Effects Of Housing Environment Research Articles

The effect of housing environment (deep litter with or without access to different plant species outdoor) on welfare and behavior across two strains of laying hens

The effect of housing environment (deep litter with or without access to different plant species outdoor) on welfare and behavior across two strains of laying hens

The effect of housing environment on bone healing in a critical radius defect in New Zealand White rabbits.

In animal studies on bone healing, the effect of housing space and physical activity are seldom taken into account. Bone formation was evaluated in New Zealand White rabbits (mean ± SEM BW: 3.9 ± 0.11 kg) with a critical bone defect after 12 weeks of rehabilitation in pair-housing in 3 m2 large floor pens (Floor, n = 10) or standard single housing in 0.43 m2 cages (Cage, n = 10). In the randomised full-factorial study, a bone replica of calcium phosphate cement (CPC, n = 10) or autologous bone (AB, n = 10) was implanted in the unilateral 20 mm radius defect. Post-mortem, the oxidative capacity was measured by citrate synthase (CS) activity in M. quadriceps and the defect filling volume and density evaluated by microcomputer tomography (μ-CT). Histology sections were evaluated by subjective scoring and histomorphometry. Fourteen rabbits remained until the end of the study. Group Floor (n = 7; 3 CPC + 4 AB) had a higher CS activity and a larger bone defect filling volume and lower density by μ-CT measurements than group Cage (n = 7; 3 CPC + 4 AB). Three out of four rabbits in AB-Floor presented fusion of the defect with reorganisation of trabecular bone, whereas three of four in AB-Cage showed areas of incomplete healing. Floor rabbits had a higher score of bony fusion between the radius and ulna than Cage rabbits. There were no differences between groups in histomorphometry. The study found that a larger housing space increased physical activity and promoted bone formation.

Effect of housing environment on laying hen meat quality: Assessing Pectoralis major pH, colour and tenderness in three strains of 80–81 week-old layers housed in conventional and furnished cages

ABSTRACT1. Meat quality is affected by factors such as stress, genetic strain and activity and is determined in part by measures of pH, colour and tenderness. In conventional laying hen cages (CC), lack of physical space and inability to perform highly motivated behaviours leads to stress and inactivity. Furnished cages (FCs) permit expression of highly motivated behaviours, but typically house larger group sizes than CC, thereby contributing to social stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of CC and FC laying hen housing environments and strain differences on meat quality of 80–81-week-old birds.2. Pectoralis major meat quality was assessed for two flocks of Shaver White (SH), Lohmann Lite (LL) and Lohmann Brown (LB) hens housed in either 5-hen CC or 40-hen FC. Between 80 and 81 weeks, muscle samples were collected from randomly selected hens and analysed for muscle pH, colour and shear force (SF) using established methods.3. In both flocks, the combined treatment body weights (BWs) were higher for CC than FC hens and the combined strain BWs were higher for LB than LL and SH hens. Flock 1 LB had lower initial and ultimate pH than SH and LL, and greater pH decline than SH. Muscle redness (a*) was higher for CC SH than FC SH in both flocks. Muscle a* was higher for LL than SH and LB in Flock 1, and higher than SH in Flock 2. Housing differences in muscle SF were absent. In CC, SF was higher for SH than LL and LB in Flock 1, and higher than LB in Flock 2.4. Lack of housing differences suggests that environmental stressors present in both housing systems similarly affected meat quality. Strain differences for muscle pH, a* and SF indicate increased stress experienced by SH and LL hens. The absence of Flock 2 strain differences is consistent with the cannibalism outbreak that occurred in this flock and most severely impacted LB hens.

