Browsing by Subject "Verhalten"

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Asymmetric obligations
(2011) Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah; Riedel, Nadine
We use a laboratory experiment to investigate the behavioral effects of obligations that are not backed by binding deterrent incentives. To implement such expressive law' we introduce different levels of very weakly incentivized, symmetric and asymmetric minimum contribution levels (obligations) in a repeated public goods experiment. The results provide evidence for a weak expressive function of law: while the initial impact of high obligations on behavior is strong, it decreases over time. Asymmetric obligations are as effective as symmetric ones. Our results are compatible with the argument that expressive law affects behavior by attaching an emotional cost of disobeying the own obligation.
Communicating climate change : how proximising climate change and global identity predict engagement
(2018) Loy, Laura Sophia; Trepte, Sabine
The majority of scientists express an urgent need to limit climate change in order to ensure sustainable development, but our societies are not reacting decisively enough to achieve this goal. My research aims to understand how news about climate change can be communicated to convey scientific knowledge and support climate protection. Proximising climate change by focussing on local instead of global or remote consequences has been recommended as a promising communication strategy. The reasoning is that many people seem to perceive climate change as a phenomenon that affects mainly other people in far-off places (i.e., psychological socio-spatial distance). Proximising might bring climate change closer. However, the recommendation still lacked convincing empirical evidence. Thus, my research investigated the communication of proximity vs. distance in news coverage. Specifically, I examined the process assumed to be behind proximising effects, namely a reduction of the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change, which might increase issue relevance and in turn promote climate protective behaviour and climate change knowledge. In Study 1 (N = 498), people were asked to what extent the news communicated climate change as something affecting mainly other people in distant locations. The more they perceived news communication as socio-spatially distant, the higher their psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change and the lower relevance they attributed to the issue. Perceived communicated socio-spatial distance was indirectly and negatively related with climate protective behavioural knowledge through higher psychological socio-spatial distance. Study 2 (N = 99) found no evidence that communicating socio-spatial proximity vs. distance of climate change in a news text influences psychological socio-spatial distance, relevance attributed to the news text, climate protective behaviour, and climate change knowledge. However, the test power was not sufficient to detect small effect sizes. In Study 3 (N = 508), proximising climate change in a news text decreased the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change and indirectly and positively predicted climate protective behaviour as well as climate change knowledge through lower psychological socio-spatial distance and higher relevance attribution. While the indirect relations were small, stronger relations might arise if people repeatedly receive local information. I thus suggest that it is worthwhile to complement news about global climate change with reports about regional impacts. As a second objective, I aimed to illuminate whether the concept of a global identity helps to explain why proximising might not always be necessary or useful. I assumed that the more people identify with people all over the world, the more relevant they evaluate climate change to be and the more they are motivated to take climate protective action and acquire climate change knowledge. Moreover, I supposed that people with a strong global identity might evaluate climate change as relevant regardless of whether they perceive that the consequences mainly affect other people in distant places. In other words, a global identity might bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change. In Study 1, global identity positively predicted the relevance attributed to climate change and climate protective behaviour, as well as climate change knowledge indirectly through relevance attribution. In Study 2, the global identity dimension of self-investment positively predicted climate protective behaviour. However, global identity did not bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change in either study. I further reasoned that the negative relation between psychological socio-spatial distance and relevance attribution might be weaker if global identity is made salient. In other words, a salient global identity might bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change. In Study 3, before reading the news text, participants watched either a control video or a video showing a man dancing with people all over the world, which communicated a feeling of connectedness. While participants who received the control video evaluated the news text as less relevant as their psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change increased, there was no such relation among participants who received the connectedness video. Moreover, communicated proximity vs. distance in the news text did not indirectly predict climate protective behaviour and climate change knowledge in the latter group. This suggests that communicating connectedness might be a way to bridge the distance of climate change communication and render issues that are perceived as affecting mainly other people in far-off locations more relevant to recipients.
