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The behavioral response to the selected micro environment is one of the important tools for scientific assessment of welfare of the dairy animals. The study was conducted in 5 number of soil bedded sheds and 5 number of concrete bedded sheds in Kamrup (Metro) District of Assam to assess the behavioral responses of the cross bred dairy cattle in small holders’ production system. From each shed 5 number of dairy cows were selected preferably of 1-2 months of lactation stage. The selected animals were observed for three occasions at 30 days interval for 3 hours daily on 12 hours basis. The time spent (Mean±SE) for rumination, resting and sleeping were recorded as 184.60±1.54, 262.70±0.87 and 53.78±1.38 minutes and 190.40±1.50, 265.60±0.72 and 49.40±1.26 respectively. There was a highly significant difference between both the types of floor (P≤ 0.01) for rumination and resting time. The overall prevalence of post parturition problems were higher (40%) in soil bedded floor than that of concrete bedded floor (20%). The animal welfare issues were compromised on the soil bedded floor type in comparison to concrete bedded floor type of shed.

A study was carried out to assess the On-Farm welfare of dairy cattle in small holders’ production system in Assam. The study was conducted in 5 nos. of soil bedded sheds and 5 nos. of concrete bedded sheds

Due to welfare concerns and legal restrictions in certain countries, alternatives to wire net floors must be developed in rabbit husbandries. Also, there is a difference in regulations in Europe for laboratory rabbits vs. rabbits bred and kept for meat production. While there are regulations concerning floor design of enclosures for rabbits bred for meat production in many European countries, the European Directive 2010/63 lacks regulations for rabbits used for scientific purposes. This study compares two floors, which meet the Austrian legal requirements for growing rabbits intended for consumption as well as the requirements for laboratory rabbits. The dual use of rabbits bred for meat production and applicable for scientific purposes would avoid the problem of surplus animals of specialized producers for laboratory rabbits. A noryl floor with 12 mm circular holes was compared to a 10 mm slatted plastic floor. Parameters were soiling of cages and animals, parasitic burden, clinical health, and losses using objective scoring. Soiling of cages and animals and coccidial oocytes were significantly higher on the floors with circular holes. Obvious signs of disease showed a non-significant trend to be more frequent in the group with circular holes. This was linked with significantly higher losses. In conclusion, our study clearly shows that the floor with circular hole design cannot be endorsed, although it meets legal requirements. The slatted floor type can be cautiously recommended; however, to assure animal welfare in laboratory rabbits, legal authorities in Europe should take on the responsibility of regulating floor design in this sector.

The objective of this paper is to review causes of lameness lesions, lameness detection methods, factors affecting lameness, the association between lameness and other economically important swine production traits, and treatment for lameness in swine breeding herds. Lameness in sows is an important welfare and economic challenge to pig producers. It has been reported to be the second most common reason for the involuntary culling of sows which directly impacts sow longevity/sow productive lifetime. Factors affecting the prevalence and severity of gilt and sow lameness breeding herd are housing type, flooring type, toes/dewclaws management, the genetic effect for feet and leg conformation, and nutrition especially mineral supplements. Sow preference and behavioural response to flooring type may be likewise be affected by lameness onset, duration, severity and location. To avoid unnecessary distress and associated financial losses, early treatment of lameness observed among the females in the gilt development unit and in the breeding herd is necessary. The key factors listed previously are the foundation of a proper prevalence strategy. However, this review shows that additional research is still needed, especially studies to accurately evaluate lameness lesions, examine nutrient requirements for optimum foot health, investigate genetic effects on feet and leg conformation, clearly define the supplemental vitamin or/and mineral levels and duration for usage. All of these factors may influence breeding herd lameness and may contribute to more consistent and comparable results from sow herd.

