Search

Few researchers have questioned the validity of traditional parenting dimensions (based largely on Baumrind's [Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75, 43-88; Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology, 4, 1-103] work) with economically and ethnically diverse groups, despite the fact that evidence for the utility of these dimensions for predicting child and youth outcomes is equivocal. In this paper, we report on the findings from two independent studies by which we examined the relationship of traditional parenting constructs to children's social-emotional competencies among low-income, urban-residing African American preschool families with measures validated specifically for use with this population. In Study 1, 184 children and their families participated, whereas 210 children and their families participated in Study 2. Contrary to our hypotheses, across these two studies, findings failed to indicate significant relationships between constructs of parenting and children's social and emotional skills. Findings call into question the consequential validity of these constructs for this group and highlight inconsistencies among the larger body of parenting work. Implications for future theory-building and parenting research are discussed.

Abstract Background No clinical trials have been conducted in India on the efficacy of parenteral antibacterials to treat footrot in sheep. In addition, there are no studies worldwide on the efficacy of parenteral antibacterials to treat chronic footrot. Sixty two sheep with acute footrot and 30 sheep with chronic footrot from 7 villages in Kashmir, India were recruited into two separate trials. Sheep with acute footrot were allocated to one of three treatments using stratified random sampling: long acting parenteral oxytetracycline, long acting parenteral enrofloxacin and topical application of potassium permanganate solution (a traditional treatment used by sheep farmers in India). In a quasi pre-post intervention design, sheep with chronic footrot that had not responded to treatment with potassium permanaganate were randomly allocated to treatment with one of the two parenteral antibacterials mentioned above. Sheep with acute footrot were treated on day 0 and those with chronic footrot on days 0, 3, 6 and 9. Sheep were monitored for up to 28 days after treatment. Time to recovery from lameness and initial healing of lesions was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, nonparametric log-rank and Wilcoxon sign-rank tests. Results There was significant correlation in recovery from lameness and presence of healing lesions in sheep with acute (r = 0.94) or chronic (r = 0.98) footrot. Sheep with acute footrot which were treated with parenteral antibacterials had a significantly more rapid recovery from lameness and had healing lesions (median = 7 days) compared with those treated with topical potassium permanganate solution (less than 50% recovered in 28 days). The median time to recovery in sheep with chronic footrot treated with either antibacterial was 17 days; this was significantly lower than the median of 75 days lame before treatment with antibacterials. The median time to recovery for both acute and chronic footrot increased as the severity of lesions increased. There was no difference in time to recovery by age, body condition score, duration lame, or presence of pus in the foot within acute and chronically affected sheep. Conclusions We conclude that use of parenteral antibacterials to treat sheep lame with either acute or chronic footrot in India is highly effective. This is likely to improve welfare and give economic benefits to the farmers.

There are no estimates of the heritability of phenotypic udder traits in suckler sheep, which produce meat lambs, and whether these are associated with resilience to mastitis. Mastitis is a common disease which damages the mammary gland and reduces productivity. The aims of this study were to investigate the feasibility of collecting udder phenotypes, their heritability and their association with mastitis in suckler ewes. Udder and teat conformation, teat lesions, intramammary masses (IMM) and litter size were recorded from 10 Texel flocks in Great Britain between 2012 and 2014; 968 records were collected. Pedigree data were obtained from an online pedigree recording system. Univariate quantitative genetic parameters were estimated using animal and sire models. Linear mixed models were used to analyse continuous traits and generalised linear mixed models were used to analyse binary traits. Continuous traits had higher heritabilities than binary with teat placement and teat length heritability (h 2) highest at 0.35 (SD 0.04) and 0.42 (SD 0.04), respectively. Udder width, drop and separation heritabilities were lower and varied with udder volume. The heritabilities of IMM and teat lesions (sire model) were 0.18 (SD 0.12) and 0.17 (SD 0.11), respectively. All heritabilities were sufficiently high to be in a selection programme to increase resilience to mastitis in the population of Texel sheep. Further studies are required to investigate genetic relationships between traits and to determine whether udder traits predict IMM, and the potential benefits from including traits in a selection programme to increase resilience to chronic mastitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the influence of floor type on sow welfare with particular focus on lameness, claw lesions (CL), and injuries. The study used 164 gilts housed in groups of 8 from AI to 110 d of pregnancy in pens with concrete (n = 84) slatted floor left uncovered or covered by 10-mm rubber slat mats (n = 80) through 2 parities. Lameness (0 = normal to 5 = severe), limb (0 = normal to 6 = severe) and body (0 = normal to 5 = severe) lesions, and manure on the body (MOB; score 0 to 2) were recorded at AI, 24 to 72 h postmixing, between 50 and 70 d of pregnancy, and 2 wk before farrowing. Claw lesions (score 0 = normal