Environmental enrichment in intensive production systems for farm animals
(2010) Jordan, Dušanka; Bessei, Werner
Barren and space restricted environment of intensive production systems thwarts the expression of numerous behavioural patterns due to inadequate stimulation. Consequently, animals may develop various abnormal and damaging behaviours or may be in general less active, which contributes to the expression of leg disorders, especially in fast growing animals. These problems may be alleviated with appropriate environmental enrichment, therefore the objective of the thesis was to elucidate the appropriateness of selected environmental enrichments in fattening pigs, growing rabbits, laying hens and fast growing broilers. For this purpose, four studies were conducted. In the first study we wanted to examine the effect of small amount of straw or hay (100 g per animal per day) laid daily in a rack on the behaviour, growth rate and carcass composition of fattening pigs of both sexes (castrated males, females) housed in slatted floor pens. In the second study we studied the influence of gnawing sticks made of Norway spruce (Picea abies) on the behaviour of male growing rabbits (Slovenian sire line SIKA for meat production) housed individually in wire-mesh cages. The third study included laying hens with enhanced diet complexity ? instead of only one, hens were fed two diets in sequence. We studied the effect of sequential feeding with wheat on the behaviour, feed intake, feather condition and egg production of non beak-trimmed ISA Brown laying hens housed in standard cages (five birds/cage). The birds were allotted to one of four treatments. The control (C) was fed a conventional complete diet. Three treatments were fed sequentially with whole wheat (SWW), ground wheat (SGW) or ground wheat with a vitamin premix, phosphorus and oil (SGWI). In sequential treatments, 50% of the ration was fed as wheat from 9:00 to 16:00 o?clock and the remaining 50% as a protein-mineral concentrate (balancer diet) from 16:00 to 9:00 o?clock. In the fourth study we examined the effect of environmental enrichment on foraging behaviour, locomotor activity, growth and feed conversion of fast growing broilers (Ross 308). Animals were allotted to three treatments. The control birds (C) were fed with pellets in a trough, the W birds received additionally to pellets in a trough a small quantity of whole wheat scattered twice a day in the litter. In the P treatment the trough was removed at 14 days of age and feed pellets were scattered in the litter five times a day. Environmental enrichment of fattening pigs with small amount of hay or straw increased the proportion of time animals were active on account of increased occupation with substrate. However, increased proportion of total activity was noticed only in females, which also spent more time chewing substrate than castrated males. Both substrates significantly reduced time spent biting pen bars and the frequency of aggressive encounters. Neither hay nor straw negatively influenced pigs? growth rate and lean meat percentage, whereas sex of the animals significantly influenced both traits. Females grew slower and had greater lean meat percentage than castrated males. In contrast to fattening pigs, environmental enrichment had almost no influence on the behaviour of growing rabbits. Gnawing sticks made of Norway spruce did not attract much of rabbits? interest and significantly influenced only the duration of feeding by 2.08 ± 0.87%. In laying hens, SWW birds spent less time feeding and stood still longer compared to birds in other treatments when fed wheat based diet. This influenced the occurrence of feather pecking, because four hours after distribution of wheat diets, feather pecking was the highest in the SWW and the lowest in the SGW treatment. Consequently, the poorest feather condition was recorded in the SWW treatment. Total feed intake was the highest in the C treatment, while birds ate greater amount of balancer diet compared to wheat based diets. In fast growing broilers, the environmental enrichment with scattered whole wheat (W) did not influence any of the observed behaviour. However, scattering feed pellets in the litter (P) significantly decreased time spent lying in the third and fourth week of age. From the third week onwards, P birds also spent more time walking, scratching and pecking compared to the C and W birds. In feed intake, feed conversion and growth rate there was no difference between the C and W treatment, whereas birds in the P treatment grew significantly slower, which resulted in 13% lower slaughter weight. To conclude, small amount of hay and straw proved to be an appropriate and inexpensive environmental enrichment for fattening pigs in intensive housing systems, which improved their welfare. The addition of wooden sticks for gnawing demonstrated to be an unsuitable environmental enrichment for growing rabbits. Sequential feeding with wheat had a detrimental effect on laying hens? behaviour and feather condition when used with whole wheat. Therefore, wheat should be used either grounded or perhaps presented in shorter time periods. In fast growing broilers, scattering feed pellets in the litter proved to be a promising method to enhance broilers? activity and thus to improve their welfare. However, further research is needed to be able to avoid reduction in body weight at slaughter age.
Global Leadership im Kontext ökonomischer Moralkulturen : eine induktiv-komparative Analyse
(2012) Schlaile, Michael; Schramm, Michael
Against the background of increasing global integration and interdependence it is no surprise that there is also an increase in demand for leaders which are able to appropriately consider the heterogeneity of culturally induced moral values. Thus, scientific research also seeks to understand and explain the impact of growing complexity on leadership efficiency and effectiveness within the field of Global Leadership. This working paper intends to make a contribution to this field by combining theoretical and empirical findings with its focus being on leadership in business organizations. A detailed analysis of China, Turkey, and Germany with respect to cultural context and leadership behavior thereby constitutes the central part of this paper. In the course of the analysis empirical findings from GEERT HOFSTEDE and the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program (GLOBE) are used to investigate the basic relationship between Moral Culture and leadership. Building on those insights, the possibilities of identifying universally endorsed leadership traits as well as cultural trends towards globalization are examined. Based on a critical appraisal of social-scientific research results, it can be reasoned that the reciprocity of the interrelation between Moral Culture and leadership is often rather inadequately taken into account by both researchers and practitioners: It can not only be argued that (Moral)Cultures matter, but also that Global Leadership matters!
