NC_OLD1029: Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare (10/01/2011 to 09/30/2016)

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Inactive/Terminating

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[10/03/2011] [08/08/2012] [09/16/2013] [09/08/2015] [01/11/2016]

Date of Annual Report: 10/03/2011

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 07/30/2011 - 07/31/2011
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2010 - 09/01/2011

Participants

Edwards, Lily--Kansas State University
Minton, J. Ernest--Kansas State University
Siegford, Janice--Michigan State University
Swanson, Janice--Michigan State University
Marchant-Forde, Jeremy--USDA-ARS, Indiana
Endres, Marcia--University of Minnesota

Brief Summary of Minutes

1. Introductions
The Chair, Marcia Endres, called the meeting to order, welcomed participants, and made introductory remarks.

2. Administrative report
" Administrative advisor update Ernie Minton
" Rewrite project was approved
" There are 14 members in the new project

3. Station reports

Michigan State University (MSU) Janice Siegford
" J. Swanson is interim Department chair.
" The animal welfare and behavior group (Swanson, Siegford and Heleski) has one post-doctoral associate, 3 PhD and 2 MS students (one just completed program)
" The group hosted another successful Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition. Multiple NC-1029 members are involved in training participants and acting as judges for this annual competition. 2010 was the 10th year anniversary competition held Nov 20-21, 2010.
" Teaching: Siegford: Applied Animal Behavior & Animal Welfare Assessment; Heleski: Horse Behavior and Welfare, 2 welfare judging classes, and 2 yr ag tech horse classes; Swanson: Contemporary Issues
" Co-hosted zoo animal welfare forum with Detroit Zoo in January
" Presented work at Ag & Human Values conference (bioethics and pig production)
" Served on AVMA welfare curriculum committee
" Developing APHIS modules for NVAP on welfare
" Research underway on USDA AFRI (2009, Siegford et al) on developing a sensor to monitor laying hen activity and resource use
" Research underway on large comparative housing commercial laying hen project (2010, Karcher et al)
" Research starting on evaluating health and behavior of dairy cows on pasture during transition (Siegford & Karcher, 2010)
" Research starting on facilitating nest use by turkeys
" Research nearing completion on correlating behavior, temperament traits, meat quality and phenotype in cattle
" Research on cervical pain and riding in horses
" Fear testing for swine started at Purdue, then Guelph, then IA State, then Michigan State. Manuscript draft is being written by Marchant-Forde.

Kansas State University Lily Edwards
" Edwards has 2 graduate students in animal science, 2 in veterinary school
" Feedlot cattle response to routine exercise; 8 week study; Sedentary vs Exercise (n = 15); Exercise 3 x per week (20 min à 40 min); Blood sample at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks
" EEG during castration in dairy calves; USDA grant; castration at three different ages, different methods of castration. Question on methodology is EEG the best way of evaluating pain? Maybe measuring more perception of pain, rather than physiological differences. They are also taking many other measurements, such as cortisol concentrations, behavior during and after, etc. EEG is more exploratory, need to evaluate how it would work.
" One of the aims focuses on the variable of surgical technique and will compare EEG responses with 10 additional measurements of pain and distress in lightweight and heavyweight calves undergoing two forms of surgical or non-surgical (banding) castration.
" Another study on the effects of meloxicam, gabapentin, a combination of meloxicam with gabapentin, or flunixin to provide different levels of analgesia to manage pain in cattle due to the routine husbandry procedure of dehorning.
" Comparative pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral meloxicam when administered pre-emptively vs. at the time of a routine animal husbandry procedure

USDA-ARS Jeremy Marchant-Forde
" Group has 6 graduate students and 2 post-doctoral associates.
" This year they have conducted experiments on: 1) role of oxytocin in social behavior of swine, 2) Lameness in sows, 3) effects of Agrado, an Antioxidant, on chicken welfare, and 4) Action-reaction: using Markov analysis to elucidate social behavior when unacquainted sows are mixed.
" Their research provided the first evidence that oxytocin is able to attenuate social separation distress in farm animals. Intranasal administration represents an appealing non-invasive method to study the effect of neuropeptides on the behavior and welfare of animals. Research on oxytocin can help us understand the social behavior of domestic animals and implement practices that meet their social and psychological needs.
" With sows mixed in groups, 46.5% of no response/pause behaviors were followed by bites indoors, whereas, 30.4% were followed by bites outdoors. In the other direction, 39.7% of bites indoors were preceded by no response/pause behaviors, as opposed to 8.5% outdoors. Break was preceded by withdrawal/head tilt 61.1% of times outdoors but only 15.6% of times indoors. Overall, the results indicate that, indoors, ignoring or trying to avoid the other sow did not necessarily diffuse the interaction, given the limited space, whereas outdoors, sows were able to use the space to effectively end aggression. The information derived from this study furthers our understanding of factors that may promote or ameliorate aggression in different mixing environments.
University of Minnesota Marcia Endres
" Y. Li studies focusing on effects of maternal fear on piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems. Results indicate that fear of people in sows increased with parity and the progress of gestation. However, sow fear was not associated with piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems. No differences in prolactin and cortisol concentration in plasma were observed between fearful and less fearful sows, suggesting that fear in sows was not related to circulating concentrations of prolactin or cortisol pre- and post-farrowing.
" Other studies included effect of parity on pre-weaning mortality and growth performance of piglets in a bedded, group farrowing system, effect of lactation housing (group or stalls) on growth performance of pigs, and effects of previous housing in large groups on behavior of growing pigs at mixing.
" M. Endres summarized a prospective cohort study describing facility layout and management, environmental quality, and animal performance and welfare on two new types of dairy facilities and naturally ventilated freestall barns.
" Another cohort study is describing the epidemiology of lameness (i.e. incidence of, risk factors for, and consequences of new lameness events) in dairy cows housed in these three housing systems is ongoing.
" Another study documented and described the use of recycled manure solids for bedding in the upper Midwest, evaluated animal welfare, investigated risk factors for high somatic cell counts, and evaluated best management practices when using manure solids for bedding is being completed.
" A study is in progress to investigate herd risk factors associated with increased dairy cow mortality in the upper Midwest region.
" A study to determine the impact of stocking density and number of group changes prepartum on well-being, social behavior, innate immunity, health, milk production, and reproductive performance of dairy cows is ongoing.
" Li has 1 PhD and Endres has 2 PhD and 2 MS students (one just completed program)

Discussion on completion of current NC1029 objectives
a. Pigs
" Testing has been completed at Purdue University, University of Guelph, Michigan State University, and Iowa State University.
" Marchant-Forde solicited data for the manuscript from all participants. Statistical analysis has been completed. Goal is to submit for publication in the Journal of Animal Science.
b. Poultry
" Newberry and Mench could submit a manuscript on the factor analysis overall for poultry.
c. Ruminants (Goats)
" L. Katz and J. Mench have conducted fear testing of goats. A manuscript on their study will be submitted.
d. Fear test overall summarization could be submitted for board review article in Journal of Animal Science.

2) Future plans for committee
a. Renewal of committee and discussion of future objectives
" Submission of full renewal proposal was done by December 1, 2010.
" Project has been approved
" Some members have not signed up for new project
" Some collaborations have started

3) Business meeting
a. Elections
" A. Johnson was elected to succeed M. Endres as Chair.
" C. Tucker was elected to succeed A. Johnson as Secretary.

b. Scheduling the 2012 meeting
" Possible options: Have it in combination with another meeting at Iowa State
" Poll participants about preferred location via email
" Need conference calling capability for members who cant afford to travel to meeting site

Additional minutes of meeting held at JAM meetings Tuesday 13th July 2010:

Attendees:
Marcia Endres (University of Minnesota)
Anna Johnson (Iowa State University)
Don Lay (USDA-ARS)
Cassandra Tucker (University of California Davis)
Ruth Newberry (Washington State University)
Ted Friend (Texas A & M)
Lily Edwards (Kansas State University)
Richard Reynnells (USDA-ARS)
Brenda Alexander (University of Wyoming)
Ken Anderson audited the meeting (North Carolina State University)

Agenda
1. Introductions
2. Administrative report for the 2006-2011 cycle
3. Topics for the rewrite for the 2011-2016 cycle