to 3 = severe) were recorded at AI and between 50 and 70 d of pregnancy. The dirtiness and wetness of the floors was scored weekly (score 0 = clean to 4 = >75% of the pen soiled/wet). Data from the first and second parities were analyzed separately. Sows were categorized as nonlame (score ≤ 1 ) or lame (score ≥ 2). Median (Me) scores were calculated for CL and body and limb lesions and were classified as less than or equal to the median or greater than the median lesion scores. Sows on rubber slat mats had a reduced risk of lameness during both parities {P < 0.01) compared with sows on concrete. They also had an increased risk of scores greater than the median for toe overgrowth (Me = 2 and M(Me = 3 in the first and second parity, respectively) and heel sole crack (HSC; Me = 3) during both parities (P <0.01) and for cracks in the wall (CW; Mg = 4) and white line damage (WL; Me = 4; P < 0.01) in the first and second parity, respectively. There was a reduced risk of lameness in sows with scores greater than the median for HSC (P = 0.05) in the first parity and WL (Me = 3; P < 0.01) and CW (Me = 3; P < 0.05) in the second parity. Wounds (Me = 3) and severe lesions (Me = 0) on the limbs with scores greater than the median were associated with an increased risk of lameness (P < 0.01) in the first and second parity, respectively. Sows on rubber slat mats had a reduced risk of scores greater than the median for swellings (M = 4) and wounds (P <0.01) during both parities. Pens with rubber slat mats were dirtier than uncovered pens (P < 0.01); however, there was no association between MOB and flooring type. There was also no association between body lesion score and flooring type. In this study, CL were not associated with an increased risk of lameness. Therefore, even though mbber slat mats were associated with an increased risk of CL, they improved the welfare of group housed sows by reducing the risk of lameness and limb lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Salmonella on milk production is not well established in cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate whether introduction of Salmonella into dairy cattle herds was associated with reduced milk yield and determine the duration of any such effect. Longitudinal data from 2005 through 2009 were used, with data from 12 mo before until 18 mo after the estimated date of infection. Twenty-eight case herds were selected based on an increase in the level of Salmonella-specific antibodies in bulk-tank milk from <10 corrected optical density percentage (ODC%) to ⩾70 ODC% between 2 consecutive three-monthly measurements in the Danish Salmonella surveillance program. All selected case herds were conventional Danish Holstein herds. Control herds (n = 40) were selected randomly from Danish Holstein herds with Salmonella antibody levels consistently <10 ODC%. A date of herd infection was randomly allocated to the control herds. Hierarchical mixed effect models with the outcome test-day yield of energy-corrected milk (ECM)/cow were used to investigate daily milk yield before and after the estimated herd infection date for cows in parities 1, 2, and 3+. Control herds were used to evaluate whether the effects in the case herds could be reproduced in herds without Salmonella infection. Herd size, days in milk, somatic cell count, season, and year were included in the models. Yield in first-parity cows was reduced by a mean of 1.4 kg (95% confidence interval: 0.5 to 2.3) of ECM/cow per day from 7 to 15 mo after the estimated herd infection date, compared with that of first-parity cows in the same herds in the 12 mo before the estimated herd infection date. Yield for parity 3+ cows was reduced by a mean of 3.0 kg (95% confidence interval: 1.3 to 4.8) of ECM/cow per day from 7 to 15 mo after herd infection compared with that of parity 3+ cows in the 12 mo before the estimated herd infection. We observed minor differences in yield in second-parity cows before and after herd infection and observed no difference between cows in control herds before and after the simulated infection date. Milk yield decreased significantly in affected herds and the reduction was detectable several months after the increase in bulk tank milk Salmonella antibodies. It took more than 1 yr for milk yield to return to preinfection levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the rate of hoof horn growth in sheep is important for understanding the physiology and pathology of the foot and the impact of the environment and the treatment of diseased feet on foot health. It could lead to improved understanding of the interaction between hoof horn and pasture/barn floor characteristics and in methods for prevention and treatment of ovine foot diseases. In the current study, the hoof horn was measured using a previously tested protocol on all eight digits of 21 healthy yearling mule ewes on a farm in North Wales on four occasions over a period of 53 days. The mean hoof horn growth rate was 0·11 mm (s.e.m. 0·02) per day; the residual error variance was 0·024 and the R2 was 0·245. There were no significant differences between hoof horn growth rates in front and hind feet or between medial and lateral claws or over time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Internationally, foot trimming is used by most farmers, and parenteral antibacterials by some, to treat sheep with footrot. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are sometimes used. No clinical trials have compared these treatments. Objectives: To investigate the above treatments on time to recovery from lameness and foot lesions in sheep with footrot. Animals: Fifty-three sheep with footrot on a commercial farm in England. Methods: In a randomized factorial design, the sheep were allocated to 6 treatment groups. The treatments were oxytetracycline spray to all sheep (positive control) and one or more of parenteral administration of long-acting oxytetracycline, flunixine meglumine, and foot trimming on day 1 or 6 of diagnosis. Follow-up was for 15 days. Time to recovery from lameness and lesions was investigated with discrete-time survival models. Results: There was significant association ( P < .05) between recovery from lameness and lesions. Sheep receiving antibacterials parenterally recovered faster from lameness (odds ratio [OR]: 4.92 [1.20–20.10]) and lesions (OR: 5.11 [1.16–22.4]) than positive controls, whereas sheep foot trimmed on day 1 (lameness—OR: 0.05 [0.005–0.51]; lesions—OR: 0.06 [0.008–0.45]) or day 6 of diagnosis (lameness—OR: 0.07 [0.01–0.72]; lesions—OR: 0.07 [0.01–0.56]) recovered more slowly than positive controls. NSAID had no significant effect on recovery. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: If foot trimming on day 1 or 6 of diagnosis was stopped and parenteral antibacterials were used, then over 1 million sheep/annum lame with footrot in the United Kingdom would recover more rapidly with benefits to productivity. Globally, this figure would be much higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brief summary of the currently accepted aetiology and pathogenesis of footrot and interdigital dermatitis in sheep in Great Britain is presented together with a description of the transmission dynamics of Dichelobacter nodosus. Approaches that may be successful for control or elimination of the disease are proposed and areas of uncertainty in current knowledge highlighted. Research and practice in Great Britain is Compared with that from other countries and the proposal made that the environment and]or carrier (non-diseased) sheep may assist 'persistence of footrot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were twofold: to develop and test an animal-based protocol for the assessment of the physical and emotional elements of the welfare of laying hens on free-range units and to investigate the effects of different approaches to housing and management on the welfare of the birds. The protocol was tested on 25 free-range units for laying hens, each of which was visited on four occasions by one of five trained observers; further information about husbandry, health and productivity was gathered from interviews with the farmers. Measures of the birds' attitude included arousal, noise, flight distance and response to a novel object, measures of their activity included feather pecking, aggression and use of range, and measures of their physical welfare included mortality, body condition and egg quality. Increased arousal was associated with increased flight distance, greater reluctance to approach a novel object and higher levels of feather pecking and feather loss, but the correlation between pecking and feather loss was low. The birds maintained body condition throughout the period of lay. Neither body condition, feather pecking nor feather loss was affected by the extent of beak trimming. Estimated losses (deaths and culls) ranged from 1.8 to 21-4 per cent (median 6-95 per cent). Few birds showed signs of ill health, limb lesions or red mite infestation. No feature of building design had a significant effect on mortality, but there were consistent differences in the birds' attitude, behaviour and performance attributable to the type of floor and the presence or absence of perches, which suggested that the welfare of the hens was inferior when they were housed on plastic floors with no perches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A retrospective cohort study of 116 British pig farms was undertaken to investigate the epidemiological risk factors associated with herd breakdowns with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Farmers reported the PMWS status of their herd (case definition 1) and, where applicable, when the disease was first suspected and what they observed; they described a prolonged increase in mortality in six to 16-week-old pigs that was not attributable to any disease known to be on their farm. There was over 90 per cent agreement on the farmers' PMWS status between the farmers and their veterinarians. Approximately 70 per cent of the breakdowns were confirmed at the laboratory (case definition 2) except during the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in 2001 when it was reduced to 30 per cent. Porcine circovirus type 2 antigen was detected in pigs examined postmortem (case definition 3) in approximately 90 per cent of the farms with increased mortality. The breakdowns occurred initially in the south of England and spread west and north, as well as locally in a radial pattern from the affected farms, and there was strong statistical evidence that there was non-random space-time clustering. The risk of herd breakdowns with PMWS was not constant; therefore, for each case definition, three survival models were developed with outcome variable time to breakdown of between January 2000 and January 2001, February 2001 to September 2001 (during FMD) or October 2001 to December 2003. Exposures with a bivariable significance of P<0.20 were tested in three multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. From January 2000 to January 2001 the risk of a herd breakdown with PM!S for definitions 1, 2 and 3 was greater for farms with 600 or more breeding sows, and for definitions 1 and 3 there was an increased risk associated with the purchase of replacement guts rather than using homebred replacements. For definitions 1 and 3 the farms where the nearest pig farm had no breeding pigs were at greater risk of a breakdown than those where the nearest farm had breeding stock, as were the farms where visitors were not requested to avoid pigs for more than three days before visiting the farm during the FMD outbreak. From October 2001, the associated risks were identical for all three case definitions; farms were at greater risk when they had 600 or more breeding sows, if visitors had not avoided contact with pigs for more than three days before visiting the farm, and when there was a farm with PMWS less than five