ABSTRACT
Housing conditions for horses impose various levels of confinement, which may compromise welfare. Lying behaviour and activity can be used as welfare indicators for domestic animals and rebound behaviour suggests a build-up of motivation resulting from deprivation. The objective of this study was to determine if activity and lying behaviour of horses are affected by housing conditions and to investigate the occurrence of rebound behaviour after release from confinement. Eight horses were subjected, in pairs, to each of four experimental treatments; paddock (P), fully stabled (FS), partly stabled (PS) and yard (Y). Each horse received 6 days acclimatisation prior to the 24 h recording period. Time spent in lying and activity were electronically recorded using a tilt switch and motion sensor connected to a data logger worn on the horse's left foreleg. Time spent active during the first 5 min of release from stable to paddock in the PS treatment (days 1 and 5) and at the same time of day in the P treatment was used as a measure of rebound behaviour. Effect of housing conditions on total time spent active was highly significant (FS = 123 s, PS = 158 s, Y = 377 s, P = 779 s, P < 0.001). Housing conditions did not significantly affect total time spent lying (P = 0.646). Horses were significantly more active, compared with baseline paddock behaviour, on release from stabling on both days 1 (P = 0.006) and 5 (P = 0.025) of PS treatment. These results suggest that activity patterns of horses, but not lying behaviour, are affected by the housing conditions tested and that rebound activity occurs in horses after a period of confinement.
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the first systematic review of the literature on lameness in cattle. It identifies, tabulates and classifies relevant published work and was conducted using electronic reference databases (BIDS ISI, BIOSIS, MEDLINE and the CAB Abstracts CD-ROM). A total of 1373 unique references were obtained from 1981 to 2000, of which 914 were written in the English language. A written search protocol was designed to ensure transparency and repeatability. Pilot studies were undertaken to create search terms that minimised bias and ensured relevance. Electronic files of the search terms allow the database to be updated in future. A further 93 references were included from the most recent international conference on lameness giving a total of 1007 English language references. The systematic review process is described, including a method of classifying papers according to their study design and statistical analysis, and it is hoped that other veterinary researchers will conduct similar reviews in their fields. The compiled and classified references are available as a searchable database through the web-sitehttp://cattle-lameness.dhs.org/. The review may be used in several ways; to identify practical interventions to reduce lameness in dairy cows and to use the resultant web-site as the basis of a decision support system for farmers, veterinarians and advisors.
Subject(s)
Cattle Diseases , Foot Diseases/veterinary , Lameness, Animal , Animals , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/epidemiology , Cattle Diseases/etiology , Cattle Diseases/physiopathology , Databases, Bibliographic , Female , Foot Diseases/epidemiology , Foot Diseases/etiology , Foot Diseases/physiopathology , Internet , Lameness, Animal/epidemiology , Lameness, Animal/etiology , Lameness, Animal/physiopathology , Male , Pilot ProjectsABSTRACT
Lameness, hoof lesion development and behaviour were compared for two groups of 10 heifers: one in early pregnancy (PH), the other in early lactation (LH). Both groups were housed in the summer in cubicles under identical conditions. Behavioural observations commenced immediately after housing, and then at 2, 4 and 6 weeks post-housing. Locomotion scores were assessed weekly, and feet were examined for lesions at approximately -1, 0, 1 and 2 months after housing. All four feet were photographed, lesions were scored subjectively for severity, and lesion size and position were estimated using image analysis techniques. LH already had greater total lesion scores before housing. More severe linear lesions in the LH group were associated with reduced lying, and less idling, increased standing in cubicles and more disturbed lying behaviour.