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW)., The AGRI committee of the European Parliament requested EFSA to assess the welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems, including organic production, and to update its 2005 scientific opinion about the health and welfare of rabbits kept for meat production. Considering reproducing does, kits and growing rabbits, this scientific opinion focusses on six different housing systems, namely conventional cages, structurally enriched cages, elevated pens, floor pens, outdoor/partially outdoor systems and organic systems. To compare the level of welfare in the different housing systems and rabbit categories, welfare impact scores for 20 welfare consequences identified from the literature were calculated, taking their occurrence, duration and severity into account. Based on the overall welfare impact score (sum of scores for the single welfare consequences), obtained via a 2‐step expert knowledge elicitation process, the welfare of reproducing does is likely (certainty 66–90%) to be lower in conventional cages compared to the five other housing systems. In addition, it is likely to extremely likely (certainty 66–99%) that the welfare of kits is lower in outdoor systems compared to the other systems and that the welfare is higher in elevated pens than in the other systems. Finally, it is likely to extremely likely (certainty 66–99%) that the welfare of growing rabbits is lower in conventional cages compared to the other systems and that the welfare is higher in elevated pens than in the other systems. Ranking of the welfare consequences allowed an analysis of the main welfare consequences within each system and rabbit category. It was concluded that for reproducing does, as well as growing rabbits, welfare consequences related to behavioural restrictions were more prominent in conventional cages, elevated pens and enriched cages, whereas those related to health problems were more important in floor pens, outdoor and organic systems. Housing in organic rabbit farming is diverse, which can result in different welfare consequences, but the overall welfare impact scores suggest that welfare in organic systems is generally good.

Accommodating cattle indoors during the winter is widely practiced throughout Europe. There is currently no legislation surrounding the space allowance and floor type that should be provided to cattle during this time, however, concerns have been raised regarding the type of housing systems currently in use. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of space allowance and floor type on performance and welfare of finishing beef heifers. Continental crossbred heifers (n=240: mean initial live; weight, 504 (SD 35.8) kg) were blocked by breed, weight and age and randomly assigned to one of four treatments; (i) 3.0 m2, (ii) 4.5 m2 and (iii) 6.0 m2 space allowance per animal on a fully slatted concrete floor and (iv) 6.0 m2 space allowance per animal on a straw-bedded floor, for 105 days. Heifers were offered a total mixed ration ad libitum. Dry matter intake was recorded on a pen basis and refusals were weighed back twice weekly. Heifers were weighed, dirt scored and blood sampled every 3 weeks. Whole blood was analysed for complete cell counts and serum samples were assayed for metabolite concentrations. Behaviour was recorded continuously using IR cameras from days 70 to 87. Heifers' hooves were inspected for lesions at the start of the study and again after slaughter. Post-slaughter, carcass weight, conformation and fat scores and hide weight were recorded. Heifers housed at 4.5 m2 had a greater average daily live weight gain (ADG) than those on both of the other concrete slat treatments; however, space allowance had no effect on carcass weight. Heifers accommodated on straw had a greater ADG (0.15 kg) (P

This study aimed to establish associations between the environment and animal-based measures of welfare collected on 158 Finnish farms according to the Welfare Quality® systems for pigs. The data consisted of 95 welfare assessments in fattening pigs and 103 in sows, including suckling piglets. Principal Component Analysis had previously been applied to animal-based welfare measures (ABWM) and to the 20 descriptors of QBA to identify distinct types of welfare problems (WPT) and mood (MT), respectively. Generalised linear modeling was used to investigate environmental (space allowance, group size, feeding arrangement, floor type and use of enrichment or bedding) effects on WPT and MT scores. Those ABWMs not contributing to the major WPTs, but occurring on more than 40% of the farms, were considered important and used as outcome variables as well. The most important environmental determinants of pig welfare were space allowance for fattening pigs, group size in gestation and in the use of bedding for both fattening pigs and gestating sows. Bedding decreased tail biting and signs of fighting when used as a fairly thick layer for fattening pigs. In sows, the benefits of bedding, including less frustration and bursitis, required a smaller amount of material than in fattening pigs. An increasing space allowance was advantageous for fattening pigs, although signs of fighting increased in very spacious bedded pens. The positive effects of space, including a decrease of tail lesions and a more positive mood continued at least up to 1.5 m2 per fattening pig. Signs of resource shortage in sows increased with a growing group size according to a steepening curve.