Introductions

Accomplishments

Short-term Outcomes: UC-Davis has begun evaluating fear tests on commercial poultry farms. These tests include some of those used under experimental conditions (e.g. the inversion test) as well as those developed by the EU Welfare Quality Assurance project (human approach test; novel object test). Tests were conducted on two commercial broiler farms where the birds were grown under different lighting conditions (1 lux or 20 lux daytime light). As in the experimental studies, birds grown under higher light intensity conditions were more fearful on the inversion test; they also responded more fearfully to human approach. It is unclear from this study whether this represents a difference in underlying fearfulness or is simply due to the different illumination conditions during testing. Studies are also underway on commercial laying hen farms, evaluating changes in fearfulness in different housing systems over the laying cycle. Studies at Kansas State University have begun to develop a pain model in cattle using castration. Researchers have compared behavioral and physiological responses of pain and distress in calves of three age/weight classes undergoing surgical castration. Additionally, these same responses have been assessed in calves of two age/weight classes and three different castration techniques (banding; surgical castration/cut and pull; surgical castration/cut and clamp). It was determined that age does impact the way in which an animal responds to pain in measurements such as electroencephalograms, cortisol and behavior. Preliminary analyses of variables such as cortisol have not indicated a difference between castration methods. These studies have also begun to assess the effectiveness of a variety of both behavioral and physiological measurements (e.g. changes in activity, tail flicks, foot stomps, cortisol, thermography, etc.) in the assessment of pain in livestock. Additionally, two studies exploring various methods of pain relief from dehorning were conducted. Currently, preliminary analyses are being done on those two datasets. Studies at the University of Minnesota focused on effects of maternal fear on piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems. Results indicate that fear of people in sows increased with parity and the progress of gestation. However, sow fear was not associated with piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems. No differences in prolactin and cortisol concentration in plasma were observed between fearful and less fearful sows, suggesting that fear in sows was not related to circulating concentrations of prolactin or cortisol pre- and post-farrowing. Others studies at U of M focused on improving welfare of dairy cows. J. Siegford and J. Swanson (MSU) assisted in the generation of data for a commercial scale project involving housing of laying hens as well as for objectives in a 2009 USDA AFRI grant related to using a wireless body-mounted sensor to monitor behavior and resource use in laying hens. Both projects will help understand the impact of housing systems on laying hen welfare to the benefit of laying hens and producers. C. Heleskis work on assessing the welfare of horses and donkeys will lead to improved methods of assessing welfare of these animals, particularly in areas where they are used as working animals. The work of the team with the Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition helps students develop the skills necessary to assess animal welfare and to communicate effectively about controversial issues. Work at ISU has focused on applied farm animal well-being and has identified three core research areas that have enormous impact in the well-being of the animal, the safety of the product and the application of accountability throughout the entire food chain. These three research areas are directed towards (1) maintenance (feeding and drinking) behaviors of farm animals, (2) handling and system design for the finisher pig and (3) sow productive lifetime. Through these projects ISU is developing a thorough understanding of how individual and groups of farm animals can cope, adapt and perform under a variety of different housing and management systems. The species included in the USDA-ARS mission of the livestock behavior unit include dairy, swine and poultry. This year ARS has conducted experiments on: 1) Role of oxytocin in social behavior of swine, 2) lameness in sows, 3) the effects of Agrado, an antioxidant, on chicken welfare, and 4) Action-reaction: using Markov analysis to elucidate social behavior when unacquainted sows are mixed. Oxytocin was more potent in females than castrated males possibly due to an estrogen influence. This is the first evidence that oxytocin is able to attenuate social separation distress in farm animals. Intranasal administration represents an appealing non-invasive method to study the effect of neuropeptides on the behavior and welfare of animals. Research on oxytocin can help us understand the social behavior of domestic animals and implement practices that meet their social and psychological needs. Results of the study on mixing sows indicate that, indoors, ignoring or trying to avoid the other sow did not necessarily diffuse the interaction, given the limited space, whereas outdoors, sows were able to use the space to effectively end aggression. The information derived from this study furthers our understanding of factors that may promote or ameliorate aggression in different mixing environments. J. Peralta is course leader in Veterinary Issues course at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. This is a mandatory two year course that all our veterinary students have to take during years 1 and 2 of the program. The course meets during Fall and Spring semesters for two hours once a week with each class. A total of 207 students took the course this year (106 first years and 101 second years). This course introduces the students to the analysis of issues related to animals and their interaction with humans, and includes sections in ethics and animal welfare. Current topics related to companion animals, production species, horses, wildlife and laboratory animals are discussed. This will prepare our students to engage in discussions with the public on animal issues. Work at the University of Wyoming showed that seeking behavior in the ewe increases as serum concentrations of testosterone decrease in the ram. This behavior may help insure pregnancy when sexual interest in the ram has diminished. Another study showed that expression of normal sexual behavior may be dependent on an intact SDN-POA (sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area). Effects of lesion on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis remain to be determined. Outputs: A manuscript on the results of the collaborative work of the NC1029 committee on swine fear tests is being prepared. Goal is to submit to the Journal of Animal Science before the end of this calendar year. Three datasets were collected at KSU this year on studies exploring pain response and alleviation in cattle. From the work performed on pain, 2 publications have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals and 2 are in-progress. Several talks have been given by KSU researchers affiliated with this project throughout KS and the US on the issue of pain in livestock. From these talks, several small studies have been organized and begun with local producers who through this research have seen the need to address issues of pain in livestock. Three graduate students have additionally enrolled at KSU to continue work in this area. The MSU Animal Behavior and Welfare Group published 2 peer-reviewed journal articles, 1 book chapter, and 4 lay press articles. In addition, the group delivered a total of 11 presentations at scientific and professional conferences. University of Minnesota (Y. Lis group) presented three abstracts regarding sow fear and piglet mortality in loose housing systems at National Animal Science Annual Meetings, Midwestern Animal Science Annual Meetings, and the ISAE International Meeting. Three peer-reviewed articles, thirteen abstracts, and various proceedings and lay press articles were published by M. Endres et al. (U of MN). J. Peralta has been involved in training sessions on humane euthanasia of young calves in Southern California. The possibility of developing some training material, perhaps something online or in a DVD that could be available to producers across the country has been discussed. Also working in the development of material to be made available to first-time adopters at animal shelters. It is expected that by providing information to adopters the amount of animals that are brought back to the shelter because of problems adjusting to the presence of the animals at home will be reduced. Activities: Three large research studies were conducted this year at KSU. Several smaller additionally ones were also begun. Next year, work will continue and collaboration will be begun between KSU and ISU stations. J. Siegford and J. Swanson (MSU) were part of a team collecting data related to assessing the impact of housing systems on laying hen behavior and welfare and data related to development of a wireless sensor to detect hen activity and behavior. C. Heleski, J. Siegford and J. Swanson (MSU) hosted the 10th Annual Collegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition at MSU on November 20-21, 2010. Eighteen teams competed, representing 9 universities with 78 participants in 3 divisions: undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students. They are currently preparing to host the 11th competition in November, 2011. C. Heleski also participated in several conferences and activities aimed at developing protocols and procedures for assessing horse welfare. J. Siegford participated in several activities related to training students and veterinarian to understand and accurately assess animal welfare. Y. Li (U of MN) analyzed prolactin, cortisol, and oxytocin concentration in plasma of fearful sows and less fearful sows. Statistical analysis of the data is in progress. J. Peralta was recently appointed to serve in the American Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Model Curriculum Planning Group. The mission of this committee is to propose an animal welfare curriculum that could be implemented in different veterinary schools. This will facilitate the exposure that veterinary students have to animal welfare science and its practical assessment and will ensure that the material that they are exposed to is more uniform among different veterinary training programs. Milestones: Analysis has been completed at KSU on the research focusing on age differences in pain response associated with castration. From this analysis, two manuscripts are in-progress and will be submitted prior to the end of the calendar year. Numerous abstracts and talks have been given on data compiled from this study. An additional manuscript will also be written and submitted prior to the next annual meeting (if not before the end of this year). Data analysis has begun for the projects exploring castration method and pain alleviation associated with dehorning. One abstract from the castration project has already been submitted. A minimum of three papers from these projects will be submitted prior to the next annual meeting. Planning is beginning for a project exploring pain alleviation associated with castration for Spring 2012. The first set of data collected by J. Siegford, J. Swanson (MSU) from the commercial scale project assessing the impact of housing on laying hen welfare is currently being decoded. The second year of data collected by the same investigators for a USDA AFRI grant related to the development of a wireless body-mounted sensor for detecting behavior and resource use in laying hens is now being analyzed. The ability of the wireless sensor to detect hen location has been verified and a peer-reviewed article published documenting this work.

Publications

Peer-reviewed publications & book chapters Appleby, M.C., Mench, J.A., Olsson, I.A.E., Hughes, B.O. (eds.) 2011. Animal Welfare. CAB International, U.K. Chapinal, N., de Passillé, A.M., Rushen, J. and Tucker, C.B. 2011. Short communication: Measures of weight distribution and frequency of steps as indicators of restless behavior. Journal of Dairy Science 94:800-803. Heleski CR, Murtazashvili, I. 2010. Daytime shelter seeking behavior in domestic horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 5: 276-282. Heleski CR, McLean AK, Swanson JC. 2010. Ch. 13 Practical Methods for Improving the Welfare of Horses, Donkeys and Other Working Draught Animals in Developing Areas in Improving Animal Welfare: a Practical Approach, edited by Temple Grandin, CABI, Wallingford, UK. Krebs, N., Berry, S.L. and Tucker, C.B. 2011. Restless behavior increases over time, but not with compressibility of the flooring surface, during forced standing at the feed bunk. Journal of Dairy Science 94:97-105. Lay DC, Fulton RM, Hester PY, Karcher DM, Kjaer JB, Mench JA, Mullens BA, Newberry RC, Nicol CJ, O'Sullivan NP, Porter RE. 2010. Hen welfare in different housing systems. Poult Sci, 90(1): 278-94. Ledgerwood, D.N., Winckler, C. and Tucker, C.B. 2010. Evaluation of data loggers, sampling intervals, and editing techniques for measuring the lying behavior of dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 93:5129-5139. Legrand, A., Schütz, K.E. and Tucker, C.B. 2011. Using water to cool cattle: Behavioral and physiological changes associated with voluntary use of cow showers. Journal of Dairy Science 94:3376-3386. Lombard, J.E., Tucker, C.B., von Keyserlingk, M.A.G., Kopral, C.A. and Weary, D.M. 2010. Associations between cow hygiene, hock injuries, and free stall usage on US dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Science 93:4668-4676. Makagon MM, Mench JA. 2011. Floor laying by Pekin ducks: effects of nest box ratio and design. Poult Sci, 90(6): 1179-84. Makagon, M.M., Tucker, C.B. and Mench, J.A. 2011. Factors affecting nest choice by Pekin ducks. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129:121-128. Mench JA, Sumner DA, Rosen-Molina JT. 2010. Sustainability of egg production in the United States--the policy and market context. Poult Sci, 90(1): 229-40. Quwaider M, Daigle CL, Biswas SK, Siegford JM, Swanson JC. 2010. Development of a wireless body-mounted sensor to monitor activity and location of laying hens in a non-cage housing system. T ASABE 53(5):1705-1713. Schütz, K.E., Rogers, A.R., Cox, N.R., Webster, J.R. and Tucker, C.B. 2011. Dairy cattle prefer shade over sprinklers: Effects on behavior and physiology. Journal of Dairy Science 94:273-283. Shane, E.M., M.I. Endres, and K.A. Janni. 2010. Alternative bedding materials for compost bedded pack barns in Minnesota: A descriptive study. Appl. Eng. Agric. 26:465-473. Shane, E.M., M.I. Endres, D.G. Johnson, and J.K. Reneau. 2010. Bedding options for an alternative housing system for dairy cows: A descriptive study. Appl. Eng. in Agric. 26:659-666. Schütz, K.E., Rogers, A.R., Poulouin, Y., Cox, N.R. and Tucker, C.B. 2010. The amount of shade influences the behavior and physiology of dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 93:125-133. Schütz, K.E., Clark, K.V., Cox, N.R., Matthews, L.R. and Tucker, C.B. 2010. Responses to short-term exposure to simulated rain and wind by dairy cattle: time budgets, shelter use, body temperature and feed intake. Animal Welfare 19:375-383. Swanson JC, Mench JA, Thompson PB. 2010. Introduction--the Socially Sustainable Egg Production project. Poult Sci, 90(1): 227-8. Sumner, D.A., Matthews, W.A., Mench, J.A., Rosen-Molina, J.T. 2010. The economics of regulations on hen housing in California. Journal of Applied Agricultural Economics, 42: 429-438. Abstracts, presentations & lay press articles Agnew DW, Daigle CL, Siegford JM, Heleski CR, Swanson JC. 2010. Virtual animal welfare assessment: a tool for developing international proficiency. Wildlife Conservation, Health, and Disease Management - a Post-Millenium Approach. February, 3-5, 2010. Chennai, India. Alexander, B.M., K.C. Otto, K.J. Austin. 2011. Ram and ewe reproductive behavior and serum testosterone during the early and mid- breeding season. J. Anim. Sci. 89 (suppl). And Rocky Mountain Reproduction Sciences Symposium Alexander, B.M. D.C. Skinner, A.J. Mirto, C.E. Roselli. 2011. The Ovine Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of the Preoptic Area: Functional Significance. Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (Queretaro, Mexico) Bergamasco, L., L.N. Edwards, N.Bello, S.Mueting, C.Cull, R.Mosher and J.F. Coetzee. 2011. Castration as a model for studying pain-triggered cardiac physiology in growing calves. Accepted to International Society of Applied Ethology Conference. Indianapolis, IN. Coetzee, J.F., L.N.Edwards, R.Mosher, N.Bello, A.M.OConnor, B.Wang, B.KuKanich and D.A.Blasi. 2011. Journal of Animal Science, 2011 National ASAS Meeting, New Orleans, LA. Daigle CL, Carter S, Geise G, Siegford JM, Snider R, Swanson JC. 2010. Development of a zoo and university animal welfare working group in the state of Michigan. Proceedings of the 86th Association of Zoos and Aquariums Annual Conference. Daigle CL, Quwaider MQ, Siegford JM, Biswas SK, Swanson JC. 2010. Laying hen location and activity can be monitored in a non-cage environment using a wireless body-mounted sensor system. Proceedings of the 10th ISAE North American Regional Meeting, May 27-27, 2010 Pullman, WA. 10:22-23. Daigle CL, Quwaider MQ, Siegford JM, Biswas SK, Swanson JC. 2011. Monitoring laying hen location and activity using a wireless body-mounted sensor system. Proceedings of the Animal Welfare Forum: Zoo/University Partnerships in Applied Studies of Animal Welfare. January 23, 2011. Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit, MI. Edwards, L.N., J.F. Coetzee, N.Bello, R. Mosher, C.Cull and L.Bergamasco. 2011. Castration as a model for studying pain-triggered behavioral responses in growing calves. Accepted to International Society of Applied Ethology Conference. Indianapolis, IN. Endres, M.I. 2010. FARM dairy well-being program. In Proc. 4-State Dairy Nutr. and Manag. Conf., Dubuque, IA. Pg 95. Endres, M.I. 2010. Keeping your cows comfortable. In Proc. Midwest Dairy Expo, St. Cloud, MN. Pg 17-19. Endres, M.I. 2010. Use of recycled fiber bedding in freestall barns. Dairy Star, February 2010. Endres, M.I. 2010. Consumer concern for animal care is on the rise. Ag-News Wire, April 2010. Endres, M.I. 2010. Research on cow comfort. Dairy Star, August 2010. Endres, M.I. 2010. Stay ahead of the game with animal welfare. Genex Dairy Horizons, August 2010. Endres, M.I. 2010. Tell the positive story of your dairy farm. Ag-News Wire, October 2010. Endres, M.I. 2010. Dairy producers issues in 2010. eDairy Weekly Insider, October 2010. Endres, M.I. 2010. Transition cows 2010. Dairy Star, November 2010. Heleski CR. 2010. Invited presentation and abstract for the Midwest ASAS/ADSA Meeting. An update on horse welfare, contrasting the issues between developed countries and developing countries. Heleski C, Golab G, Millman S, Reynnells R, Siegford J, Swanson J. 2011. Review of the Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition (AWJAC) through 2010. Poultry Science Association 2011 Annual Meeting. Husfeldt, A.W. and M.I. Endres. 2010. Association between stall surface and various welfare measurements on dairy herds utilizing recycled manure solids for bedding freestalls. J. Dairy Sci. 93(Suppl. 1):772. Jacobs JA, Siegford JM. 2010. Do cows adapt quickly to being milked by robots? Proceedings of the 44th International Congress of the ISAE. 44:215. Jacobs JA, Siegford JM. 2011. Do cows adapt quickly to being milked by an automatic milking system? Proceedings of the Animal Welfare Forum: Zoo/University Partnerships in Applied Studies of Animal Welfare. January 23, 2011. Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit, MI. Lobeck, K.M., M. I. Endres, E. M. Shane, S. M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2009. Animal welfare in cross-ventilated and naturally ventilated dairy barns in the upper Midwest USA. J. Dairy Sci. 92(Suppl. 1):334. Lobeck, K.M., M. I. Endres, E. M. Shane, S. M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2010. Associations between housing systems and animal welfare measurements assessed by survival analysis. J. Dairy Sci. 93(Suppl. 1):773. Lobeck, K.M., M.I. Endres, S.M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2010. Assessment of animal welfare in cross-ventilated vs. naturally ventilated freestall barns using survival analysis. In Proc. Minn. Dairy Health Conference. Pg 87. McLean AK, Heleski CR, Yokoyama MT, Wang W, Doumbia A, Dembele B. 2010. Assessing working donkey (Equus asinus) welfare status on a sub-population of Malian donkeys and knowledge and skills among para-professionals and professionals in Mali, West Africa. Abstract. 6th International Colloquium on Working Equids, New Delhi, India. Orban DA, Siegford JM. 2011. Scenarios as welfare training tools: giraffe case study. Proceedings of the Animal Welfare Forum: Zoo/University Partnerships in Applied Studies of Animal Welfare. January 23, 2011. Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit, MI. Orman, A. and M.I. Endres. 2010. Infrared thermography for detection of hoof lesions in dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 93(Suppl. 1):772. Phillips, C. E., Y. Z. Li, J. E. Anderson, L. J. Johnston, G. C. Shurson, and J. Deen. 2011. Association of sow fear, parity and season with piglet mortality in loose farrowing systems. Midwest ASAS 3/14/2011, Des Moines, IA. Phillips, C. E., Y. Z. Li, and J. Anderson. 2010. Fear response in gestating sows.2010 ISAE, Sweden 8/25/2010 Phillips, C. E., Y. Z. Li, J. E. Anderson, L. J. Johnston, G. C. Shurson, J. Deen, and C. Farmer. 2011. Association of sow fear with prolactin and cortisol concentrations pre- and post-farrowing. National ASAS 7/12/2011, New Orleans. Siegford JM. 2011. Challenges of farm animal welfare. Proceedings of the Animal Welfare Forum: Zoo/University Partnerships in Applied Studies of Animal Welfare. January 23, 2011. Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit, MI. Siegford J, Jacobs J. 2010. Do cows adapt quickly to being milked by robots? Michigan Dairy Review. 15(4):8-11. Siegford J, Jacobs J. 2011. Effect of exit alley blocking incidences on the accessibility of the automatic milking system. Michigan Dairy Review. 16(1):18-20. Siegford J, Jacobs J. 2011. Do cows adapt quickly to being milked by robots? Progressive Dairyman. Online at http://www.progressivedairy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5739. Siegford J, Jacobs J. 2011. Exit alley blocking incidences and automatic milking systems. Progressive Dairyman. 25(9):75-76. Weich, B., A. D. Kmicikewycz, M. I. Endres, and N.B. Litherland. 2010. Postpartum feeding behavior of dairy cows fed ad libitum or restricted prepartum diets containing wheat straw or orchardgrass. Midwest ADSA/ASAS Meetings:109. Weich, W. D., A.D. Kmicikewycz, M.I. Endres, and N.B. Litherland. 2010. Does moderating amount fed and forage type in dry cow diets affect pre- and postpartum feeding and lying behavior? In Proc. Minn. Dairy Health Conference. Pg 93-94.

