• Introduction
• Scientific Measures of Well-being
• Adaptation and Adaptedness
• Social Behavior and Spacing
• Cognition and Motivation
• Evaluate Practices and Systems to Improve Well-Being
• Bioenergetic Criteria for Environmental Management

Introduction

Animal well-being and animal care are increasingly important issues concerning animal production and consumers. The food animal production industries and food industries in the United States have jointly worked to establish standards for animal management within the different classes of farm animals. A global conference on animal welfare is planned for February 23 to 25, 2004 as an OIE initiative bringing together science, ethical and cultural values, and practical realities to provide international guidance and standards.

 Scientists in National Program for Animal Well-Being (NP105) participated in the annual meetings of research projects nationally coordinated by the Cooperative State Research Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and other national workshops and conferences. Participating in these meetings strengthens this national program by interacting with the land grant community, non-governmental organizations and the animal industry. The Livestock Behavior Research Unit, West Lafayette, Indiana and Purdue University partners highlighted their research at the Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Round Table Meeting, in May 2003, Washington, D.C

Scientists have made nineteen invitational scientific presentations over the past year, an indicator of the relevance of their research. Scientists of the Livestock Behavior Research Unit are complimented for their grant awards as PI or CO PI totaling $1.7 million.

The Animal Welfare Information Center, National Agricultural Library, supported the Animal Well-Being National Program with the publications:

1.       Smith, C. Information Resources on Swine Housing, Care, and Welfare, AWIC Resource Series No. 21.  May 2003. The document includes training materials, books and proceedings, website, and a bibliography.  (On the AWIC website: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/swinehousing/swinehousing2.htm )

2.     Reynnells, R., (ed) Proceeding: Symposium on Swine Housing and Well-being. 
      1. Stockmanship and training; 
     2. Practical Sow Housing System Design;
    3. Consumer Perspectives. May 2003

Note:  P.O.R.K. Academy 2002. Held June 5, 2002 in Des Moines, Iowa.  (On the AWIC website: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/swineproceedings2002.pdf )

3.   Allen, T.  Information Resources on Induces Molting in Chickens. 1902-2002 AWIC Resource Series # 14. September 2002. Includes CRIS reports on research, a review of the literature and books in the NAL collection.  ( On the AWIC website:  http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/molting/molting2.htm )

4.      Erickson, H. Information Resources on Fish Welfare. 1970-2003.  AWIC Resource Series No. 20.  July 2003.  Includes 12 reprinted articles on the topic;  a review of the literature; CRIS reports; and  professional societies, groups, and societies.  ( On the AWIC website: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Fishwelfare/fishwelfare.htm  )

5.       Goodman, G. Information Resources on Care and Use of Molluscs.  AWIC Resource Series No. 22.  May 2003. Includes  bibliographic information on Laboratory care and research, Aquaculture related resources and WWW resources.  (on the AWIC website:  http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/molluscs/molluscs2.htm )

Scientific Measures of Well-being

 Tools developed to link stress and disease. Toll-like receptors identify pathogens and initiate the appropriate immune response, but little is known about the specific functions within cattle, swine and poultry.  Primers and probes for molecular analysis of cattle and chicken receptors that distinguish among microbial pathogens (toll-like receptors) were developed by scientists at the Livestock Behavior Research Unit, West Lafayette, Indiana with collaborators at Purdue University and at the University of Berne, Switzerland.  The effect of growth hormone and a stress hormone (glucocorticoid) on the expression of those receptors in dairy calves showed that expression of toll-like receptors changed over time. Lung tissue contained highly modulated receptors. During a lipopolysaccharide (a bacterial cell-wall component) challenge in chickens the toll-like receptor 2 is more responsive to the challenge than was toll-like receptor 4. Toll-like receptors were also highly modulated in lungs of chickens.  This research developed the tools to explore the function of these important receptors during various stressors that farm animals experience and may elucidate the increased susceptibility of distressed animals to disease.

New Information on the fever response in baby pigs. Elucidating the immunological and physiological response of the young pig to a live Escherichia coli bacterial challenge is important to understand the mechanisms associated with the febrile response in the young pig. Scientists at the Animal Physiology Unit, Columbia, Missouri in collaboration with scientists at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, Missouri obtained novel results from live bacterial studies in young pigs. The results challenges the existing dogma that tumor necrosis factor-alpha, a primary mediator of the acute phase immune response, is a primary mediator of fever in the young pig. This discovery could aid in developing novel approaches to treating bacterial outbreaks in swine.