The most common housing system for reproduction rabbits, individual cage housing on a wire floor, is increasingly scrutinized because of its potential detrimental impact on animal welfare. We compared three types of housing: (1) individual cage housing on a wire floor (3952 cm2/doe, maximum roof height 63 cm, one 1000 cm2 plastic footrest/doe), (2) semi-group housing on a wire floor (5000 cm2/doe, roofless, one 1000 cm2 plastic footrest/doe) and (3) the same semi-group housing, but with a fully plastic slatted floor. In all housing systems, does had free access to an elevated platform. In the semi-group housing pens, four does were housed communally during 21 days of the reproduction cycle (to allow more space for locomotion and to increase opportunities for social contact), and individually during the other 21 days of the cycle (to minimize doe–doe and doe–kit aggression that peaks around kindling). In all, 24 Hycole does were included per system. The does entered the experiment at 203 days of age (after their first parity). The experiment consisted of four reproductive cycles, ending at 369 days of age. Pododermatitis was scored in cycles 1, 2 and 4. At the end of the 4th cycle the does were euthanized and X-rays were taken to assess spinal deformation. Tibia and femur length, width and cortical thickness were determined and bone strength was assessed using a shear test, as a measure of bone quality. Although severe pododermatitis was absent, the prevalence of plantar hyperkeratosis (hair loss and callus formation) at the end of the 4th cycle was much greater on the wire floor (65% and 68% for semi-group housing and individual cages, respectively) than on the plastic floor (5%, P0.10), but in line with our expectations bone quality was affected favourably by semi-group housing. The tibial cortex (and to a lesser extent the femoral cortex) was thicker in semi-group housing than in individual cages (1.45, 1.46 and 1.38 mm for semi-group housing on wire, semi-group housing on plastic and individual housing on wire, respectively, P=0.045). What this increase in cortical thickness means in terms of doe welfare requires further study, as it may reflect an increase in activity resulting either from increased space for locomotion, or from fleeing aggressive pen mates.

This study investigates whether foot problems in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) can be linked to: i) enclosure floor type; and ii) the occurrence of repetitive behaviour. Using a questionnaire, we collected information about floor type(s) in the enclosure, occurrence of repetitive behaviour and occurrence of foot problems for 87 Asian elephants (≥ 12 years) in 32 European zoos. The majority of elephants were housed on sand or concrete. A substantial proportion of the study population displayed repetitive behaviour. Respondents observed foot problems in 59 elephants, of which 53 displayed repetitive behaviour. Data analysis showed that elephants with access to sand flooring had a significantly greater chance of displaying stereotypic behaviour. Displaying this behaviour was also age-dependent with older elephants being more likely to do so. Furthermore, elephants that displayed stereotypic behaviour or that were being kept in an environment with sand or concrete flooring were more likely to have foot problems than others. Further research is required to determine whether the relationships between substrate, stereotypic behaviour and foot problems are of a causal nature.

Feather pecking is one of the most obvious welfare problems in laying hens. It is seen in all types of housing systems. Although banned in some countries, beak trimming is generally used to reduce the damage caused by this behaviour. In organic farming, where beak trimming is prohibited, the animals are being kept in a less intensive way than in conventional farming in order to improve their welfare. However, feather pecking is also seen in organic laying hens. Generally, rearing circumstances play an important role in the development of this behaviour. Therefore, rearing flocks were monitored for feather pecking and the relations between rearing factors and feather pecking at a young and at an adult age were analysed. Also the correlation between feather pecking during the rearing period and feather pecking during adult life was studied. Twenty-eight commercial flocks of rearing hens were monitored. These flocks split into 51 flocks of laying hens. Flocks were scored for signs of feather damage during rearing at the ages of 7, 12, and 16 weeks and on the laying farms at 30 weeks. On the rearing as well as the laying farm, data were collected on the housing system. Logistic regression was used to analyse our data. Feather damage was seen in 13 out of 24 (54%) of rearing flocks. Logistic regression showed that a higher number of pullets being kept per square meter in the first 4 weeks of life were associated with feather damage during the rearing period (Chi square = 8.49, df = 1, p = 0.004). Moreover, the combination of not having litter at the age of 1–4 weeks and the absence of daylight at the age of 7–17 weeks was a significant predictor of feather damage during the laying period (Chi square = 13.89, df = 4, p = 0.008). In 71% of the cases that pullets did not show feather pecking damage during rearing, they did not show feather pecking damage in the laying period either. When flocks of pullets did show feather damage, in 90% of the cases they did so during adult life. These results lead to suggestions on how to improve the rearing conditions of laying hens and increase their welfare not only during rearing but also during later life. Although the observations were done on organic farms, the results can be applied for other non-cage systems too.