Impact Statements

J. Siegford and J. Swanson of MSU, along with NC1029 member, J. Mench (UC-Davis) were co-PIs on a grant from the Center for Food Integrity (Karcher D et al. $2,593,074. Sustainable egg supply in alternative housing systems for laying hens. 10/1/2010-9/30/2013).
J. Swanson and J. Siegford of MSU, along with NC1029 member R. Newberry (WSU), were also recipients of a gift to examine use of furnishments, perch height and bone breakage in laying hens. (Swanson et al., $140,827. 1/2010-6/2011.)
The Veterinary Issues course at Western University has a mid- to long-term impact, as actual changes will take place in years to come when students become veterinarians and use the tools they acquired in the course to lead their involvement in discussions on the different animal issues of their interest. J. Peralta remains interested in defining parameters that could be used to assess how this course affected students. The findings will be published.
It is too early for the true impacts of the project to be known with certainty. Procedures for fear testing in domestic animal is more complicated than initially envisioned. Standard fear tests used for rodents may not be the most appropriate tests for livestock and poultry.

Date of Annual Report: 08/08/2012

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 06/26/2012 - 06/26/2012
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2011 - 09/01/2012

Participants

Johnson, Anna, Iowa State University; Don Lay, USDA-ARS Purdue; Tucker, Cassandra, University of California; Endres, Marcia, University of Minnesota; Newberry, Ruth, Washington State University, Ruth Newberry; Minton, Ernie, Kansas State University; Holland, Margo, USDA NIFA; Johnson, Peter, USDA NIFA

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes from the NC1029 meeting on June 26, 2012, 9AM Central time

Introductions

The Chair, Anna Johnson, called the meeting to order, welcomed participants, and made introductory remarks.

Station reports

Iowa State University, Anna Johnson
Anna presented her work about lameness and pain in sows and human-animal interactions in pigs.

USDA-ARS Purdue, Don Lay
Don presented work from his group at USDA and Croneys work at Purdue, including work with veal calf housing, gas euthanasia of piglets, mechanisms controlling aggression in laying hens, effects of perch use by laying hens, shelter cat welfare, temperament testing in dogs, and environmental enrichment for laying hens.

University of California, Cassandra Tucker
Cassandra presented work about assessing comfort of standing surfaces for dairy cows.

University of Minnesota, Marcia Endres
Marcia presented work about sampling regimes in on-farm assessment of dairy cattle welfare and epidemiological work looking at the mortality and management of freestall barns for dairy cows.

Washington State University, Ruth Newberry
Ruth presented work about vocalizations in piglets, cognitive bias in grizzly bears, social isolation of chicks and epidemiological work with laying hen housing.

Administrative Advisor report, Ernie Minton, Kansas State University

We agreed that the electronic format for our meetings was acceptable and agreed that we will take this same approach next year. Cassandra Tucker, UC Davis, will host and organize the electronic session (via Adobe Connect) as chair, likely in May or June 2013.

Ernie also highlighted that agricultural experimental stations may provide travel funds to attend our meetings.

Candace Croney was nominated as secretary for 2013, but she declined. Angela Green has now been approached about serving in this role for 2013 and, at the time of writing these notes (July 13, 2012), it was not yet clear if she had accepted or not.

Station reports are due to Anna Johnson by Aug 13, 2012. Please follow the format sent out by Ernie and Anna.

Update about USDA NIFA process, Margo Holland and Peter Johnson (via email)

We anticipate release of the foundational RFAs in mid-August to early September. While we can't guarantee, we also anticipate that animal health, animal welfare, etc. researchers will have opportunities for grant submissions. If you have specific questions, let us know, we will try to answer if possible.

An electronic recording of this meeting can be found at: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p4l6lpd8alm/