miles away. The affected farms were more likely to have disease associated with porcine parvovirus, porcine reproduction and respiratory syndrome virus, erysipelas, Escherichia coli and salmonella. These exposures were positively associated with large herds and the farm being close to other pig farms, but did not remain in the final models for breakdown with PMWS, indicating that such farms may be at greater risk of many infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intervention study was carried out on 52 dairy farms in England and Wales to determine whether the implementation of a well-specified mastitis control plan in herds with an incidence of clinical mastitis of more than 35 cases per 100 cows per year would reduce the incidence of clinical mastitis, and also reduce the incidence of increases in the somatic cell counts of individual cows. A clearly defined plan for the diagnosis and control of mastitis was developed by two veterinary specialists from the research literature. The herds were randomly allocated to receive the plan either at the start of the study (intervention herds) or after one year (control herds). Data on mastitis management and the farm environment were collected during farm visits. After one year there was a significant 22 per cent reduction in the proportion of cows affected with clinical mastitis on the intervention farms compared with the control farms. There were also significant reductions of approximately 20 per cent in the incidence of clinical mastitis and in the occurrence of increases in the somatic cell counts of individual cows from below, to above 200,000 cells/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of clinical and subclinical mastitis was carried out on 97 dairy farms in England and Wales, selected at random from members of a national milk recording scheme. The farmers were asked to collect aseptic milk samples from five consecutive cases of clinical mastitis and from five quarters with high somatic cell counts using a defined protocol, and they completed a questionnaire that included information on the cows sampled, the herd and the history of mastitis in the herd. The samples were collected throughout the year. The mean incidence of clinical mastitis was 47 cases per 100 cows per year (estimated from historic farm records) and 71 cases per 100 cows per year (estimated from the samples collected). Streptococcus uberis and Escherichia coli were isolated in pure culture from 23·5 per cent and 19·8 per cent, respectively, of the clinical samples; 26·5 per cent of the clinical samples produced no growth. The most common isolates from the samples with high cell counts were coagulase-negative staphylococci (15 per cent), S uberis (14 per cent) and Corynebacterium species (10 per cent). Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-positive staphylococci together accounted for 10 per cent of the samples with high somatic cell counts; 39 per cent produced no bacterial growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from 67 pig farms with a variety of farrowing systems were used to identify factors associated with preweaning mortality in British pig herds. The median mortality reported by the farmers was 10.7 per cent (interquartile range 8.5 to 14 per cent). There was a significantly higher mortality when the pigs were weaned when they were older. A multivariable Poisson model was developed into which the types of farrowing system on each farm and the age at weaning were forced. Factors associated with a lower preweaning mortality rate were insulating the farrowing building, providing extra heat at farrowing, giving the piglets iron injections, dipping their navels, using fan ventilation and using artificial lighting systems. Factors associated with a higher mortality rate were a later weaning age, the use of infra-red lamps rather than other forms of supplementary heat, and the use of a creep without any bedding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample of dairy farms in Great Britain with a monthly bulk milk somatic cell count of less than 150,000 cells/mi was enrolled into a 12-month prospective study. At the end of the study, a questionnaire on milking practice and other farm management practices was sent to the 482 farmers who had collected data on the occurrence of mastitis throughout the 12 months. The response rate was 93 per cent. The reported mean incidence of clinical mastitis was 36-9 cases per 100 cow-years. Factors associated with an increase in the incidence of clinical mastitis were cleaning out the straw yard less frequently than every six weeks, more than 5 per cent of cows leaking milk outside the parlour, checking the foremilk, wearing gloves during milking, an average annual milk yield of more than 7000 litres per cow, dipping or spraying teats before milking and keeping milk with a high somatic cell count out of the bulk tank. Factors associated with a decrease in the incidence of clinical mastitis were using a cloth to dry the teats after washing them as part of premilking preparation, using calving boxes for less than 40 per cent of calvings, and using both cubicles and straw yards to house dry cows, as opposed to other housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tensile strength of 576 pieces of white line horn collected over 6 mo from 14 dairy cows restricted to parity 1 or 2 was tested. None of the cows had ever been lame. Seven cows were randomly assigned to receive 20 mg/d biotin supplementation, and 7 were not supplemented. Hoof horn samples were taken from zones 2 and 3 (the more proximal and distal sites of the abaxial white line) of the medial and lateral claws of both hind feet on d 1 and on 5 further occasions over 6 mo. The samples were analyzed at 100% water saturation. Hoof slivers were notched to ensure that tensile strength was measured specifically across the white line region. The tensile stress at failure was measured in MPa and was adjusted for the cross-sectional