Impact of housing environment and rearing condition on the immune system and welfare of laying hens
(2021) Hofmann, Tanja Melanie; Stefanski, Volker
In recent years, consumers’ interest in modern farm animal husbandry and, above all, criticism of intensive production systems that can impair animal welfare, have increased sharply. From hatch, chickens are confronted by a wide range of environmental and social stressors that may confound homeostasis and impair their health and welfare. Not being able to deal with the environment can lead to an activation of the stress system, resulting in a release of neuroendocrine signals like glucocorticoids. These have the potential to modify the immune system and alter species-specific behavior with possible detrimental impacts on animals’ health and welfare. In this context, early-life conditions play a special role as they were shown to have long-term consequences for physiology and behavior in the later life. High stocking densities which activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis are said to be one of the largest welfare concerns in the poultry industry. Previous research has primarily focused on the effects of stocking density on broilers and adult laying hens, but few studies have focused explicitly on layer pullets, and none of them investigated long-term effects on the immune system. The understanding of short- and long-term consequences of environmental conditions during rearing on the immune system and behavior of layer pullets is essential for shaping an environment that avoids allostatic overload, thus promoting animal health and welfare. This doctoral thesis aimed to identify and evaluate potential immunomodulating factors in the housing environment of chickens. In order to achieve this, it summarizes and reviews important aspects of housing environments for the immune system in chickens. Furthermore, an existing flow cytometric method for the enumeration of leukocytes and discrimination of lymphocyte subsets in blood was adapted to lymphatic tissues. Moreover, short- and longterm consequences of stocking density during rearing on the immune system, stress hormone level and behavior in layer pullets were evaluated. The results are described in detail in three peer-reviewed manuscripts published in international journals. The literature analysis identified several housing conditions as immunomodulating factors. Light management was marked as an effective tool to modulate the immune response in chickens, as long light phases were demonstrated to lower adaptive cellular and humoral immune responses while certain light colors, especially of shorter wavelengths, promote some immune functions. Moreover, particularly high ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations pose a threat to chickens’ health by dampening the adaptive immune response and promoting inflammation. However, the interaction between housing environment and management is complex. Depending on the type of housing form, chickens are confronted with different social and environmental challenges, which in turn can have an impact on the immune and stress system. An understanding of immunosuppressive risk factors is essential for successful poultry management aiming to optimize health, welfare and economic efficiency. To broaden the assessment of immune status for scientific purposes, new staining- and gating strategies for avian lymphatic tissues were adapted to an existing flow cytometric method for blood. The adaptation process showed that the application of already established protocols to other tissues is possible, but has to be examined carefully as tissue-specific effects or cell-preparative procedures might lead to differences in possible combinations of antibody-fluorochrome conjugates. The results of the experimental study within this doctoral thesis demonstrate for the first time that stocking density during rearing has not only short- but also long-term impacts on the immune system in laying hens. Pullets reared at high stocking densities showed stress-related alterations in immune cell numbers and higher incidences of feather pecking that manifest in the laying period. This highlights the significance of early-life conditions for immunocompetence throughout the whole production cycle. Of particular interest is that the number of gamma-delta T cells was lower in the high-density group, which has not been investigated in any stress-related studies with chickens before. The present doctoral thesis provides a significant contribution to the improvement of health and welfare in poultry farming and forms a basis for further research about long-lasting consequences of rearing conditions on the immune system, especially in laying hens.
Measuring grazing behaviour of dairy cows : validation of sensor technologies and assessing application potential in intensive pasture-based milk production systems
(2019) Werner, Jessica; Schick, Matthias
Grazing is the natural feed intake behaviour of a cow. However, in the last century, intensive confinement systems with silage feeding and concentrate supplementation have replaced many extensive pasture-based milk production systems. Grazed grass is now acknowledged as the cheapest feed available as a consequence of rising machinery, labour and feeding costs. Thus there is a renewed interest in intensive pasture-based milking systems. In addition, policy objectives, societal expectations and environmental concerns have all supported reconsiderations for pasture-based milk production. Novel technology to aid measuring and managing grassland and cow grazing behaviour have the potential to facilitate improved performance. Until recently, sensor technologies for dairy farms were mainly developed for measuring feeding behaviour of housed cows. Adapting and calibrating these technologies to grazing context would therefore further support improved pasture-based dairying. In this thesis, two sensor technologies were validated against visual observation. The RumiWatch noseband sensor (Itin+Hoch, Switzerland) is a high precision technology designed for research applications. It can measure detailed grazing behaviour such as grazing bites, rumination chews, time spent grazing and time spent ruminating. The MooMonitor+ (Dairymaster, Ireland) is the second technology assessed in this thesis. It is a collar based accelerometer and is primarily designed for use on commercial farms. The initial development was for oestrus detection. It can now monitor grazing and rumination times. The results of the studies reported in this thesis revealed that both sensors were highly