A cross-sectional study of 93 farms in England was carried out to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors for bursitis. A total of 6250 pigs aged 6-22 weeks were examined for presence and severity of bursitis. Details of pen construction, pen quality and farm management were recorded including floor type, presence of bedding, condition of the floor and floor materials. The prevalence of bursitis was 41.2% and increased with each week of age (OR 1.1). Two-level logistic regression models were developed with the outcome as the proportion of pigs affected with bursitis in a pen. Pigs kept on soil floors with straw bedding were used as the reference level. In comparison with these soil floors, bursitis increased on concrete floors where the bedding was deep throughout (OR 4.6), deep in part (OR 3.7), and sparse throughout (OR 9.0), part slatted floors (OR 8.0), and fully slatted floors (OR 18.8). Slip or skid marks in the dunging area (OR 1.5), pigs observed slipping during the examination of the pen (OR 1.3) and wet floors (OR 3.6) were also associated with an increased risk of bursitis. The results indicate that bursitis is a common condition of growing pigs and that the associated risk factors for bursitis were a lack of bedding in the lying area, presence of voids and pen conditions which increased the likelihood of injury.

The use of indoor confinement concrete slatted floor feeding facilities has grown in the US to comply with increasing environmental regulations and decreasing land availability. Rubber mats manufactured to be installed on top of concrete slats are being promoted to increase comfort and improve welfare and performance. There are limited published data on the association of rubber mats with bovine health and performance in a North American production setting. The objective of this project was to evaluate potential health differences associated with various types of slatted flooring in confined beef operations during the finishing phase of production., American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference, 2015

In order to reduce ammonia emissions from pig housing systems, the Council of Europe proposes the use of part slatted flooring in preference to fully slatted flooring, but the effects of such changes on the health and welfare of pigs in the UK has not been defined. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of different floor types on the emission of ammonia, behaviour and welfare, physical performance and respiratory and enteric health of growing/finishing pigs. This involved three replications of five treatments: 1) UK fully-slatted, 2) UK fully–slatted with rubber matting over 50% of the slats, 3) UK fully–slatted with “structural” modifications which involved “paving” over 50% of the floor and partitioning off the slurry channel beneath the solid floor, 4) UK part–slatted, and 5) novel Dutch partslatted with UK pig stocking density. Groups of 10 pigs (balanced for gender) weighing approximately 40kg were on–test for 10 weeks.