Accomplishments

Objective one: To develop novel animal behavior measurement techniques and to evaluate animal behavior as an indicator of animal welfare. UC-Davis evaluated novel measurements: EMG (muscle activity) in dairy cattle We evaluated the effect of slope on skeletal muscle activity during 90 min of standing. Sixteen Holstein cows will stand on floors with 0%, 3%, 6%, and 9% slope for 90 min/treatment before milking in a cross-over design, with 24 h between each testing session. Electromyograms (EMG) will be used to evaluate the activity of middle gluteal and biceps femoris muscles. Contractions were recorded before, after and during exposure to each slope. Median power frequency (MPF) and median amplitude (MA) values were used for analysis in general linear models (PROC GLM in SAS). We predicted that restless behavior, muscle fatigue (as measured by MPF and MA) and latency to lie down after testing would increase with the slope of the standing surface. We found, however, no significant differences in muscle function, restless behavior or latency to lie down associated with slope. Myoelectrical activity (MPF) was greater for the middle gluteal muscle (91.4±1.69 Hz) compared to the biceps femoris muscle (77.7±1.24 Hz, P<0.001) indicating the middle gluteal muscle was more active under these test conditions. The number of steps increased over the 90-min of standing (P<0.001, from 4.5 to 6.5 steps/min in the first and last 15 min, respectively), regardless of the slope. Although restless behavior and muscle function did not change with slope in this context, this work is the first to use EMG to assess skeletal muscle activity in cattle. We suggest that this technology, along with restless behavior, may be useful in assessing muscle function, and perhaps fatigue, in more strenuous situations, such as prolonged standing associated with transport. PhD student, Eranda Rajapaksha, presented these findings at the International Society for Applied Ethology meeting in July/Aug 2011. Objective two: To improve our understanding of various aspects of on-farm welfare assessment and auditing programs such as sampling (including frequency of visits, number of animals/pens/cages monitored, and other aspects of methodology) and the appropriateness and feasibility of various on-farm measurements. UC-Davis and U Minnesota evaluated the appropriate sample size required to measure lameness, hygiene, leg injuries and body condition score on dairy farms. We visited 52 randomly selected free-stall dairy farms in Minnesota once during the summer (completed before 2011). Cows in the high-production pen were evaluated for lameness using a 5-point locomotion scoring system (1 = normal locomotion, 2 = imperfect locomotion, 3 = lame, 4 = moderately lame, and 5 = severely lame). Animals were scored for body condition (BCS) using a 5-point scale, where 1 = emaciated and 5 = obese. Hygiene scores were assessed by the amount of dirt on the udder and lower hind legs based on a 5-point scale with 1 = clean and 5 = dirty. Hock injuries were classified as 1 = no lesion, 2 = hair loss (mild lesion), and 3 = swollen hock (severe lesion). Subsets of data from each farm were created with 10 replicates of random sampling with replacement using PROC SURVEY SELECT in SAS. These subsets represented 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10, 5 and 3% of the cows measured/farm. The association between the estimates derived from each subset and the estimated prevalence of the pens were evaluated using linear regression. Cows were rarely very thin (BCS = 2; 0.10% of cows) or very fat (BCS e 4, 0.11% of cows). A relatively large portion of the cows were dirty (hygiene score 3 or more = 54.9% of cows). Approximately a quarter (24.4%) of the cows were classified as lame (locomotion score e 3) and 6% were classified as severely lame (score e 4). Ten percent of cows had severe hock lesions (10.6% cows with hock score = 3). Subsets of data from each farm were created with 10 replicates of random sampling with replacement using PROC SURVEY SELECT in SAS. These subsets represented 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10, 5 and 3% of the cows measured/pen. The association between the estimates derived from each subset and the estimated prevalence of the pens was evaluated using linear regression. Recording 15% of the pen represented the percentage of clinically lame cows (score 3 or more) with high accuracy (R2 > 0.9), although a higher percentage (30%) of the pen needed to be measured in order to accurately estimate severe lameness (score 4 or more). Only 15% of the pen needed to be sampled to accurately estimate (R2 >0.9) the percentage of the herd with hygiene score e 3, whereas 30% needed to be scored to accurately estimate the prevalence of severe hock lesions. Estimating the portion of thin and fat cows required that 70 to 80% of the pen be measured in order to accurately describe this parameter. Thus, unsurprisingly, a higher percentage of the group must be sampled to generate accurate estimates for relatively rare parameters among lactating cattle (e.g. very thin cows). Dr. Marcia Endres presented these findings at the Welfare Assessment at the Farm and Group Level meeting in Aug 2011. At University of Minnesota, one MS student graduated in 2011 mentored by Dr. Endres. Three manuscripts were published. Various extension presentations were given on topics related to dairy welfare. ISU studied validation of willingness to approach in the nursery pig The expectation from retailers and the public for on-farm animal welfare practices to be routinely practiced will continue. The U.S. swine industry has the Pork Quality Plus assessment program and starting in 2011 began on-farm third party verification. However, the lack of an animal-human based measure in the current programs has drawn criticism from some activist groups. Therefore, investigating the feasibility of collecting on farm-animal-human based measures that are repeatable, objective and meaningful is critical. The objective of the first study was to build a nursery pen image capturing device that could produce a digital image concurrently with a live human to allow comparisons of pig touch look and not behaviors when an unfamiliar human was in their home pen. The objective of the second study was to compare the live human observation to the digital image methodology for pigs classified as touch, look and not in commercial nursery pens with an unfamiliar human in their home pen. The objective of the third study was to compare live human observation to the digital image and to determine injection effects in commercial nursery pens. The overall conclusion for the first chapter was that pigs housed in small nursery pens was that a device could be built and used on farm and in addition there were no differences between these two methodologies. The second chapter noted differences in the methods. In the digital image including more look and less not pigs. The majority of pigs classified as not were standing, followed by sitting, standing, head in feeder, mouth around drinker and only 2.5% of nursery pigs were piling. The behavioral differences between the two methodologies may have included (1) live observer field of vision limitations (2) data collection time points for the methods differed and (3) pig and observer anatomy obstructions at the time of the count. In the third chapter there was no difference between the live and digital methodologies for pigs classified as touch, look, not and approach. There was no difference for pre injection behaviors over all treatments. Post injection, less Circumvent-PCVM injected pigs were classified as touch and look with more not compared to CircoFLEX/MycoFLEX and saline control pigs. When not pigs were broken down into behaviors and postures, more Circumvent-PCVM pigs exhibited less standing but more sitting and lying compared to CircoFLEX/MycoFLEX and saline control pigs. In conclusion the live human observation methodology of classifying nursery pig behavior took the least amount of time and thus was the quicker on-farm method. The digital image allowed for more animal-human interaction measures to be collected i.e. behaviors, postures, location and distance from the human in the pen. Determining what these pigs are engaged in if not considered approaching would provide information to a producer, veterinarian, and/or assessor on the pigs overall comfort level. It could be erroneous to conclude that all pigs classified as not are fearful of the human in their home pen and therefore in a compromised state of welfare. As a caveat, classifying these not pigs is time consuming and the digital image methodology would likely not be accepted within an industry on-farm assessment program. Therefore, if negative behavior(s), which have been identified in scientific papers i.e. piling, or escape/avoidance behaviors were counted instead of behaviors and postures from motivational systems considered to not negatively affect welfare, then only a few pigs in a pen would likely need to be counted and the remainder would be counted as acceptable or not fearful. Therefore, when deciding upon which methodology (live vs. digital) to use for an animal-human interaction test, the decision will likely be based on (1) it being practical, repeatable and meaningful and (2) the objective(s) of the study. MS student Shawna Weimer defended and passed her thesis that contained this research on 20 June 2012. At Michigan State, J Siegford is developing APHIS modules for the National Veterinary Accreditation Program on welfare. In addition, research is underway on USDA AFRI (2009, J Siegford, J Swanson et al) on developing a sensor to monitor laying hen activity and resource use. Also, research is underway on large comparative housing commercial laying hen project (2010, D Karcher et alincluding J Siegford & J Swanson). Research is also starting on evaluating health and behavior of dairy cows on pasture during transition (J Siegford & E Karcher, 2010). J Swansons PhD student is starting work examining fear and feather pecking in turkeys.

Publications

Peer review papers Abood SK, Siegford JM. 2012. Student perceptions of an animal welfare and ethics course taught early in the veterinary curriculum. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education. 39(2):136-141. doi:10.3138/jvme.0911.093R1 Banerjee D, Daigle C, Biswas S, Siegford JM. 2012. Remote activity classification of hens using wireless body mounted sensors. Body Sensor Networks 2012:107-112. Peer-reviewed article published as part of the Ninth International Conference on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks, London, United Kingdom. doi.10.1109/BSN.2012.5 Bates RO, Ferry E, Guthrie T, May G, Rozeboom DW, Siegford JM. 2012. Assessment of pork producer educational needs for adoption of group sow housing. Journal of Extension. June 25 issue. Berry, N. L., A. K. Johnson, J. Hill. S. Lonergan, L. A. Karriker, and K. J. Stalder. 2012. Loading gantry versus traditional chute for the finisher pig: Effect on welfare at the time of loading and performance measures and transport losses at the harvest facility. Published online Journal of Animal Science. June 4, 2012. Chapinal, N., A. M. de Passillé, J. Rushen, and C. B. Tucker. 2011. Short communication: Measures of weight distribution and frequency of steps as indicators of restless behavior. J. Dairy Sci. 94:800-803. Croney, C. C., M. Apley, J. L. Capper, J. A. Mench, and S. Priest. 2012. BIOETHICS SYMPOSIUM: The ethical food movement: What does it mean for the role of science and scientists in current debates about animal agriculture? J. Anim. Sci. 90:1570-1582. Dickey, E. R., A. K. Johnson, K. J. Stalder and K. Bregendahl. 2012. Effects of a premolt calcium and low-energy molt program on laying hen performance, egg quality and economics. Poultry Science. 91:292-203. Dippel, S., C. B. Tucker, C. Winckler, and D. M. Weary. 2011. Effects of behaviour on the development of claw lesions in early lactation dairy cows. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 134:16-22. Fitzgerald, R. F., K. J. Stalder L. A. Karriker, L. J. Sadler, H. T. Hill J. Kaisand and A. K. Johnson. 2011. The effect of hoof abnormalities on sow behavior and performance. Accepted to Livestock Production 2012. Gesing, L. M., A. K. Johnson, J. T. Selsby, S. Abrams, H. Hill, A. Whiley, M. Faga., R. Bailey, K. J. Stalder, and M. J. Ritter. 2011. Effects of grow-finish group size on stress responses at loading and unloading and the impact on transport losses from market weight pigs. Professional Animal Scientist 27:477484. Heleski CR, Anthony R. 2012. Science alone is not always enough: the importance of ethical assessment for a more comprehensive view of equine welfare. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 7:169-178. Husfeldt, A.W., M.I. Endres, K.A. Janni, and J.A. Salfer. 2012. Management and characteristics of recycled manure solids used for bedding in Midwest freestall dairy herds. J. Dairy Sci. 95 :21952203. Jacobs JA, Ananyeva K, Siegford JM. 2012. Dairy cow behavior affects the availability of an automatic milking system. Journal of Dairy Science 95:2186-2194. Jacobs JA, Siegford JM. 2012. Invited review: The impact of automatic milking systems on dairy cow management, behavior, health and welfare. Journal of Dairy Science 95:2227-2247. Jacobs JA, Siegford JM. 2012. Lactating dairy cows adapt quickly to being milked by an automatic milking system. Journal of Dairy Science 95:1575-1584. Johnson, A. K., S. M. Lonergan W. D. Busby, S. C. Shouse, D. L Maxwell, J. D. Harmon, and M. S. Honeyman. 2011. Comparison of steer behavior and temperament when housed in a deep bedded hoop barn versus an open feedlot with shelter. J. Anim. Sci. 2011. 89:18931898. Krebs, N., S. L. Berry, and C. B. Tucker. 2011. Restless behavior increases over time, but not with compressibility of the flooring surface, during forced standing at the feed bunk. J. Dairy Sci. 94:97-105. Lay, D. C., Jr., R. M. Fulton, P. Y. Hester, D. M. Karcher, J. B. Kjaer, J. A. Mench, B. A. Mullens, R. C. Newberry, C. J. Nicol, N. P. O'Sullivan, and R. E. Porter. 2011. Hen welfare in different housing systems. Poult. Sci. 90:278-294. Legrand, A., K. E. Schütz, and C. B. Tucker. 2011. Using water to cool cattle: Behavioral and physiological changes associated with voluntary use of cow showers. J. Dairy Sci. 94:3376-3386. Lobeck, K. M., M. I. Endres, E. M. Shane, S. M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2011. Animal welfare in cross-ventilated, compost bedded-pack, and naturally ventilated dairy barns in the upper Midwest. J. Dairy Sci. 94:5469-5479. Lobeck, K.M., M.I. Endres, K.A. Janni, S.M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2012. Environmental characteristics and bacterial counts in bedding and milk bulk tank of low profile cross-ventilated, naturally ventilated, and compost bedded pack dairy barns. Appl. Eng. Agric. 28: 117-128. Makagon, M. M., B. McCowan, and J. A. Mench. 2012. How can social network analysis contribute to social behavior research in applied ethology? Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 138:152-161. Makagon, M. M., C. B. Tucker, and J. A. Mench. 2011. Factors affecting nest choice by Pekin ducks. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 129:121-128. McLean AK, Heleski CR, Yokoyama MT, Wang W, Doumbia A, Dembele B. 2012. Improving working donkey (Equus asinus) welfare and management in Mali, West Africa. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 7:123-134. Mench, J. A., D. A. Sumner, and J. T. Rosen-Molina. 2011. Sustainability of egg production in the United States-The policy and market context. Poult. Sci. 90:229-240. Parola, F., E. Hillman, K. E. Schütz, and C. B. Tucker. 2012. Preferences for overhead sprinklers by naïve beef steers: test of two nozzle types. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 137:13-22. Pittman-Elmore, M. R., J. P. Garner, A. K. Johnson, R. D. Kirkden, B. T. Richert, and E. A. Pajor. 2011. Getting around social status: Motivation and enrichment use of dominant and subordinate sows in a group setting. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 133:154 163. Rushen J, Butterworth A, Swanson JC. 2011. Animal welfare assurance: Science and application. Journal of Animal Science 89:1219-1228. Schütz, K. E., A. R. Rogers, N. R. Cox, J. R. Webster, and C. B. Tucker. 2011. Dairy cattle prefer shade over sprinklers: Effects on behavior and physiology. J. Dairy Sci. 94:273-283. Sun, G., R. F. Fitzgerald, S. J. Hoff, L. A. Karriker, A. K. Johnson, and K. J. Stalder. 2011. Development of an embedded microcomputer-based force plate system for measuring sow weight distribution. Transactions of the American Society of Applied Biological Engineers, Vol. 27:475-482. Sutherland, M. A. and C. B. Tucker. 2011. The long and short of it: a review of tail docking in farm animals. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 135:179-191. Swanson JC, Mench JA, Thompson PB. 2011. Introduction - the socially sustainable egg production project. Poultry Science 90:227-228. Swanson JC, Shin Y, Thompson P, Bawden R, Mench JA. 2011. Integration: Valuing stakeholder input in setting priorities for socially sustainable egg production. Poultry Science 90:2110-2121. Swanson, J. C., Y. Lee, P. B. Thompson, R. Bawden, and J. A. Mench. 2011. Integration: Valuing stakeholder input in setting priorities for socially sustainable egg production. Poult. Sci. 90:2110-2121. Abstracts Elmore, M. R. P., J. P. Garner, A. K. Johnson, R. D. Kirkden, B. T. Richert, and E. A. Pajor. 2011. The impact if environmentally enriched housing on sow motivation, behavior and well-being. J. Anim. Sci. 89(E2)48. Endres, M.I, L.A. Espejo, and C.B. Tucker. 2011. Evaluation of the sample needed to accurately estimate outcome-based measurements of dairy welfare on farm. Pg 12 in Proc. 5th International Conf. on the Assessment of Anim. Welfare at Farm and Group Level, Guelph, Canada, Wageningen Acad. Publ., The Netherlands. Husfeldt, A.W., M. I. Endres, K.A. Janni, J.A. Salfer, and J.K. Reneau. 2011. Chemical and bacteriological characteristics of digested, composted, and separated raw manure solids prior to use as freestall bedding. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):734. Husfeldt, A.W., M.I. Endres, J.A. Salfer, and J.K. Reneau. 2011. Mortality and herd turnover rates in dairy herds utilizing recycled manure solids for bedding freestalls. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):733. Husfeldt, A.W., M.I. Endres, K.A. Janni, J.A. Salfer, and J.K.Reneau. 2011. Chemical and bacteriological characteristics of digested, composted, and separated raw manure solids used as freestall bedding. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):734. Johnson, A. K. 2011. ASAS Early career achievement award presentation: Working to foster the discovery, sharing and application of knowledge concerning the well-being of farm animals. J. Anim. Sci. 89(E1)411. Johnson, A., J. Coetzee, K. Stalder, l. Karriker, and S. Millman. 2011. Pain: A sow lameness model. J. Anim. Sci.89(E2)48. Leuer, R.F., J. K. Reneau, J. M. Lukas, and M. I. Endres. 2011. Predictors of transition cow success from a voluntary milking system. Midwest ADSA:116. Leuer, R.F., J.K. Reneau, J.M. Lukas, and M.I. Endres. 2011. Predictors of primiparous and multiparous transition cow success from an automatic milking system. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):194. Lobeck, K.M., M.I. Endres, S.M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2011. Dairy welfare in three housing systems in the upper Midwest. Pg 84 in Proc. 45th Congress of ISAE, Indianapolis, IN, Wageningen Acad. Publ., The Netherlands. Lobeck, K.M., M.I. Endres, S.M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2011. Herd turnover and mortality in low profile cross-ventilated and naturally ventilated dairy barns in the Upper Midwest. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):733. Lobeck, K.M., M.I. Endres, S.M. Godden, and J. Fetrow. 2011. Temperature and humidity in cross-ventilated and naturally ventilated dairy barns in the upper Midwest. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):734. Mack, L. A., S. D. Eicher, A. K. Johnson, D. C. Lay Jr., B. T. Richert, and E. A. Pajor. 2011. Alleyway width in a free-access stall system influences gestating sow behavior and welfare. 2011. In: E. A. Pajor and J. N. Marchant-Forde (eds.) 45th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. p70. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Indianapolis, IN. Mack, L. A., S. D. Eicher, A. K. Johnson, D. C. Lay Jr., B. T. Richert, and E. A. Pajor. 2011. Can prenatal social stress impact sex characteristics in piglets? J. Anim. Sci. 89(E1)683. Marchant-Forde, J. N., J. P. Garner, A. K. Johnson, R. M. Marchant-Forde, and D. C. Lay. 2011. The effects of group size on aggression when mixing unacquainted sows in outdoor paddocks. J. Anim. Sci. 89(E1)12. Sapkota, A., B. L. Davis, A. Johnson, and J. J. McGlone. 2011. Market pig transport losses, surface temperatures and trailer air temperatures with medium or heavy bedding on the trailer. J. Anim. Sci. 89(E1)219. Shahid, M.Q., M.I. Endres, J.K. Reneau, R. Chebel, and H. Chester-Jones. 2011. Mortality patterns in Midwest DHIA herds. J. Dairy Sci. 94 (Suppl. 1):16. Tapper K. A. Johnson, L. Karriker, K. Stalder, J. Coetzee, R. Parsons, and S. Millman.. 2011. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to mitigate pain in lame sows. In: E. A. Pajor and J. N. Marchant-Forde (eds.) 45th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. p10 Wageningen Academic Publishers, Indianapolis, IN. Tapper, K., A. Johnson, L. Karriker, K. Stalder, J. Coetzee, R. parsons and S. Millman. 2011. Objective pain measurement in sows with induced transient lameness. J. Anim. Sci. 89(e2)53.