area of the notch site. Data were analyzed in a multilevel model, which accounted for the repeated measures within cows. All other variables were entered as fixed effects. In the final model, there was considerable variation in strength over time. Tensile strength was significantly higher in medial compared with lateral claws, and zone 2 was significantly stronger than zone 3. Where the white line was visibly damaged the tensile strength was low. Biotin supplementation did not affect the tensile strength of the white line. Results of this study indicate that damage to the white line impairs its tensile strength and that in horn with no visible abnormality the white line is weaker in the lateral hind claw than the medial and in zone 3 compared with zone 2. The biomechanical strength was lowest at zone 3 of the lateral hind claw, which is the most common site of white line disease lameness in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated somatic cell count (SCC) records during lactation, with the purpose of identifying distribution characteristics (mean and measures of variation) that were most closely associated with clinical mastitis. Three separate data sets were used, one containing quarter SCC (n = 1444) and two containing cow SCC (n = 933 and 11,825). Clinical mastitis was defined as a binary outcome, present or absent, for each lactation, and SCC were log (base 10) transformed. A generalized linear mixed model within a Bayesian framework was used for analysis. Parameters were estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo with Gibbs sampling. Results from the 3 data sets were similar. Increased maximum and standard deviation log SCC during lactation, rather than increased geometric mean, were the best overall indicators of clinical mastitis. Distributions of SCC were also investigated separately for different mastitis pathogens. Increased maximum log SCC was associated with clinical mastitis caused by all pathogen types. Increased standard deviation log SCC was associated with Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus uberis clinical mastitis and increased coefficient of variation log SCC (standard deviation divided by mean) was associated with Escherichia coli clinical mastitis. Increased geometric mean lactation SCC was associated with an increased risk of Staph. aureus clinical mastitis but a reduced risk of E. coli clinical mastitis. Our results suggest that using measures of variation and maximum cow SCC would enhance the accuracy of predicting clinical mastitis, compared with geometric mean SCC, and therefore improve genetic programs that aim to select for clinical mastitis resistance. The results are also consistent with low SCC increasing susceptibility to some mastitis pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 12-month prospective study of clinical mastitis was conducted in 482 British dairy herds with a bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) of less than 150,000 cells/ml. The mean proportion of cows in the herd with clinical mastitis was 23.1 per cent (range 0 to 80), with a mean of 1.50 quarter cases per cow. The mean incidence rate of clinical mastitis was 36.7 quarter cases per 100 cow years (range 0 to 208.2). Twelve per cent of the quarter cases showed systemic signs, including inappetence and severe lethargy. Over 22 per cent of quarter cases occurred in the first seven days of lactation and over 50 per cent occurred in the first 90 days of lactation. Cluster analysis indicated that the main difference between herds with a low and average incidence of mastitis was the proportion of clinical cases occurring in the first seven days of lactation, 14 per cent compared with 44 per cent, respectively. The risk of severe clinical mastitis compared with mild clinical mastitis decreased significantly as the individual cow somatic cell count (scc) in the month before clinical mastitis was diagnosed increased. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Members of the Sheep Veterinary Society and three terminal sire breed societies (A, B and C) were surveyed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of ovine caseous lymphadenitis in the UK. In total, 264 veterinary surgeons and 510 farmers responded. Eighteen per cent of the vets had seen at least one case of the disease, and 45 per cent of the farmers had seen abscesses in their sheep. Relatively few farmers had had the cause of the abscesses investigated, but 24 of the 32 flocks that had submitted samples to a laboratory had had the disease confirmed. The incidence of the disease and abscesses increased from 1990 to 1999. The disease was more likely to be investigated in certain breeds and when male sheep had abscesses. Risk factors for the disease included the presence of sheep of breed B in the flock, the presence of half-bred sheep, showing sheep, and the use of shearing contractors. Dipping sheep appeared to be protective. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The prevalence, incidence and clinical signs of listeriosis in dairy cattle in England were investigated by means of a postal questionnaire survey of 1500 dairy farmers. The response rate was 64.1 per cent. Overall the farm prevalence of listeriosis was 11.7 per cent, 9.3 per cent for milking cows, 5.0 per cent for replacement heifers and 1.4 per cent for dairy calves. The within.herd incidence rate per thousand animal.years was 51.4 for all cases, 39.7 for milking cows, 86.6 for replacement heifers and 73.7 for dairy calves. Most cases of clinical listeriosis were reported between December and May, and the most common signs were silage eye, followed by nervous signs. The results of the questionnaire were validated internally by re-estimating the farm prevalence by including only those cases diagnosed by a veterinarian or veterinary investigation centre; the prevalence did not change significantly. The proportion of cases which were culled or died of encephalitic listeriosis was compared with the proportion diagnosed during statutory BSE reporting. The fact that the two proportions were similar provided external validation for the results of the questionnaire. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Assuring the consumer on animal welfare is a key objective for many UK farm assurance schemes. This assurance is usually delivered by ensuring producers adhere to standards which define many aspects of animal husbandry. Assessors currently use welfare assessment as a tool to identify non-compliances with the minimum resources defined in the standard. However current assessments are based almost entirely on the provision of resources and management consistent with good welfare, they give little attention to the outcome, welfare state itself. We describe an approach to the development of a reliable scheme for the direct assessment of welfare state. Even if this cannot be used for routine farm visits it should be able to be used to audit the impact of existing schemes on animal welfare and develop improved protocols for future schemes. We suggest that these should give increased emphasis to the management of health and behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional study of risk factors for feather pecking in layings hens in alternative systems was carried out in July 1998. A total of 637 questionnaires were sent out to farmers and producer groups and, after two reminders, the final response rate was 51.5 per cent. The outcome variable was feather pecking after point of lay. Over 55 per cent of the farmers reported that feather pecking had occurred in the last depopulated flock. This outcome was compared with the management procedures reported by flock managers by using univariate statistics. Factors associated with feather pecking with a significance ≤0.05 were then tested in two logistic regression models. In the first model the following factors were associated with an increased risk of feather pecking: less than 50 per cent of the flock using the outdoor area on a fine and sunny day, the occurrence of egg peritonitis and the occurrence of infectious bronchitis. The direction of the association between feather pecking and these infectious diseases was unclear, so in the second model only factors which were consistent throughout the laying period were tested. The following factors were associated with an increased risk of feather pecking: less than 50 per cent of the flock using the outdoor area on a fine and sunny day; three or more changes of diet during lay; the inspection of the flock by one person; an absence of loose litter at the end of lay; a temperature in the hen house of less than 20°C; turning the lights up when the flock was inspected; and the use of bell-drinkers. It is concluded that some of these factors could inhibit foraging and dust-bathing behaviour and others may increase competition or frustration, both of these changes having been shown experimentally to initiate feather pecking behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A postal questionnaire was used to collect information on the prevalence of lice on cattle on a random sample of dairy farms in England and the bordering counties of Wales. Replies were received from 1040 (52.8 per cent) of the 1970 farms which were mailed. Fifty per cent of farmers reported having ever seen or suspected lice in their herds and 29 per cent reported possible infestations in the winter of 1996/97. Visits were made to 24 farms in the south west of England during February 1998. Twelve of the farmers said that they had seen or suspected lice in their herd since October 1997, and that lice were more frequently observed on the adult cattle. However, examination revealed lice on 18 of the 24 farms, and adult cattle were the least likely group to be infested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A total of 356 piglets from one farm were examined for foot and skin lesions every day for the first 10 days after birth, and then on altemate days until they were weaned. Over a period of 24 days 100 per cent of the after birth, and then on altemate days until they were weaned. Over a period of 24 days 100 per cent of the piglets examined developed sole bruising, and 49-1 per cent developed sole erosions. Sole bruising lasted for an average of 13 days and sole erosions for seven days. At the beginning of the study, a higher proportion of piglets had mild sole bruising; from three to nine days of age piglets had moderate sole bruising but from days 10 to 20 mild bruising was again observed more frequently. Skin lesions were observed on the carpal aspect of the front limbs; 60.9 per cent of the piglets developed skin abrasions, 70.7 per cent developed healed wounds and 90 per cent developed hairless patches. The skin abrasions lasted on average for six days, the healed wounds for five days and the hairless patches for eight days. Piglets which developed sole bruising and/or sole erosions on the first day of life were significantly heavier than those which did not. Continuous observations of the piglets' behaviour during the first six days of life showed that sole bruising increased as the total time spent in the creep area or lying near the sow on the solid floor increased. During the first three days of life skin abrasions increased as the total time spent lying in the creep area increased. There was a positive correlation between the total time piglets spent suckling and the incidence of carpal skin abrasions between four and six days of age. Piglets with sole bruising, sole erosions or carpal skin abrasions spent less time during the day in ‘other’ activities such as walking, playing or fighting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Orf is a zoonotic skin disease which is commonly self-diagnosed by those who tend sheep and goats. This paper reports the prevalence, incidence and risk factors associated with the infection in a cohort of farmworkers from three areas of England, derived from the results