floor material. In Experiment 1 foxes preferred the sand floor whereas in Experiment 2 they preferred the elevated floor indicating that the ability of a trade-off situation to rank resources depends on the method it is inflicted.

WelFur – foxes: the inter-observer reliability of the WelFur health measures, and the prevalence of health disorders on fox farms during the growth period

The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of health disorders on Finnish and Norwegian fox farms, and the inter-observer reliability (IOR) of the health measures included in the present WelFur fox protocol. Ten and five fox farms were visited in Finland and Norway, respectively, in October-December 2011. Three (Finland) and two (Norway) assessors assessed the same animals on each farm. The results revealed that obesity-related problems, i.e. bent feet, moving difficulties and diarrhoea, were the most common problems on the Finnish fox farms with the majority of the foxes being blue foxes. Bent feet was the most common problem also on the Norwegian fox farms where the majority of the assessed foxes were silver foxes. However, in Norway the percentage of foxes with bent feet was much lower than in Finland. The results also show that IORs of all WelFur health measures but one, i.e. bent feet, are good or even excellent indicating the consistency of assessment between different assessors. It is concluded that all health measures included in the WelFur fox protocol are relevant welfare measures that can be measured reliably enough during a one-day farm visit.

A note on the reproductive success of primiparous blue fox vixens in social groups.

Our aim was to compare traditional breeding system, i.e. artificial insemination with singly-housing, to alternative breeding systems in farmed blue fox (Alopex lagopus or Vulpes lagopus) vixens. At the age of 7 weeks (i.e. at weaning), 48 randomly selected female blue fox cubs were divided into four experimental groups: (1) artificially inseminated singly-housed vixens in cages (AI-SC), (2) artificially inseminated pair-housed vixens in double-cages (AI-PC), (3) naturally bred pair-housed vixens with a male in triple-cages (NB-PC), and (4) naturally bred pair-housed vixens with a male in outdoor enclosures (NB-PE). The cubs were counted on days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14 and 49 postpartum and the reproductive performance per breeding (RPB) and per mated vixens (RPM) with its subcomponents were formed from these data. RPB was zero in both NB groups. In AI-PC and AI-SC, RPB was 1.3+/-2.5 and 4.1+/-4.7 cubs, respectively. RPB and the percentage of vixens that weaned cubs were lower in NB-PC and NB-PE than in AI-PC. In AI groups, both RPB and RPM at weaning tended to be better in singly-housed than in pair-housed blue fox vixens. No statistically significant differences were found between AI groups in the percentage of vixens without oestrus, barren vixens, vixens that lost all cubs or weaned at least one cub. Only in one pair (AI-PC) both vixens displayed communal breeding and weaned cubs. The present results show that vixens in traditional breeding system had better RPM than in any of the studied pair-housing systems. The current blue fox population has been effectively selected for cage-breeding and artificial reproduction, and therefore blue foxes generally reproduce well with artificial insemination after careful detection of oestrus in traditional breeding conditions.