 Adaptation and Adaptedness

Genetically selected chickens more suited to production systems. Stress susceptibility in farm animals is a major problem in the modern intensified production, which has led to widespread public concern regarding animal well-being. Scientist at the Livestock Behavior Research Unit, West Lafayette, Indiana conducted research on the effects of genetic-environmental interactions on animal well-being with a collaborator at Purdue University. The research demonstrated that animal well-being can be improved when selection is on production traits, but competitive interactions are taken into account, by which antisocial behaviors, such as cannibalism and aggression, are overcome.  The new selection program can be adopted by scientists and the breeder industry in developing new chicken strains with greater adaptation to the production system, with an emphasis on improving animal well-being and maintaining economic efficiency. 

Social Behavior and Spacing

Early age imprinting to solve uneven distribution in housing.  ARS scientists at the Livestock Behavior Research Unit in West Lafayette, IN, in collaboration with Dr. R. Freire, determined the effect of early environmental enrichment on behavioral and physiological development in chicks.  This initial study showed that visual imprinting during early life promotes brain structure development and improves spatial memory in chicks.  The method could be adapted by producers to improve the well-being of chickens and reduce mortality resulting from physical and social stress in a large commercial-housing environment by reducing the problems associated with poor navigation and uneven distribution on the floor.

Evaluate Practices and Systems to Improve Well-being Management Practices

Transport stress defined by age for calves. Transportation of cattle is an unavoidable stressor and dairy cattle are often transported within the first week of life, but we do not know how this effects their immune development and growth.  To better find physiological and behavioral indicators of cattle not coping with that stressor, transport stress in cattle was investigated during two studies by scientists at Livestock Behavior Research Unit, West Lafayette Indiana with collaboration with a scientist at the University of Florida.  Proteins produced by the liver (acute phase proteins) were determined to be useful indicators of well-being for weaned calves and neutrophil functions and general health assessments indicated that transport at 2 to 3 days-of-age may be increasing susceptibility to respiratory pathogens and transport at 4 to 5 days-of-age increases susceptibility to enteric pathogens compared to calves transported at 6 to 8 days-of age.  These studies showed that acute phase proteins are a useful assessment of individual mature cattle's ability to cope following stress and the second study indicated that methods are needed to improve the coping capability of young calves following transport at less than 1 wk-of-age. 

Enhancing immune function with nutritional supplements. Research was continued to explore the use of nutritional supplements to enhance immune function in weaned pigs to reduce sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics in swine feed. Collaborative research between scientists at the Animal Physiology Research Unit, Columbia, Missouri, and swine nutritionists at the University of Missouri evaluated the use of spray dried plasma and fish oil supplementation to enhance immune function in weaned pigs. This research expands scientific knowledge on nutritional regulation of the immune system and is stimulating interest in the use of nutritional alternatives to the use of sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics.

Hormone found to enhance feed intake. Reduced feed intake at the time of weaning is a significant problem in swine production and has implications in overall performance, health, and well-being. Scientists at the Animal Physiology Research Unit, Columbia, Missouri conducted research on the newly discovered appetite regulation hormone (ghrelin) to enhance feed intake in newly weaned pigs. The endocrine profiles of young pigs undergoing a period of voluntary feed restriction were shown. The studies demonstrated that voluntary feed restriction at weaning may be prevented by providing exogenous ghrelin to the newly weaned pig. Implementation of these findings could significantly improve swine health and performance with ensuing economic impact.

Higher air velocity improves performance of broilers over 28 days of age. Since the mid to late `1980's, the majority of chicken houses in the southeast utilize tunnel ventilation to keep chickens cool; however, the optimal air velocities for various ages has not been determined.  Scientists at the Poultry Research Unit, Mississippi State, Mississippi with collaborators from the Poultry Science Department, Mississippi State University evaluated air moving at 180m/min (600 ft/min) or 120m/min (400 ft/min) as compared to still air [L15m/min (50 ft/min)] on body weight gain (BWG) and feed consumed relative to weight gain (feed:gain) of chickens.  No improvement in the BWG or feed:gain was seen for increased air velocity as compared to still air for chickens from 21 days of age to 28 days of age; however, improvements were noted in both BWG and feed:gain for the increased air velocity for birds over 28 days of age.  Even more dramatic was an improvement in both BWG and feed:gain from 42 to 49 days of age for air velocity of 600 ft/min as compared to the 400 ft/min.  The impact of this research re-defines the optimal rearing and managerial conditions for growth of broilers by providing another factor for reducing the cost of poultry production.   

Bioenergetic Criteria for Environmental Management

Heat stress alert system.  Guidelines for management of both cattle and swine under heat stress have been presented to producers, scientists, and extension educators at national and international conferences by scientists at the Biological Engineering Research Unit, Clay Center, Nebraska. These guidelines are based on recent developments of sensors to measure respiration rate in both species and recently completed studies conducted in controlled environment chambers. This research continues to build on previous findings and development of the “livestock safety monitor”.