of self-reporting and serology. Twentythree per cent of those employed or living on a sheep farm reported ever having had orf, and the antibody serological profiles indicated a prevalence of 4 per cent and an annual incidence of 2-8 per cent. The main risk factors associated with the infection were contact with sheep, the size of the sheep flock, and contact with dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The associations between individual foot lesions and different types of floor were investigated in 4038 finishing pigs on 21 units. The overall prevalence of foot lesions was 93.8 per cent and the prevalence ranged from 79.4 per cent to 100 per cent on different units. Analysis showed that pigs kept on bedded floors, with either sparse or deep straw, had a lower prevalence of sole erosions, heel erosions and heel flaps and a higher prevalence of white line lesions, false sand cracks, wall separations and toe erosions than pigs kept on bare solid concrete floors. Partially slatted floors were associated with an increased prevalence of heel erosions, heel flaps, white line lesions, wall separations and false sand cracks, and totally slatted floors were associated with an increased prevalence of sole erosions and heel flaps. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the United Kingdom, the infection of people with , the causative agent of Q fever, is of significant public health importance and is associated with contact with dairy cattle. An ELISA was developed for the detection of IgG antibodies against in bulk tank milk, and in a survey of randomly selected samples from dairy herds in England and Wales, 21 per cent showed serological evidence of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A postal survey was conducted on 410 pig farms in south-west England to investigate the risk factors for vulva biting. The results of the bivariate analyses indicated that group housing, keeping a boar in the same pen and the number of sows per drinker were significantly associated (P≤0.05) with vulva biting in service sows. Group housing, group size, keeping a boar in the same pen, straw bedding, electronic sow feeders, feeding once daily, providing water automatically and the number of sows per drinker were significantly associated with vulva biting in dry sows. Vulva biting was also significantly associated with an increased percentage of culled sows and the occurrence of tail biting on the farm. A logistic regression analysis showed that group size and the number of sows per drinker were significant risk factors for vulva biting in service sows, and once a day feeding, group size, the number of sows per drinker and providing water automatically were significant risk factors for dry sows. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Risk factors for proliferative enteropathy were investigated by means of a postal questionnaire survey of randomly selected British pig farms. Replies were received from 319 (56 per cent) of the 569 questionnaires posted, representing 1.5 per cent of the total number of pig farms in Britain. Thirty-one per cent of the farms had experienced at least one episode of proliferative enteropathy within the previous three years, usually confirmed by their veterinary surgeon. There was a strong association for the occurrence of proliferative enteropathy in herds of over 500 sows (P<0.005) and in herds with enzootic pneumonia (P<0.01). Outbreaks had occurred in five of the six nucleus herds surveyed, the other had only 80 sows. Outbreaks occurred in 32 of 69 herds that had obtained their replacement boars from nucleus herds (P<0.05), suggesting that infected boars may carry the disease into distant herds. The use of either fully slatted (P<0.05) or fully meshed floors (P<0.01) above sunken pits in buildings used to house pigs immediately after weaning, and the use of partially (P<0.05) or fully slatted floors (P<0.05) in buildings used to house pigs two to six months old, were risk factors for outbreaks of proliferative enteropathy, compared with the use of straw bedding or solid floors. The destocking of entire buildings containing pigs two to four months old before the introduction of fresh pigs, was associated with a reduced risk (P<0.05), but the destocking of selected pens rather than the whole building had no such association. The type of diet, or feeding or watering system and the types of buildings used were not identified as risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The prevalence, severity and distribution of adventitious bursitis were estimated in 3989 finishing pigs from 21 units in south-west England. The overall prevalence of adventitious bursitis was 51.0 per cent and ranged from 10.1 to 84.0 per cent in the different units. Bursae were found on four different aspects of the hock: lateroplantar, plantar, medial and point of the hock (capped hock). The median severity of the bursae at all the different sites was mild (score 1). There was a large variation in the prevalence of different bursal lesions. Lateroplantar bursae (41.8 per cent) were the most prevalent followed by plantar (12.0 per cent), medial (4.8 per cent) and capped hock (3.7 per cent). There was a significant trend in the prevalence of bursitis with floor type; pigs kept on solid concrete floors with deep straw (>10 cm) had the lowest risk of having bursitis, and the prevalence increased successively when the floors were solid concrete with sparse straw (<10 cm), semi-slatted and fully slatted. There was a significant association between the presence of bursitis and foot lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The prevalence and severity of adventitious bursitis and its association with age at slaughter and carcase quality were evaluated in a cohort of 1011 pigs reared in a straw.based system. The prevalence of bursitis was 85.4 per cent (574/672). Pigs with bursitis had a significantly greater depth of fat over the ribs (P=0.01) and at P2 (P=0.02). There was evidence (P=0.06) of an association between bursitis and a reduction in the depth of the rib muscle. There was also a significant reduction in the lean meat content of the carcases of the pigs with bursitis (P<0.01). There was no association with age at slaughter, sex or carcase weight. When the significant associations were considered in a forward stepwise unconditional logistic regression model, with the presence of bursitis as the dependent variable, the only significant variable was depth of rib fat with an odds ratio of 1.12 (95 per cent confidence interval 1.02 to 1.22). The economic impact of adventitious bursitis on carcase quality was estimated to be equivalent to a loss of 0.5 kg per affected pig. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the first population-based study of lameness and foot lesions in adult goats in the UK, a random sample of 307 adult goats from four large commercial dairy farms was examined. The overall proportion of lame goats was 91 per cent (2.6 to 24-4 per cent). The abnormalities detected were horn separation (29.6 per cent), white line lesions (13.0 per cent) slippering (10.1 per cent), abscess of the sole (4.2 per cent), foreign body, and granulomatous lesions (1.0 per cent). Between 83-1 and 95.5 per cent of the goats had overgrown horn on at least one foot. The number of feet of individual goats with horn separation followed a Poisson distribution suggesting that it was associated with environmental rather than genetic or nutritional factors. Horn separation, abscess of the sole and footrot were significantly associated with lameness, but white line lesions, slippering and granulomatous lesions were not. There were differences between the farms in the prevalence of lameness and foot lesions. Routine foot trimming was associated with a lower prevalence of lameness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper gives the first estimate of the prevalence and distribution of foot lesions in finishing pigs in the south-west of England for 33 years. It was based on the examination of 4038 finishing pigs from 21 units. There were 3727 out of 3974 (93.8 per cent) pigs with at least one foot lesion. The prevalence of different lesions was: toe erosion (33.0 per cent), sole erosion (62.1 per cent), heel erosion (13.0 per cent), heel flaps (14.4 per cent), white line lesions (55.4 per cent), false sand cracks (23.9 per cent) and wall separation (11.5 per cent). The hind feet were more commonly affected than the front feet, and on each foot the lateral digits were significantly more frequently affected than the medial digits. Sole erosions, heel flaps, wall separation and false sand cracks were more frequently observed on the lateral than the medial digit. Digits with sole erosions were significantly more likely to have heel flaps, white line lesions or false sand cracks than those without sole erosions. Furthermore, there was a within digit association between overgrown hooves and toe erosion. The effects of weightbearing, gait and environment on the development of foot lesions is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A study of the effects of iron dextran supplementation on anaemia in indoor lambs was carried out on one commercial flock of 525 lambs from January to June 1993. The lambs were randomly allocated into two groups, one of which was given a parenteral injection of 300 mg iron dextran and the other was left untreated. Blood was collected from 22 12-dayold lambs and 106 24-day-old lambs, in each case half treated and half untreated. The supplemented lambs had significantly improved haematological values than the unsupplemented lambs. There were also significant differences i'n the total serum iron concentration, the unsaturated iron binding capacity and the percentage serum saturation with iron between the treated and untreated lambs. At 12 days, the untreated lambs had a total serum iron below the accepted normal range for sheep whereas the treated lambs had values within the normal range. At weaning, lambs injected with iron dextran were significantly heavier (1.0 kg) than those not injected. The daily liveweight gain to slaughter was greater and the proportion of deaths was lower in the treated lambs but these differences were not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

During a three-year study, 54 cows with toxic mastitis were allocated randomly to one of three treatment groups (A, B and C). Each cow was re-examined within 24 hours of the initial examination, and, during this time, group A received fluid therapy (45 litres of intravenous isotonic electrolyte solution) and flunixin meglumine (2000 mg), group B received fluid therapy only, and group C received flunixin meglumine only. In addition all the cases were treated with parenteral and intramammary tetracyclines, oxytocin and calcium boroglucoanate. There was no significant difference in the rate of survival between the treatment groups and 29 of the cows (53.7 per cent, 95 per cent confidence interval of 39 to 67 per cent) survived. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary A greater knowledge of the effect of management factors is required to investigate the ontogeny of abnormal behaviour in the stabled horse. A postal survey of racehorse (flat) trainers yielded information about 22 yard and management factors. The relationship of the factors to the prevalence of abnormal behaviour was analysed by logistic regression. Management factors related to the time spent in the stable showed the strongest associations with stereotypic behaviour. The risk of horses performing abnormal behaviour increased: 1) as the amount of forage fell below 6.8 kg/day, 2) when bedding types other than straw were used, 3) when the total number of horses on the yard was fewer than 75, 4) in association with box designs that minimised contact between neighbouring horses, 5) when hay, rather than other types of forage, was used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]