At 34 days of age, 376 crossbred rabbits of both sexes were housed in 16 open-top collective pens (1.68 m2) according to a 2×2×2 factorial arrangement with two types of pen floor (plastic v. wooden slatted), two stocking densities (12 v. 16 animals/m2) and two slaughter ages (76 v. 83 days). The rabbits were examined for growth performance, slaughter results and meat quality. The effect of gender was also examined. The percentage of rabbits with wounds due to aggression varied with stocking density (8.2% v. 26.2% for 12 v. 16 animals/m2; P⩽0.001), slaughter age (15.0% v. 22.0% at 76 v. 83 days; P⩽0.10) and gender (11.3% v. 25.8% for females v. males; P⩽0.001). Rearing rabbits on a plastic rather than a wooden slatted floor promoted slaughter weight (2795 v. 2567 g; P⩽0.001), dressing percentage (61.4% v. 60.9%; P⩽0.01), dissectible fat (2.4% v. 2.0%; P⩽0.01) and hind leg muscle-to-bone ratio (5.81 v. 5.35; P⩽0.001). Increased stocking density impaired daily growth (38.5 v. 35.9 g/day; P⩽0.05) and feed intake (140 v. 134 g/day; P⩽0.01) during the second period (55 days to slaughter) and decreased slaughter weight (2725 v. 2637 g; P⩽0.01). At the older slaughter age, the feed conversion ratio was impaired (2.98 v. 3.18; P⩽0.001); the slaughter weight (2574 g v. 2788 g; P⩽0.001), dissectible fat (2.0% v. 2.4%; P⩽0.01) and hind leg muscle-to-bone ratio (5.41 v. 5.75; P⩽0.01) increased; meat thawing losses, cooking losses and shear force decreased (P⩽0.05). The main differences between the females and males were found in the slaughter for transport losses (2.6% v. 2.2%; P⩽0.01) and longissimus lumborum proportions (13.0% v. 12.4%; P⩽0.01). In conclusion, the growth performance of pen-housed rabbits was largely determined by the type of floor and less affected by stocking density. The meat quality depended on ontogenetic factors, such as slaughter age and gender, and not on housing conditions. The differences in the percentages of wounded animals owing to experimental factors deserve further investigation from the perspective of animal welfare issues.

In dit document vindt u informatie over de doorlatende en de hellende vloeren. Van de doorlatende vloer zijn er twee types, de Weidevloer en de High Welfare Vloer, te onderscheiden. Van de hellende vloer wordt een type, de matrassenstal, beschreven. Ook vindt u informatie over het beoogde doel van de kunststofvloer, de mestafvoer, de vereiste bovenbouw en tot slot welke factoren leiden tot een succes van de kunststofvloer in de vrijloopstal.

In dit document vindt u informatie over de doorlatende en de hellende vloeren. Van de doorlatende vloer zijn er twee types, de Weidevloer en de High Welfare Vloer, te onderscheiden. Van de hellende vloer wordt een type, de matrassenstal, beschreven. Ook vindt u informatie over het beoogde doel van de kunststofvloer, de mestafvoer, de vereiste bovenbouw en tot slot welke factoren leiden tot een succes van de kunststofvloer in de vrijloopstal.

The study compared behaviour and clinical parameters of beef cattle housed on two different types of floor (fully slatted vs. deep litter) considering animals belonging to 2 live weight classes (less vs. more than 350 kg). The assessment of behavioural and clinical parameters was carried out in 20 intensive farms, all rearing imported bulls. Floor type had no effect on cattle behaviour except for the duration of the lying down sequence, which lasted more for bulls kept on slats. Slatted floor increased also the likelihood of occurrence of hair and skin lesions and lameness. On the other hand, bulls cleanliness was more likely to be impaired on bedded floor. Regarding the class of live weight, behavioural observation showed lighter animals performing more antagonistic interactions, while horning resulted more frequent in heavier bulls. Avoidance distance test indicated that bulls >350 kg were more fearful of humans. About health status, light animals were more affected by respiratory disease and hairless patches, likely because they are more sensitive to the stressful situations imposed by their transfer and adaptation to the new housing environment of the fattening unit. The risk of skin lesions and dirtiness increased instead in heavier bulls.

The objective of this review is to give an overview of the effect of floor types on claw health in group housed sows. The risk on lameness caused by the pen floor is increasing with group housing becoming more important. Lameness is a major welfare and production problem and often related to claw lesions. A good-quality floor to ensure healthy claws is characterized by a surface with friction (non-slip), abrasion, soft and dry properties and rounded edges. During pregnancy, aggressive interactions should be minimized because the walking and activity characteristics are more important than in individual farrowing pens. During lactation, claws can recover from lesions in pregnancy and should heal before the start of a new reproductive cycle. Plastic-coated non-slippery floors are preferred during lactation. A rubber top layer is beneficial for pregnant sow claw health in the lying area and in part of the activity (slatted) area too. A combination of a good-quality floor and management measures minimizing aggressive interactions is a good basis for healthy claws in group housed sows.