Impact Statements

Because on farm animal welfare assessments are becoming more common and expected by the consumer, knowing how to obtain accurate measurements of welfare is crucial. Both Tucker and Endres are current members of the National Milk Producers Federation FARM (Dairy Welfare Assessment) Programs Technical Writing Group, and our study has contributed to improvements in the revised manual and training materials being developed in 2012. Other dairy welfare work performed at the U of MN has helped dairy producers make housing decisions that can significantly impact profitability of their operations.
We have successfully demonstrated EMG can be used in dairy cattle and are now testing a range of flooring conditions in order to better understand the information provided by this technology. Our broader aim is to identify characteristics of flooring that are comfortable for cattle and reduce common health problems, such as lameness.
On-farm assessment schemes are only valuable if the sampling regime accurately reflects the status of the animals on the farm. This work is relevant for both national and international bodies interested in assessing welfare of dairy cows. Many animal welfare assessment/certification and third party auditing programs have been introduced in the U.S. in recent years, such as the PQA-Plus for swine, United Egg Producers Certified for layer hens, and the National FARM for dairy cattle. The work of this multistate committee is crucial for the development and implementation of science-based programs. Endres and Tucker are making progress with our research in this area and hope to submit the publication resulting from our collaboration in 2012.

Date of Annual Report: 09/16/2013

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 07/01/2013 - 07/01/2013
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2012 - 09/01/2013

Participants

Minton, J. Ernest--Kansas State University;
Stricklin, Ray--University of Maryland;
Drnec, Kim--University of Maryland;
Katz, Larry--Rutgers University;
Johnson, Peter--USDA/NIFA;
Holland, Margo--USDA/NIFA;
Makagon, Maja--Purdue University;
Calvo-Lorenzo, Michelle--Oklahoma State University;
Wickens, Carissa--University of Delaware;
Mench, Joy--University of California, Davis;
Tucker, Cassandra--University of California, Davis;
Siegford, Janice--Michigan State University;
Endres, Marcia--University of Minnesota;
Stanton, Amy--University of Wisconsin, Madison;
Vogel, Kurt--University of Wisconsin, River Falls;
Hulbert, Lindsey--Kansas State University;
Krawczel, Peter--University of Tennessee

Brief Summary of Minutes

Minutes Attachment:

Attachment

Accomplishments

Activities " Collaboration between U Minnesota and UCDavis (Tucker) - Additional statistical analyses were conducted on a study to evaluate accurate sample size for outcome-based dairy welfare assessments and audits. " A study in MN is evaluating the association of social, resting and feeding behavior during the prepartum period with health and production of early lactation dairy cows. " Research is concluding on USDA AFRI (2009, J Siegford, J Swanson et al) on developing a sensor to monitor laying hen activity and resource use " Research is underway on large comparative housing commercial laying hen project (2010, D Karcher et alincluding J Siegford & J Swanson) at Michigan State University. " Research is concluding on evaluating health and behavior of dairy cows on pasture during transition (J Siegford & E Karcher, 2010) at MSU " J Swansons (MSU) PhD student is starting work examining fear and feather pecking in turkeys " J Siegford (MSU) is completing research correlating behavior, temperament traits, meat quality and phenotype in cattle with colleagues at MSU " J Siegfords (MSU) MS student examined the impact of milking frequency and pasture on immune, metabolic and behavioral responses during the transition period " J Siegfords (MSU) 2nd MS student is examining the impact of stall and feed rail stocking rate on dairy cows milked by automatic milking systems " C Heleskis (MSU) PhD student (co-mentored with Professor Hilary Clayton) is concluding research on cervical pain and riding in horses; another PhD student (Camie is on her committee) is concluding research on aggressive riding behaviors by some youth involved with barrel racing activities " J Siegford (MSU) received a grants with colleagues at Purdue, USDA ARS and Ohio State to pursue research on group housing of sows " C Tucker (UC Davis) and her PhD student, Eranda Rajapaksha, have made progress using muscle activity (as measured by EMG) to evaluate the comfort of standing surfaces for dairy cattle. They have found that cattle shift their weight and use more muscle acitivity when discomfort is under a single hoof; discomfort under all 4 hooves remains difficult to assess. " The UC Davis station (Mench) is using the Welfare Quality Assessment tool in two commercial-scale projects: 1. Joint with MSU (Siegford, Swanson) comparing aviary, conventional cage, and enriched colony 2. Joint with ISU (Millman) comparing organic and conventional non-cage laying flocks in CA and IA In both cases, the UC Davis station (Mench) is validating and refining the tool. Data are still being collected; both are long-term studies and the second is epidemiological. However, some aspects of validation are: 1. The WQ fear tests are not valid for comparing fear responses in different systems because they have to be measured in different ways that means that they are confounded by other motivational states for example, for the novel object test the object is placed in the feeder for caged hens but on the floor for non-cage hens. We have conducted the tests in different locations in the different systems and at different times of day and will present results after our final data collection this month 2. The WQ feather scoring system is too restricted to capture meaningful differences across systems; we are refining it to capture those differences 3. The WQ beak-scoring system in not adequate to differentiate between relatively minor beak problems and those that actually impair function this is also being refined Outputs " A manuscript on the results of the sampling evaluation study (collaboration between U Minnesota and UCDavis) is in final preparation to be submitted to the Journal of Dairy Science (submitted Sept 6, 2013). " One graduate student from U Minnesota working on a study on the effect of dry cow grouping strategies on health of early lactation cows graduated December 2012. " Various abstracts from U Minnesota were presented at the annual ADSA meetings and some manuscripts were published. " An abstract from U Minnesota was presented at the first North American Dairy Welfare Symposium in Guelph. " C Heleski attended Equitarian Initiative Workshop, Tlaxcala, Mexico in October 2013; gave PPT presentation on Working Equid Welfare observations from southern Brazil & Mali " J Siegford & 2 students attended and presented at the International Society for Applied Ethology in 2013 " J Siegford & 1 student attended International Society for Applied Ethology in 2013 " C Heleski attended the 2012 International Society for Equitation Science conference " J Siegford gave two invited presentations on housing systems for laying hens (discussing welfare of and collection of data from hens)

Publications

Publications Attachment:

Attachment

Impact Statements

Dairy welfare assessments and audits are becoming more common in the US. However, there is no published study to date to guide welfare evaluators on the numbers of animals per farm that should be scored for lameness, hygiene, body condition and lesions in order to obtain accurate estimates. Our study on sample size (collaboration between U Minnesota and UC Davis) will provide a reference for evaluators all over the country. One such national program is FARM, a dairy welfare assessment program. Endres and Tucker are members of an advisory committee for the program, and collaborators within NC1029.
J. Siegford and J. Swanson (MSU) assisted in the generation of data for a commercial scale project involving housing of laying hens as well as for objectives in a 2009 USDA AFRI grant related to using a wireless body-mounted sensor to monitor behavior and resource use in laying hens. Both projects will help understand the impact of housing systems on laying hen welfare to the benefit of laying hens and producers.
C. Heleskis work on assessing the welfare of horses and donkeys will lead to improved methods of assessing welfare of these animals, particularly in areas where they are used as working animals.
The work of the team with the Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition helps students develop the skills necessary to assess animal welfare and to communicate effectively about controversial issues

Date of Annual Report: 09/08/2015

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 12/17/2014 - 12/17/2014
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2013 - 09/01/2014

Participants

Siegford, Janice (siegford@msu.edu) – Michigan State;
Johnson, Anna (johnsona@iastate.edu) – Iowa State;
Calvo-Lorenzo, Michelle (michelle.calvo_lorenzo@okstate.edu) – Oklahoma State;
Wickens, Carissa (cwickens@ufl.edu) – University of Florida;
Croney, Candace (ccroney@purdue.edu)– Purdue University;
Minton, Ernie (eminton@ksu.edu) – Kansas State;
Johnson, Peter (pjohnson@nifa.usda.gov) – USDA;
Mench, Joy (jamench@ucdavis.edu) – University of California, Davis;
Green, Angela (angelag@illinois.edu) – University of Illinois;
Endres, Marcia (miendres@umn.edu) – University of Minnesota;

Brief Summary of Minutes

Please see attached "Copy of Minutes" for NC1029's full 2014 annual report.