The effect of housing environment on the health of single-mothers

The effect of housing environment on the health of single-mothers

Effects of housing environment on social isolation response,weaning stress, and immune reaction in goat kids

This study investigated how environmental structuring in the growing units of goat kids influences their ability to cope with social isolation and weaning-induced stress. Two experimental groups were arranged in an enriched (E) or barren (B) environment and each of the two groups had 10 female and 10 male kids. During the social isolation, the goat kids in group E started bleating earlier (P = 0.1612) and more frequently (P = 0.0125). Goat kids also bleated earlier (P = 0.0005) and more often after the weaning period (P = 0.0006). Only the rearing behavior of the groups exhibited significant differences in social isolation. However, after the weaning, kids showed more bipedal stance behavior (P = 0.0204) and less running behavior (P = 0.0394) than before the weaning period. Cortisol, triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) hormone concentrations were lower at weaning than in the other periods with social isolation (P < 0.05). The T3 hormone concentrations of the groups at weaning were significantly different (P = 0.0201). The immune response to Brucella vaccination did not differ between the groups (P = 0.2753). Findings revealed that both social isolation tests created stress in the goat kids. Considering the bleating frequencies, it can be concluded that the goat kids in the enriched environment experienced more social isolation stress than the goat kids in the barren environment.

Behavioral effects of repeated handling differ in rats reared in social isolation and environmental enrichment

The post-weaning social environment has profound effects on behavior and physiology in rodents. Social isolation increases anxiety-like behaviors and novelty-induced locomotor activity, while environmental enrichment decreases these behaviors. In some cases, the effects of social isolation are ameliorated by repeated handling. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the effects of handling differ in rats reared in social isolation and those reared in an enriched environment. After weaning, male Long-Evans rats were housed individually (ISO)3 or in groups in an enriched environment (EE). During adulthood, rats from each housing condition received four, once-daily, brief handling sessions or remained undisturbed in the home cage. All rats were then tested in the open field, elevated plus maze, and for behavioral responses to d-amphetamine (1.0mg/kg). EE rats spent more time on the open arms of the elevated plus maze and were more likely than ISO rats to emerge from the start box in the open field, suggesting lower anxiety. Handling significantly decreased open arm time in EE rats and marginally increased open arm time in ISO rats. Housing condition did not affect amphetamine-stimulated locomotor activity, but handling altered the time course of the amphetamine response. ISO rats exhibited significantly fewer stereotyped behaviors than did EE rats, but repeated handling eliminated this difference. These findings support previously published studies that suggest brief handling of adult rats may at least partially ameliorate the effects of post-weaning social isolation on anxiety-like behaviors and psychostimulant sensitivity. Furthermore, there are complex interactions between the effects of housing environment and handling, suggesting that handling may be perceived and/or processed differently, depending on the animal's housing environment.

Sex differences in object location memory and spatial navigation in Long-Evans rats

In both humans and rodents, males typically excel on a number of tasks requiring spatial ability. However, human females exhibit advantages in memory for the spatial location of objects. This study investigated whether rats would exhibit similar sex differences on a task of object location memory (OLM) and on the watermaze (WM). We predicted that females should outperform males on the OLM task and that males should outperform females on the WM. To control for possible effects of housing environment, rats were housed in either complex environments or in standard shoebox housing. Eighty Long-Evans rats (40 males and 40 females) were housed in either complex (Complex rats) or standard shoebox housing (Control rats). Results indicated that males had superior performance on the WM, whereas females outperformed males on the OLM task, regardless of housing environment. As these sex differences cannot be easily attributed to differences in cognitive style related to linguistic processing of environmental features or to selection pressures related to the hunting gathering evolutionary prehistory of humans, these data suggest that sex differences in spatial ability may be related to traits selected for by polygynous mating strategies.

The Effect of Housing and Strain on Exterior Shell Quality of Eggs Selected at Three Intervals During the Laying Period

Exterior egg shell quality as determined by candling was affected to some extent by strain. The effects of housing environment were highly significant (P < 0.01). Shell quality of eggs from birds housed on the floor was significantly better than that of birds housed in cages at the rate of two or three birds per 25.4 cm. × 45.7 cm. cage. Birds housed at the rate of two per cage produced eggs with significantly better exterior shell quality than did birds housed at the rate of three birds per cage.