Using a factorial design: two full floor types, concrete vs. concrete waterproofed with resin (resin floor) and two slat types, concrete vs. metal, were used to house 72 pigs in four rooms (18 pigs room-1). During the experimental period which lasted from 22.9 kg to 112.7 kg live weight the four groups of pigs received the same feed. Growth, water consumption and health status of the pigs as well as subjective odour level inside the rooms were studied. The resin floor with metal slats tended (P < 0.1) to improve feed conversion efficiency and positively affected (P < 0.03) pig health. In the room with the resin floor and metal slats odour level was significantly lower than in the other three rooms. The potential predictive function for the relationship between average daily water consumption (WC, in L) and feed average daily intake (FADI, in kg) is WC = 2.692 x FADI1.265. Odour level increased with pig live weight. The use of resin as an impermeable floor material is promising for housing growing, finishing pigs. - Bajo un tratamiento factorial: dos tipos de suelo, hormigón vs hormigón impermeabilizado con resina (suelo de resina) y dos tipos de rejilla, hormigón vs metálica, 72 cerdos fueron alojados en cuatro salas (18 cerdos por sala). Durante el periodo experimental, comprendido entre 22,9 y 112,7 kg de peso vivo los cuatro grupos de cerdos recibieron el mismo tipo de pienso. Se estudió el crecimiento, el consumo de agua y el estado sanitario de los cerdos, así como el nivel subjetivo de olor en el interior de las salas. El suelo de resina y la rejilla metálica tendieron (P < 0,1) a mejorar el índice de transformación del alimento y afectaron positivamente, a un nivel significativo (P < 0,03), al estado sanitario de los cerdos. En la sala de suelo de resina y rejilla metálica el nivel de olor fue significativamente más bajo que en las restantes. La relación entre el consumo de agua y de pienso se ajustó a una función potencial. El nivel de olor aumentó con el peso vivo de los cerdos. La utilización de resina como material impermeabilizante del suelo es prometedora para los alojamientos de cerdos de cebo.

Het lagekostenbedrijf is bezig met een omschakeling. De eerste fase (1997-2002) is afgerond en vanaf dit jaar gaat een nieuwe fase van start. Naast een aantal kleine wijzigingen springen een nieuwe veestapel (waarvan de helft Montbeliarde), een nieuwejongveehuisvesting en een nieuwe vloer het meest in het oog. Op deze laatste aanpassing en de gevolgen daarvan voor de mestopslag wordt hieronder verder ingegaan.

Primaire mestscheiding lijkt slechts mogelijk perspectief te bieden voor intensieve bedrijven, die mest moeten afvoeren om heffingen te voorkomen. In andere gevallen niet.

Primaire mestscheiding lijkt slechts mogelijk perspectief te bieden voor intensieve bedrijven, die mest moeten afvoeren om heffingen te voorkomen. In andere gevallen niet.

Het Varkensbesluit 98 geeft aan dat de overheid overweegt een aandeel van 60% dichte vloer verplicht te stellen voor vleesvarkens. Het onderzoek dat moet uitwijzen wat hiervan de consequenties zijn is eind 2001 afgerond.

An extensive list of physiological parameters from previous experiments was re-analysed in order to evaluate the effects of enrichment, cage type and group size on the within-group variation and hence on the number of animals needed in studies using Wistar rats. The independent factors studied in these experiments included the provision of aspen gnawing blocks for enrichment, solid bottom cages (SBCs) and grid floor cages (GFCs) and animal number per cage (varied from 1-4). SOLO power analysis was used to calculate the smallest number of animals ( n) needed to detect an arbitrarily chosen 20% effect size, when significance was set at P = 0.05 and statistical power at 0.90. N ratios ( nlarger/ nsmaller) were calculated for the effect of enrichment, cage type and group size to compare the 'treatment group' with the 'control group'. The n values of adrenal gland, interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) and epididymal adipose tissue (EAT) weights seemed to vary most, whereas final body weight (FBW) and growth seemed to be the least variable ones. According to one-sample t-test, the N ratios of most physiological parameters differed significantly from zero (except the ones of FBW) indicating that n values in 'treatment' and 'control' groups were unequal. The results indicate that some of the physiological parameters are susceptible to variability attributable to environmental modifications in general whereas some are not. Furthermore, they suggest that the variation of different parameters may vary from one experiment to another and between different environments thus hindering the estimations of appropriate number of animals.