Brief summary of minutes of annual meeting:
1pm: Opening & Welcome by Janice Siegford
1:10-2:30pm: Station reports
1:10pm: Anna Johnson, Iowa State (done)
1:30pm: Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, Oklahoma State University (done)
1:50pm: Carissa Wickens, University of Florida (done)
2:10pm: Candace Croney & Maja Makagon, Purdue University (done)
2:30-2:55 pm: Q&A & Ernie Minton
Peter Johnson
NIFA RFA call is likely to come out at end of December or beginning of January (has been for release for a while but waiting for farm bill update)
No letters of intent for foundational RFA. Means less time between RFA and due date of full proposal. Deadline could be as early as sometime in March.
Two new areas for RFA foundational in past year
CARE = critical ag research and extension for projects nearing implementation and need funds to bring to producers, up to $150K to take new or revised information to producers. Must involve stakeholders and have short- to mid-term outcomes.
Exploratory (high risk, high impact up to $100K to help with preliminary data.) Open deadline throughout year after RFA. Has a letter of intent and then a short proposal.
31 AW proposals submitted and 3 awards made (10% success rate, which is a smidge higher than animal health), with a maximum of $500K.
1-2 proposals funded in that area
BBSRC + USDA partnership for upcoming funding cycle for animal welfare
BBSRC does respond to their community—so if their researchers ask for it, it may be more likely to happen
Could we start an informal UK connection via some sharing at NC1029 meeting?
Janice mentioned ISAE in 2016 in Edinburgh
Ernie Minton
Discuss the upcoming year, which will involve a rewrite of the NC1029 in the fall. Cass has volunteered to coordinate the rewrite effort. Please think about possible objectives for NC1029 that would better encompass your work if the current objectives don’t suit your line of research.
September 15: Deadline to submit a request to write a proposal in NIMSS and upload the Issues and Justifications section.
Each project MUST select an Administrative Advisor prior to submitting a proposal request. Without an AA, the request will not be approved. The NCRA office can no longer assign AAs to projects.
Effective 2014, all NC projects will retain the same number designation, unless otherwise requested. Please let the NCRA office know by September 15 if you would like a new number.
October 15: Deadline to upload the Objectives section in NIMSS. Please contact the NCRA office when this is complete and we will send out the national request for participation.
November 15: All participants and their AES offices should have submitted completed Appendix E forms into NIMSS.
December 1: Completed proposal is due in NIMSS in its entirely. Failure to meet this deadline may result in the project not being reviewed and renewed this round.
December 15: AA review forms due in NIMSS.
Mid-late December: All proposals are sent to NC regional review committees (NCACs) and multistate research committee (MRC)
Late March/Early April: Final project reviews and decisions made at the NCRA Spring meeting. The NCRA office will notify project AAs of results and send any requested revisions to project AAs by mid-April.
Cass has volunteered to lead the rewrite effort
Next year’s meeting: could we make it face to face at a meeting many of us may already be going to.
Candace & Cass will co-host next year as chairs
2:55pm-4:00pm: Station reports
2:55pm: Joy Mench, UC Davis (done)
3:10pm: Angela Green, University of Illinois (done)
3:20pm: Janice Siegford, Michigan State University (done)
3:30pm: Marcia Endres, University of Minnesota (done)
3:50-4:00pm
Reminder to send station reports using template provided by Chris Hamilton.
Election of NC1029 officers for 2015 to be conducted via email
Chair (typically the secretary moves to this position):
Candace & Cass could be jointly nominated for this position
Secretary:
Please let Ernie, Candace, Cass or I know if you are interested in being secretary next year.
Additional business: None
Close of meeting

Minutes Attachment:

Attachment

Accomplishments

At Michigan State University J. Siegford and J. Swanson are analyzing data from commercial scale project involving housing of laying hens (together with colleagues from UC Davis) and have published results from a 2009 USDA AFRI grant related to using a wireless body-mounted sensor to monitor behavior and resource use in laying hens. Both projects will help understand the impact of housing systems on laying hen welfare to the benefit of laying hens and producers. C. Heleski’s work on assessing the welfare of horses and donkeys and developing codes of practice will lead to improved methods of assessing welfare of these animals, particularly in areas where they are used as working animals. The University of Florida in collaboration with University of Delaware conducted a pilot study to test horses’ aversion to different NH3 concentrations (0 vs. 25 ppm ammonia). Adult horses were used in 10-minute feeding trials utilizing the newly developed head box system in which an equal amount of concentrate feed was offered in both head boxes. During each trial, initial head box selection, feed consumption, time spent feeding, and heart rate (HR) were recorded. Trials were video recorded to note responses and derive behavioral measures that may serve as indicators of aversion. Horses appeared to avoid feeding from the head box containing 25 ppm ammonia compared to 0 ppm ammonia. Specifically, horses spent a greater amount of time feeding from and consumed more feed from the box containing ammonia free air. University of Florida has been contributing to the development of an online equine behavior and welfare learning lesson that will be made available through eXtension Horses. The lesson is projected to be available spring of 2015. The University of Florida has also been building course content in the area of animal welfare and animal behavior for both the graduate and undergraduate program. The majority of Dr. Makagon’s (Purdue University) contributions relate to NC1029 Objective 1 (Development (and evaluation) of novel animal behavior measurement techniques to assess where on-farm welfare challenges may exist and to develop alternative management strategies to solve these challenges). Research was completed pertaining to the on-farm assessment of turkey welfare, and evaluation of a 3-point gait scoring system for assessing the walking abilities of Pekin ducks. Texas A&M quantified the impact of LED lighting during incubation of layers and broilers. Data was collected looking at many factors including: timing of lighting, type of white light, and red light. LED lighting in broiler eggs has consistently shown an increase of 2-4% in hatch and a substantial improvement in chick quality. Furthermore, lighted incubation has shown improvement in lowering stress and fear in birds post-hatch. Texas A&M has also worked to investigate the impacts of different types of lighting on broilers and layers. Data looking at comparing types of lighting as well as different types of bulbs with a lighting type have been conducted. LED lighting has been shown to improve production in both layers and broilers while also lowering stress and fear when compared to CFL and incandescent lighting. Oklahoma State University evaluated the effects of growth-promoting technologies (i.e. antimicrobials, antibiotics, growth-promoting implants, beta-adrenergic agonists) typically used in conventionally raised beef cattle to determine how modern technologies affect cattle behavior and health when compared to cattle raised in an all-natural system (i.e. no growth-promoting technologies administered to cattle). Cattle were evaluated individually and as groups for a wide variety of behaviors. Cattle health records and blood samples were collected to monitor the overall health status of cattle. There were no negative impacts of technologies on cattle disposition, activity, condition of mobility, or health. Oklahoma State University is also completing the evaluation of behavioral and physiological indicators of pain and distress in young male pigs when ethyl alcohol was tested as a new form of pain relief for castration. Prior to castration, ethyl alcohol was injected directly into each testicle of male pigs to compare its possible pain-alleviating effects to known anesthetics like Lidocaine. Preliminary data demonstrates that the potential of using ethyl alcohol as a form of pain alleviation may extend beyond its possible analgesic properties. Pilot study findings suggest that ethyl alcohol may disrupt testicular development, indicating that injecting ethyl alcohol may chemically sterilize young male pigs. However, further analyses are needed to confirm these results and determine ethyl alcohol’s role in alleviating pain as an analgesic and/or possibly sterilizing pigs via injection. Understanding how cattle respond to man-made flooring surfaces is an important component of their welfare, as they spend more than half of their time standing. University of California tested surface electromyography (EMG) as an indicator of cow comfort in response to flooring. EMGs provide unique information about cattle muscle contractions and these increase the longer dairy cattle stand. However, EMGs do not differ during short-term standing bouts (e.g. length of a feeding bout) on a range of flooring types and conditions. As welfare assessments and audits become more common, it is important to understand the sample size and approach required to accurately describe conditions on commercial farms. University of California Davis conducted 2 experiments to assess either the number of cows required or the frequency of sampling needed to accurately describe the overall welfare of the animals and their heat stress status, respectively. They found that common recommendations (e.g. Welfare Quality and the Farmer’s Assuring Responsible Management) about sample size are likely insufficient to describe accurately all welfare parameters, including hind leg injuries and lameness. In contrast, they found that relatively infrequent (every 1 h or less often) measures are needed to measure dairy cattle responses to hot weather. In addition, University of California Davis used the Welfare Quality Protocol to assess the welfare of laying hens at different ages: 1) in three different housing systems (conventional cages, enriched colony system, aviary) on a commercial farm and 2) in multiple cage-free organic and non-organic commercial flocks in California and Iowa (in conjunction with Iowa State University). These assessments suggested that changes in hen health and physical parameters could be reliably evaluated over the life of the flock, and pinpointed critical periods for particular flock issues. However, it was questionable whether some measures (e.g. comb abnormalities) really assessed significant welfare problems, and other measures (particularly fear testing) were found to be too influenced by factors that were not relevant to welfare (e.g. test conditions) to be considered valid tools for assessment.

