Introduction: Little is known about the effects of a positive human-animal relationship on animal health and resilience. This study investigated regular interactions pigs’ response to an immune challenge. Methods: Twenty-four female pigs were recruited at weaning (5 weeks old), siblings similar weights allocated either contact treatment with contacts given by human groups three in their home pen, or control only exposed standing immobile silently front outside pen. Treatment sessions applied...

The emotional state can influence decision-making under ambiguity. Cognitive bias tests (CBT) proved to be a promising indicator of the affective valence animals in context farm animal welfare. Although it is well-known that humans intensity fear and reactions animals, research on cognitive often focusses housing management conditions neglects role states animals. present study aimed at investigating whether modulate weaned piglets. Fifty-four piglets received chronic experience with humans:...

Low birth weight piglets are at high risk of mortality, because the rapid depletion their energy reserves after birth. At 3 h postpartum, 405 weighing <1.1 kg were either dosed orally with 2 mL (1) coconut oil (CO, 74 kJ/2 mL, n = 107 piglets), (2) commercial product (CP, 71 101 (3) water (W, 0 100 piglets) or (4) sham-dosed (S, 97 piglets). Treatments applied within litter (97 sows). Before treatment weighed, scored for vitality and blood glucose concentration (subset: CO 45 piglets, CP 38...

Management strategies are needed to optimise the number of piglets weaned from hyper-prolific sows. Nurse sow involve transferring supernumerary new-born onto a whose own either or fostered another sow. Such 'nurse sows' have extended lactations spent in farrowing crates, which could negative implications for their welfare. This study used 47 sows, 20 farrowed large litters and had biggest nurse sows were 1 week (2STEP7, n=9) 3 weeks into lactation (1STEP21, n=10). Sows removed (R) left with...

Nurse sow strategies are used to manage large litters on commercial pig farms. However, new-born piglets transferred nurse sows in late lactation might be compromised terms of growth and survival. We investigated the effects two piglet growth, suckling behaviour nursing behaviour. At 1-day post-farrowing, four heaviest from were a either 21 (1STEP21, n=9 litters) or 7 (2STEP7, n=10 days into lactation. The remainder litter remained with their mother was kept intact (remain (RI), had some...

Abstract Hypothermia is risk factor for piglet neonatal mortality, especially low birth weight piglets. Piglets with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) also have a higher mortality at birth. This study aimed to validate infrared thermography (IRT) as an alternative rectal temperature (RT) measure in the hour postpartum, and identify piglets thermoregulation difficulties. At (6.3 ± 0.35 min postpartum), 67 were dried, weighed, scored (IUGR; 0–3), isolated plastic box where IRT images...

Gestational and early life experiences affect subsequent behavioural physical development. The objective of the current study was to investigate associations between gilts’ fear humans, gestational stress level, feeding maternal behaviour, as well how these related aspects personality growth their offspring. A total 37 gilts were used. Four human approach tests performed d 104 111 gestation classify fearful or friendly. Gilt behaviour salivary cortisol concentration measured 90 108...

Arena tests are used to address various research questions related animal behavior and human-animal relationships; e.g. how animals perceive specific human beings or people in general. Recent advancements computer vision, specifically application of key point detection models, might offer a possibility extract variables that the most often recorded these an automated way. The objective this study was measure two human-pig arena test with vision techniques, i.e. distance between subjects...

This study investigated the behavioural effects of providing different enrichment materials to suckling piglets from 7 days-old until weaning. One object was attached pen wall (WALL), and other suspended in middle (MID). Control group had hessian fabric both locations, two diverse groups bamboo stick alternate locations (i.e., BMID-HWALL HMID-BWALL). Piglets behaviour recorded on D0 (object introduction), D1, D5, D8, D12, D14; at weaning 1, 3, 5 15 days after. Groups did not differ...

Thermoregulation is essential to piglets' neonatal survival. This study used infrared thermography (IRT) assess thermoregulation abilities of piglets from two lines divergent for residual feed intake (RFI). At birth, morphology (weight, length, width and circumference), vigour (respiration, mobility vocalisation), rectal temperature were recorded the 11th generation low RFI (LRFI, more efficient; n = 34) high (HRFI, less 28) lines. Infrared images taken at 8, 15, 30 60 min post partum....

The present study investigated the effects of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR, score 0–3; i.e., "normal" to "severe") level at birth, and neonatal energy supplementation (dosed with 2 ml coconut oil, commercial product or water, sham-dosed), on post-weaning cognitive abilities low birth-weight piglets (< 1.1 kg). In total, 184 were recruited weaning (27 ± 0.1 days) for habituation test procedures, either tested spatial learning memory in a T-maze (n = 42; 37 0.5 short-term spontaneous...

Abstract Artificial rearing involves removing piglets from their mother at seven days of age and feeding them milk replacer until weaning. Early-life conditions can influence piglets’ mental development, as reflected by emotional state reactivity. This study compared the post-weaning reactivity pigs which were either sow-reared or artificially reared pre-weaning. Behavioural tests (startle test, novel object human-animal relationship test open door test) conducted one week (weaner 1, 34 [±...

Depression is a human mental disorder that can also be inferred in non-human animals. This study explored whether time spent inactive but awake ("IBA") the home-cage mice was further triggered by risk factors similar to those increasing vulnerability depression humans (early life stress, genetic predispositions, adulthood stress). Eighteen DBA/2 J and 18 C57BL/6 females were tested, of which half underwent as pups daily maternal separation on post-natal days 2-14 (early-life stress "ELS")...

Arena tests are used to address various research questions related animal behavior and human-animal relationships; e.g. how animals perceive specific human beings or people in general. Recent advancements computer vision, specifically application of key point detection models, might offer a possibility extract variables that the most often recorded these an automated way. The objective this study was measure two human-pig arena test with vision techniques, i.e. distance between subjects...