Het lagekostenbedrijf is bezig met een omschakeling. De eerste fase (1997-2002) is afgerond en vanaf dit jaar gaat een nieuwe fase van start. Naast een aantal kleine wijzigingen springen een nieuwe veestapel (waarvan de helft Montbeliarde), een nieuwejongveehuisvesting en een nieuwe vloer het meest in het oog. Op deze laatste aanpassing en de gevolgen daarvan voor de mestopslag wordt hieronder verder ingegaan.

Het Varkensbesluit 98 geeft aan dat de overheid overweegt een aandeel van 60% dichte vloer verplicht te stellen voor vleesvarkens. Het onderzoek dat moet uitwijzen wat hiervan de consequenties zijn is eind 2001 afgerond.

Background The quality of the floor is essential to the welfare of piglets as abrasions often are recorded in newborn piglets, and such lesions may lead to lameness. Apart from animal suffering, lameness contributes to losses in form of dead piglets, decreased growth, and increased use of antibiotics and manual labour. Methods In a herd with three different farrowing systems, 37 litters (390 piglets) were studied until the age of 3 weeks with respect to presence of skin wounds and abrasions. Lameness was registered until the age of 7 weeks. Eight lame piglets were sacrificed before medical treatment and subjected to necropsy including histopathological and microbiological examinations. Isolates of streptococci, staphylococci and E. coli were tested with respect to antimicrobial resistance. Mastitis was observed in ten sows. Results The most severe abrasions at carpus and soles were seen in the system with a new solid concrete floor with a slatted floor over the dunging area. The lowest magnitude was observed in the deep litter system with peat. Sole bruising was more common in the systems with concrete floor compared to the deep litter system with peat, and the differce in prevalence was significant at all examination days. The lesions decreased with time and about 75% of the treatments for lameness were performed during the first three weeks of life. The overall prevalence of lameness was highest in the system with new solid concrete floor with a slatted floor over the dunging area (9.4%) followed by the old solid concrete floor (7.5%). A lower (p < 0.05) prevalence was seen in the deep litters system with peat (3.3%). No significant relationship between mastitis and abrasions or lameness in the offspring was observed. Conclusion There were large differences in the prevalence of abrasions and lameness between the floor types. The deep litter system with peat provided a soft and good floor for piglets. The overall prevalence of lameness was only diagnosed in every fourth litter in that system compared to in every second litter in the systems with concrete floor. In contrast, the incidence of mastitis in the sows during the first week after farrowing was higher than in the systems with concrete floor.

An experiment was carried out with seven groups of four pullet chicks of a brown medium-heavy laying strain. When the birds were 6 weeks old, they were observed on five consecutive days. After the first day, which was the control day, the half-litter, half-slatted floor was changed into a fully slatted floor. Ground pecking and scratching decreased while scratching during feeding and feather pecking showed a significantly higher level on Day 5. The results fit earlier conclusions that feather pecking is to be considered as redirected ground pecking. Specific characteristics of a slatted floor appeared to contribute to this redirection process. In order to prevent feather pecking, it is important to provide poultry with floors which are highly appreciated as incentives for ground pecking.

SUMMARY Preference tests are an important tool in animal welfare in that they enable various aspects of the environment in which the animal is kept to be assessed from the animal’s point of view. Hens were found to prefer a larger over a smaller cage, and a cage with a grass floor over one with a wire floor. When cage size and floor type were opposed, hens chose to enter a small cage with a grass floor rather than a larger one with a wire floor. These results applied to both battery-kept hens and those which had been living outside in a hen-run.