Publications

Book Chapters Houpt, K.A. and C.L. Wickens. 2014. Handling and transport of horses. In: Livestock handling and transport. Fourth Edition. T. Grandin (ed.) CABI, UK. pp. 315-341. Refereed Journal Articles Archer, G.S. and J.A. Mench. 2013. The Effects of Light Stimulation During Incubation on Indicators of Stress Susceptibility in Broilers. Poultry Science. 92:3103– 3108. Archer, G.S. and J.A. Mench. 2014. Natural incubation patterns and the effects of exposing eggs to light at various times during incubation on post-hatch fear and stress responses in chickens. Applied Animal Behavior Science. 152:44- 51. Archer, G.S. and J.A. Mench. 2014. The Impact of Light During Incubation on the Productivity, Plasma Melatonin Concentrations, and Behavior of Broiler Chickens: Duration and Onset. J. Animal Science. 92(2): 1753-1758. Banerjee, D., C.L. Daigle, B. Dong, K. Wurtz, R.C. Newberry, J. Siegford, and S. Biswas S. 2014. Detection of jumping and landing force in laying hens using wireless wearable sensors. Poult. Sci. 93:1-10. Daigle, C.L., D. Banerjee, R.A. Montgomery, S.K. Biswas, and J.M. Siegford. 2014. Moving GIS indoors: spatiotemporal analysis of agricultural animals. PLOS One 9(e104002):1-11. Daigle, C.L., and J. M. Siegford. 2014. When continuous observations just won't do: developing accurate and efficient sampling strategies for the laying hen. Behav. Proc. 103:58-66. Endres, M.I., K.M. Lobeck-Luchterhand, L.A. Espejo, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Evaluation of the sample needed to accurately estimate outcome-based measurements of dairy welfare on farm. J. Dairy Sci. 97:3523-3530. Erasmus, M. A. and J. C. Swanson. 2014. Temperamental turkeys: reliability of behavioural responses to four tests of fear. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 157:100-108. Heleski, C., C. Wickens, M. Minero, E. DallaCosta, C. Wu, E. Czeszak, and U. Koenig von Borstel. 2014. Do soothing vocal cues enhance horses' ability to learn a frightening task? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. In Press (doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2014.08.009). Holcomb, K.E., C.B. Tucker, and C.L. Stull. 2014. Preference of domestic horses for shade in a hot, sunny environment. J. Anim. Sci. 92:1708-1717. Lyles, J.L. and M.S. Calvo-Lorenzo. 2014. Practical developments in managing animal welfare in beef cattle. What does the future hold? J. Anim. Sci. 92(12): 5334-5344. Marchewka, J., I. Estevez, V. Ferrante, G. Vezzoli, and M.M. Makagon. In press. The transect method: a novel approach to on-farm welfare assessment of commercial turkeys. Poult. Sci. Mintline, E.M., A. Varga, J. Banuelos, K.A. Walker, B. Hoar, D. Drake, D.M. Weary, J.F. Coetzee, M.L. Stock, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Healing of surgical castration wounds: a description and an evaluation of flunixin. J. Anim. Sci. 92:5659-5665. Newby, N.C., C.B. Tucker, D.L. Pearl, S.J. LeBlanc, K.E. Leslie, M.A.G. von Keyserlingk, and T.F. Duffield. 2014. An investigation of ketoprofen following rumen fistulation surgery in lactating dairy cows. Can. Vet. J. 55:442-448. Rajapaksha, E. and C.B. Tucker. 2014. How do cattle respond to sloped floors? An investigation using behavior and electromyograms. J. Dairy Sci. 97:2808-2815. Rajapaksha, E. and C.B. Tucker. In press. Restless behavior and muscle activity of dairy cows on rough standing surfaces presented under 1 or 4 legs. J. Dairy Sci. Rajapaksha, E., C. Winckler, and C.B. Tucker. In press. Effect of rubber flooring on dairy cattle stepping behavior and muscle activity J. Dairy Sci. Schütz, K.E., N.R. Cox, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. A field study of the behavioral and physiological effects of varying amounts of shade for lactating cows at pasture. J. Dairy Sci. 97:3599-3605. Stackhouse-Lawson, K.R., C.B. Tucker, M.S. Calvo-Lorenzo, and F.M. Mitloehner. In press. Effects of growth-promoting technology on feedlot cattle behavior in the 21 days before slaughter. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. Tucker, C.B., E.M. Mintline, J. Banuelos, K.A. Walker, B. Hoar, D. Drake, and D.M. Weary. 2014. Effect of a cooling gel on pain sensitivity and healing of hot-iron cattle brands. J. Anim. Sci. 92:5666-5673. Tucker, C.B., E.M. Mintline, J. Banuelos, K.A. Walker, B. Hoar, A. Varga, D. Drake, and D.M. Weary. 2014. Pain sensitivity and healing of hot-iron cattle brands. J. Anim. Sci. 92:5674-5682. Poster Presentations Archer. G.S. (2014). Comparing the effect of different types of lighting on broiler production, fear, and stress. 2014 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Corpus Christi, Tx. Badr A.A., M.Y. Matoock, and C.R. Heleski. 2014. Are mules or donkeys better adapted for Egyptian brick kiln work? (Until we can change the kilns). Proceedings of the 12th ISAE North American Regional Meeting, East Lansing, MI. May 30-31. pp. 60. Byrd, C. J. and M.M. Makagon. 2014. We’re all in this together: A multi-species look at lameness assessment. Proceedings of the 12th North American Regional meeting of the International Society for Applied Ethology (NA-ISAE), pg. 43. (Poster presentation) Chen, J.M., K.E. Schütz, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Sprinkler flow rate affects dairy cattle physiological and behavioral responses. 7th American Dairy Science Association Discover Conference, Itasca, IL. Domingue, A.G. and G.S. Archer. (2014). The effect of exposing chicken embryos to warm- or cool-spectrum light-emitting diode (LED) light during incubation on hatchability, embryo mortality, 14-d growth and FCR, fear and physical asymmetry. 2014 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Corpus Christi, Tx. Dorey, S.L., D.L.M. Campbell, and J.M. Siegford. 2014. Which is the best chicken shampoo? Preferred dust bathing substrates for aviary-housed laying hens. Proceedings of the 12th ISAE North American Regional Meeting, East Lansing, MI. May 30-31. pp. 56. Gallegos, K. and G.S. Archer. (2014). Comparison of the effect of light-emitting diode (LED) versus compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) lighting on hen production, egg quality, fear, and stress. 2014 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Corpus Christi, Tx. Greene, B., C. Wickens, C. Heleski, and C. Brady. 2014. Assessing the Impact and Viewpoints of Attendees of the 2013 International Society for Equitation Science Conference. Proceedings of the 10th International Society for Equitation Science Conference, August 6-9, Vejle, Denmark, P. 84. Huth, J.H. and G.S. Archer. (2014). The effect of exposing chicken embryos to light- emitting diode (LED) light during incubation: Layer and broiler eggs. 2014 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Corpus Christi, Tx. Mintline, E.M., A. Varga, J. Banuelos, K.A. Walker, B. Hoar, D. Drake, D.M. Weary, J.F. Coetzee, M.L. Stock, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Healing of surgical castration wounds: a description and an evaluation of flunixin. 4th International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare, Ames, IA. Rocha, B. and G.S. Archer. (2014). Comparing the use of bird-level versus room illumination on broiler production, fear, and stress. 2014 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Corpus Christi, Tx. Simon, G., B. Hoar, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Assessing cow-calf or suckler cow herd welfare: a pilot study on 10 California ranches. 6th Welfare Assessment at the Farm and Group Level, Clermont-Ferrand, France. Stackhouse-Lawson, K. C.B. Tucker, M. Calvo-Lorenzo, and F.M. Mitloehner. 2014. Effects of growth-promoting technology on feedlot cattle behavior in the 21 days before slaughter. 4th International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare, Ames, IA. Toaff-Rosenstein, R.L., L.J. Gershwin, A.J. Zanella, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. The sickness response in Bovine Respiratory Disease at peak clinical illness. 48th International Society for Applied Ethology, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Tresoldi, G., K.E. Schütz, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Heat abatement on commercial dry lots: managing resources to improve cattle welfare. 27th American Dairy Science Association Discover Conference, Itasca, IL. Tresoldi, G., K.E. Schütz, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Heat abatement on commercial dry lots: managing resources to improve cattle welfare. 12th North American Regional Meeting of the International Society for Applied Ethology, East Lansing, MI. Tucker, C.B., E.M. Mintline, J. Banelos, K.A. Walker, B. Hoar, A. Varga, D. Drake, and D.M. Weary, DM. 2014. Pain sensitivity and healing of hot-iron cattle brands. 4th International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare, Ames, IA. Weir, J., H. Li, C. Zhang, and C. Wickens. 2014. A Preliminary Investigation of Horses’ Preference for Different Ammonia Concentrations. Proceedings of the 10th International Society for Equitation Science Conference, August 6-9, Vejle, Denmark, P. 52. Weir, J., C. Zhang, H. Li, and C. Wickens. 2014. Development of an Ammonia Preference Head Box System for Horses. Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting, July 13-16, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Wurtz, K.E., J.P. Steibel, R.O. Bates, C.W. Ernst, and J.M. Siegford. 2014. Using behavioral and genomic tools to identify pigs suited for group living. Proceedings of the 12th ISAE North American Regional Meeting, East Lansing, MI. May 30-31. pp. 62. Popular Articles Chen, J and C. Tucker. 2014. Soaker nozzle type affects water use, but not cow cooling. California Dairy Newsletter, 6(3). Chen, J.M., G. Tresoldi, and C.B. Tucker. 2014. Are your cows hot? Hoard's Dairymen, July: 447.

Impact Statements

Please refer to attached Copy of Minutes file above for full impacts. They were too long to enter into this text box.

Date of Annual Report: 01/11/2016

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 11/11/2015 - 11/11/2015
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2014 - 09/30/2015

Participants

On call: Jeffrey Bewley (University of Kentucky), Rachel Dennis (University of Maryland), Marcia Endres (University of Minnesota), Angela Green (University of Illinois), Anna Johnson (Iowa State University), Larry Katz (Rutgers University), Peter Krawczel (University of Tennessee), Joy Mench (UC Davis), Monique Pairis-Garcia (Ohio State University), Katy Proudfoot (Ohio State University), Janice Siegford (Michigan State University), Cassandra Tucker (UC Davis),

Brief Summary of Minutes

Please see attachment for NC1029's November 11, 2016 call minutes and 2015 annual report.

Minutes Attachment:

Final NC1029 Minutes and 2015 Annual report.pdf

Accomplishments

Publications

Book Chapters:   Heleski CR, McLean AK, Swanson JC. 2015. Ch. 17 Practical Methods for Improving the Welfare of Horses, Donkeys and Other Working Draught Animals in Developing Areas. In: Improving Animal Welfare: a Practical Approach, 2nd Ed., Ed. Temple Grandin, CABI, Wallingford, UK   Underwood W, McGlone JJ, Swanson JC, Anderson KA, Anthony R. 2014. Agricultural Animal Welfare. In: Laboratory Animal Welfare. American College of Laboratory Animal Series. Eds. Kathryn Bayne and Patricia V. Turner. Elsevier Academic Press, Oxford, UK.   Wickens, C. and K.A. Houpt. 2015. Stereotypic Disorders. In: Equine Neurology, 2nd Edition, Martin Furr and Stephen Reed (Editors). Wiley-Blackwell.   Refereed Journal Articles:   Ali, Ahmed B.A., El Sayed, M.A., Matoock, M.Y., Fouad, M.A., Heleski, C.R., (Accepted Dec 2015) A welfare assessment scoring system for working equids – A method for identifying at risk populations and for monitoring progress of welfare enhancement strategies (trialed in Egypt). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.12.001   Ali, B.A.A., El Sayed, M.A., Matoock, M.A., Fouad, M.A., Heleski, C.R., (2015) Comparing efficacy of three anthelmintic programs in working equids in Egypt. Journal of Veterinary Science & Medical Diagnosis, 4:4 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2325-9590.1000146   Ali ABA, Matoock MY, Fouad MA, Heleski CR. 2015. Are mules or donkeys better adapted for Egyptian brick kiln work? (Until we can change the kilns). Journal of Veterinary Behavior 10:158-165. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2014.12.003   Chebel, R.C., P. R. B. Silva, K. Luchterhand and M. I. Endres. 2015. Social stressors and their effects on immunity and health of periparturient dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 98, Suppl 2:277.   Chen, J. M., K. E. Schütz, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Cooling cows efficiently with sprinklers: Physiological responses to water spray. Journal of Dairy Science 98: 6925-6938.   Daigle CL, Rodenburg B, Bolhuis E, Swanson JC, Siegford JM. 2014. Dynamic and rewarding environmental enrichment reduces feather pecking behavior in non-cage laying hens: implications for management practices and welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 161:75-85. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2014.10.001.   Daigle CL, Siegford J*. 2014. Understanding the individual non-cage laying hen through the body-behavior connection: associations between welfare quality physical parameters and behavioral observations throughout a lay cycle. Animal Welfare 23:423-434. doi: 10.7120/09627286.23.4.423.   Endres, M.I. and J.A. Salfer. 2015.  An evaluation of automated milking systems in the Midwest United States. J. Dairy Sci. 98, Suppl 2:114.   Endres, M., K. Lobeck-Luchterhand, P.B. Silva and R. Chebel. 2015. Is social rank associated with health of transition dairy cows? Proc. 49th Intern.Soc. Appl. Ethol.:88. Sapporo, Japan, September 2015.   Endres, M. 2015. Dairy welfare, management and behavior. Sustainable ethical practices. International Innovation 189:69-71.   Endres, M. 2015. Automated calf feeders and robotic milking: What are keys to success? Pg 126-132 in Proc. Precision Dairy Conference and Expo, Rochester, MN, June 2015, http://www.precisiondairyfarming.com/2015.     Erasmus MA, Lee HC, Kang I, Swanson JC. 2015. Relationship between temperament and post-mortem muscle characteristics in turkeys of two genetic strains. Poultry Science. doi: 10.3382/ps/pev208   Hansen, A, R. D. Moon, B. Heins, and M. Endres. 2015. Production of stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae) from two alternative winter housing systems for dairy cows. Entomological Society of America Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, 16 November, 2015.   Heleski, C., C. Wickens, M. Minero, E. DallaCosta, C. Wu, E. Czeszak, and U. Koenig von Borstel. 2015. Do soothing vocal cues enhance horses' ability to learn a frightening task? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 10: 41-47.   Jorgensen, M., A.Adams Progar, K. Janni, H.Chester-Jones, J. Salfer, and M.Endres. 2015. Housing and management practices on farms using automated calf feeders in the Midwestern United States. J. Dairy Sci. 98, Suppl 2:818.   Jorgensen, M., A.Adams Progar, S.Godden, H.Chester-Jones, A. M. de Passillé, J.Rushen, and M.Endres. 2015.  Risk factors for abnormal calf health scores on farms using automated feeders in the Midwest USA. J. Dairy Sci. 98, Suppl 2:819.   Liboreiro, D. N., K. S. Machado, P. Basso Silva, A. E. Barreto, M. I. Endres, and R. C. Chebel. 2015. Characterization of peripartum rumination and activity of cows diagnosed with metabolic and uterine diseases. J. Dairy Sci. 98:6812-6827.   Lobeck-Luchterhand, K.M., P.R.B. Silva, R.C. Chebel, M.I. Endres. 2015. Effect of stocking density on social, feeding, and lying behavior of prepartum dairy animals. J. Dairy Sci. 98:240-249.   Lobeck-Luchterhand, K.M., P.R. B. Silva, R.C. Chebel, and M. I. Endres. 2015. Association between social ranking and health of transition dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 98, Suppl 2:565.   Miller-Cushon, E. K., and T. J. DeVries. Impact of social housing on the development of feeding behavior and social feeding preferences of dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science. In press.   Miller-Cushon, E. K., and T. J. DeVries. 2015. Invited Review: Development and expression of dairy calf feeding behaviour. Canadian Journal of Animal Science. 95: 341-350.   Miller-Cushon, E. K., J. P. Vogel, and T. J. DeVries. 2015. Short Communication: Feed sorting of dairy heifers is influenced by method of dietary transition. Journal of Dairy Science. 98:2687-2692.   Rajapaksha, E., and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Stepping behavior and muscle activity of dairy cows on uncomfortable standing surfaces presented under 1 or 4 legs. Journal of Dairy Science 98: 295 304.   Rajapaksha, E., C. Winkler, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Effect of rubber flooring on dairy cattle stepping behavior and muscle activity. Journal of Dairy Science 98: 2462-2471.   Shahid, M.Q., J. K. Reneau, H. Chester-Jones, R. C. Chebel and M. I. Endres. 2015. Cow and herd level risk factors for on-farm mortality in Midwest US dairy herds. J. Dairy Sci. 98:4401-4414.   Sjostrom. L.S., B.J. Heins, M.I. Endres, R. D. Moon, and U.S. Sorge. 2015. Evaluation of winter housing systems for effects on production, udder health, BCS, hygiene, frostbite, and rumination of organic dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 98, Suppl 2:818.   Swanson JC, Mench JA, Karcher D. 2015. Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply: An introduction. Poultry Science 94: 473 -474.   Tucker, C. B., J. F. Coetzee, J. M. Stookey, D. U. Thomson, T. Grandin, and K. S. Schwartzkopf-Genswein. 2015. Beef cattle welfare in the USA: Identification of priorities for future research. Animal Health Research Reviews 16: 107-124.   Weimer, S .L., T. J Fangman, H. D. Tyler, L. A. Karriker, K. J. Stalder, and A. K. Johnson. 2015. Nursery pig behaviour assessed using a digital-image evaluation method pre- and post-vaccine injection. To be submitted to Animal Welfare.   Winckler, C., C. B. Tucker, and D. M. Weary. 2015. Effects of under- and overstocking freestalls on dairy cattle behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 170: 14-19.   Zhao Y, Shepherd TA, Swanson J, Mench JA, Karcher DM, Xin H. 2015. A holistic evaluation of three laying-hen housing systems: description of the production systems and management practices. Poultry Science 94: 475 -484.   Extension and Oral Presentations:   Adams Progar, A. 2015. Amber’s top ten tips: assessing dairy cow behavior. WSU Dairy Newsletter, March 2015.   Adams Progar, A. 2015. Amber’s top ten tips: calf management. WSU Dairy Newsletter, December 2014.   Adams Progar, A. 2015. Amber’s top ten tips: understanding heat stress. WSU Dairy Newsletter, June 2015.   Adams Progar, A. 2015. Evaluating calf care on your dairy. Dairy Business West Magazine 96(4):12. Adams Progar, A. 2015. Surviving and thriving during cold weather. Dairy Speaker Series, Lynden, WA.   Ali, ABA, Gutwein K, Hitzler P, Heleski CR. 2015. Assessing the influence of nose twitching during a potentially aversive husbandry procedure (ear clipping) using behavioral and physiological measures. International Society for Equitation Science conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.   Callanan, J. and A. L. Adams-Progar. 2015. Relationship between cow lying behavior and freestall barn design. J. Dairy Sci. 98(2):9 (poster presentation).   Carlisle, B., R. Easterly, M. Hersom, E. Jennings, B. Myers, and C. Wickens. 2015. Livestock Education and Certification for Agricultural Law Enforcement (LECALE). Proceedings of the 2015 EPAF Conference, August 31-September 4, Naples, FL.   Chen, J. M., K. E. Schütz, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Effects of sprinkler flow rate on behavior and body temperature. 49th International Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology, Sapporo, Japan   Chen, J. M., and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Soakers to cool cows: can we reduce water use? Invited talk at Managing Cow Comfort in Hot Weather, Tulare, CA   Daigle CL, Rodenburg TB, Bolhuis JE, Swanson JC, Siegford JM. 2015. Individual consistency of feather pecking behavior in laying hens. 104th Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association, July 27-30, Louisville, KY.   Dinerman, A.J., C.L. Wickens, J. Callaham, and S.A. Brooks. 2015. Preliminary investigation of phenotyping methods for response to a sudden novel stimulus in the horse. Proceedings of the 2015 Equine Science Society Symposium, Florida. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 35 (5): 398.   Greene E, Wickens C, Brady C, Heleski C. 2015. An exploration of factors affecting viewpoints of ISES Conference attendees. International Society for Equitation Science conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.   Erasmus MA, Swanson JC. 2015. Feather pecking behavior of turkeys. 104th Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association, July 27-30, 2015, Louisville, KY.   Heleski CR. 2015. An update on equine welfare: contrasting the issues between developed and developing regions of the world (Invited speaker). Michigan Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Conference. November 23, 2015, East Lansing, MI.   Miller-Cushon, E. K. Intensified pre-weaning calf feeding programs: Impacts on growth and behavior. Ruminant Nutrition Symposium, February 3, 2015, Gainesville, FL. pp 79-89.   Miller-Cushon, E. K. How feeding habits affect growth and welfare of dairy calves. Dairy Production Conference. April 29, 2015. Gainesville, FL.   Miller-Cushon, E. K. How feeding habits affect growth and welfare of dairy calves. South Georgia/North Florida Dairy Update. May 19, 2015.   Miller-Cushon, E. K. and T. J. DeVries. 2015. Social housing affects the development of feeding behaviour in dairy calves. 49th Congress of the International Society of Applied Ethology, September 14 to September 16, 2015, Sapporo, Japan.   Miller-Cushon, E. K. and T. J. DeVries. 2015. Social housing affects the development of feeding behaviour in dairy calves. Page 66 in Proceedings of the 49th Congress of the International Society of Applied Ethology, September 14 to September 16, 2015, Sapporo, Japan. Hotzel, M. J., and L. C. Filho, eds. Wageningen Academic Publishers.   Miller-Cushon, E. K., and T. J. DeVries. 2015. Associations between feed push-up frequency, lying and feeding behavior, and milk composition of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science E. Suppl.   Siegford J and Karcher D. 2015. Laying hen health and well-being (Invited speaker). Final Report: The Coalition for a Sustainable Egg Supply. March 16-17, 2015, St. Paul, MN.     Simon, G. E. 2015. Benchmarking cow-calf health and handling. Invited speaker at Siskiyou Co. Cattlemen’s Beef Health Workshop, Yreka, CA   Simon, G. E., B. R. Hoar, and C. B. Tucker. 2014. Assessing cattle handling. Invited talk at California Department of Food and Agriculture training, Davis, CA   Simon, G. E., B. R. Hoar, and C. B. Tucker. 2014. Assessing cow-calf health and handling. Cattle Health & Well Being & BQA Committee, Reno, NV   Simon, G. E., B. R. Hoar, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Assessing cattle health and handling on cow calf operations. Invited talk at the UC Davis Livestock Symposium Davis, CA   Simon, G. E., B. R. Hoar, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Benchmarking cow-calf welfare. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association and the American Society of Animal Science, Orlando, FL   Simon, G. E., and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Assessing cow-calf welfare. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources advisor meeting, Reno, NV   Simon, G. E., and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Assessing cow-calf welfare. California Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting, Reno, NV (poster presentation)   Simon, G. E., C. B. Tucker, and B. R. Hoar. 2014. Assessing cow-calf welfare: A pilot study on 10 California ranches. 4th International Beef Cattle Welfare Symposium, Ames, IA   Simon, G. E., C. B. Tucker, and B. R. Hoar. 2014. Assessing health and handling on California cow-calf operations. California Cattleman’s Association mid-year meeting, Sacramento, CA   Swanson J. 2015. What have we learned from conducting this type of a research project (Invited speaker). Final Report: The Coalition for a Sustainable Egg Supply. March 16-17, 2015, St. Paul, MN.   Tresoldi, G., K. E. Schütz, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Assessing heat stress in drylot cattle: A validation of methodology. California Animal Nutrition Conference, Fresno, CA   Tresoldi, G., K. E. Schütz, and C. B. Tucker. 2015. Validation of methodology for assessing heat abatement strategies in dry-lot cattle. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association and the American Society of Animal Science, Orlando, FL   Tresoldi, G., K. E. Schütz, C. B. Tucker, and 2015. Cooling dairy cows efficiently with water: Effects of soaker flow rate on body temperature and behavior. California Animal Nutrition Conference, Fresno, CA   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Animal welfare assessment: The US perspective. Invited plenary talk at International Society for Applied Ethology, Sapporo, Japan.   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Assessing and improving animal welfare on your dairy. Invited talk at Managing Cow Comfort in Hot Weather, Tulare, CA   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Assessing and improving animal welfare on your dairy. Invited talk at California Animal Nutrition Conference Fresno, CA   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Beef cattle welfare audits. Invited talk at the UC Davis Livestock Symposium, Davis, CA   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Dairy cattle welfare. Invited talk at AVMA Animal Welfare Judging Competition, Columbus, Ohio   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Dairy cattle welfare: Research informing policy. Invited talk at NAU-UC Davis Graduate Education Conference on One Health, Davis, CA   Tucker, C. B. 2015. Pain sensitivity and healing of hot-iron brands in cattle. Invited talk at 8th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-Being Conference, Niagara-on-the Lake, Canada   Weir, J., S. Brooks, A. Dinerman, J. McQuagge, J. Callaham, and C. Wickens. 2015. Preliminary investigation of a subjective temperament assessment to predict response to a sudden novel stimulus in young stock-type horses. Proceedings of the 11thInternational Society for Equitation Science Conference, August 5-8, Vancouver, Canada, P. 71.   Wickens, C.L. 2015. Equitation science: A research-based approach to improved understanding of horse perspective. Proceedings of the 66th EAAP Annual Meeting, August 31-September 4, Warsaw, Poland, P. 326.   Wickens, C.L. 2015. Coping or Vice? Cribbing, Weaving, and other Stereotypic Behaviors. Healthy Horses Conference, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, April 25, Gainesville, Florida.   Wickens, C.L. 2015. Equitation science: A research-based approach to improved understanding of horse perspective. 66th EAAP Annual Meeting, August 31-September 4, Warsaw, Poland.   Wurtz KE, Steibel JP, Bates RO, Ernst CW, Siegford JM. 2015. Selection variables for predicting and comparing number of skin lesions in group housed swine. 2015 American Society of Animal Science Midwestern Section Meeting, March 16-18, Des Moines, IA.