accurate compared to visual observation. The implementation of sensor technology on commercial dairy farms is still slow. This is especially true on pasture-based dairy systems. The management of grazing cows is thus largely not supported by technology. With increasing herd sizes and skilled labour shortages, sensor technology to support grazing management will likely improve some major dairy farm management challenges. A key factor in pasture-based milk production is the correct grass allocation to maximize the grass utilization per cow. Cow behaviour is indicative of the quantity and quality of feed available as well as animal performance, health and welfare. Thus, the measurement of cow grazing behaviour is an important management indicator. A further study of detailed individual grazing behaviour aimed to identify behavioural indicators of restricted versus sufficient availability of grass. Such objective measurement has potential since currently grass allocation is based on subjective eye measurements and calculations per herd. To identify behavioural indicators, a group of 30 cows in total were allocated a restricted pasture allowance of 60 % of their intake capacity. Their behavioural characteristics were compared to those of 10 cows with pasture allowance of 100 % of their intake capacity. The grazing behaviour and activity of cows was measured using the RumiWatchSystem, consisting of the noseband sensor and pedometer. The results showed that bite frequency was continuously higher for cows with a restricted grass allocation, but also rumination behaviour was affected by the restriction. This study contributes vital information towards developing a decision support tool for automated allocation of grass based on feedback from individual cows rather than herd based measurements. Further research activities should focus on identification of significant changes in grazing behaviour of cows at individual animal and herd level. This would allow implementation of specific thresholds to be used in decision support tools. After developing and validating the decision support tools, the application of automated solutions for grazing management can improve efficiency and productivity of pasture-based milk production systems.
Shaming for tax enforcement : evidence from a new policy
(2018) Treber, Lukas; Dwenger, Nadja
Can public shaming increase tax compliance through social pressure? Many tax authorities make ample use of public shaming. However, empirical evidence from outside the laboratory on how a new shaming law affects overall compliance is lacking. We provide the first evidence from the field, exploiting comprehensive administrative tax data and the introduction of a novel naming-and-shaming policy in Slovenia in 2012. The policy aims to reduce outstanding tax debt among the self-employed and corporations. Our empirical strategy exploits the variation across taxpayers in ex ante exposure to the shaming policy. We find that taxpayers reduce their tax debt by 8.5% to avoid shaming, particularly in industries where reputational concerns are likely to be important. The publication of the first naming-and-shaming list further reduces tax debt among shamed taxpayers because of social learning. This effect, however, is marginal in terms of revenue and tapers off quickly.
Understanding social-psychological determinants and effects of collaborative consumption
(2017) Roos, Daniel; Hahn, Rüdiger
This doctoral thesis aims to define collaborative consumption and advance the understanding of its social-psychological determinants and effects. In order to achieve these aims, the thesis presents three studies, each of which has been accepted at scientific conferences and developed further based on feedback from experts and reviewers. Two of the studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The introduction provides an overview of collaborative consumption as a comparably sustainable consumption practice. Moreover, three research deficits are identified that are the motivation for the subsequent studies. First, it is shown that the basic idea and the scope of collaborative consumption remain unclear. Second, it is found that understanding of determinants is limited to isolated variables leaving relative strengths of and interdependencies between variables untapped Finally, it is assessed that actual effects of collaborative consumption on consumers’ mindsets are not well understood. The first study titled “Prototypical collaborative consumption behaviors and their relations: A conceptual review and empirical study” examines consumer behaviors that are comprised by the term “collaborative consumption” and the relations between these behaviors. In order to identify prototypical collaborative consumption behaviors, original definitions of collaborative consumption in the literature are reviewed. To derive hypotheses on the relationships between the prototypical behaviors, the study draws on theoretical foundations from the field of consumer lifestyles and behavioral spillover. The second study titled “Understanding collaborative consumption: An extension of the theory of planned behavior with value-based personal norms” aims to understand which social-psychological variables and underlying values and beliefs determine actual collaborative consumption. The theory of planned behavior is used as the primary theoretical framework, as it is a well-established model that has been shown to explain a wide range of consumer behaviors. However, reviews and meta-analyses have found the theory’s ability to account for normative motives to perform a behavior is weak and have called for further theory development. As normative motives are expected to be particularly important in the context of collaborative consumption, the theory is extended with a value-based personal norm variable. The third study titled “Does collaborative consumption affect consumers’ values, attitudes, and norms? A panel study” examines the nature of causality between collaborative consumption and behavioral factors in order to determine whether collaborative consumption affects consumers’ values, attitudes, and norms over time. The study primarily builds on the theory of planned behavior, value theory, and the value-belief-norm theory to determine the theoretical framework linking collaborative consumption, values, attitudes, and norms over time. The theoretical framework is tested based on a two-wave panel over a time period of nine months using survey data from 168 consumers. In conclusion, the thesis contributes to the literature in six ways. First, the thesis conceptually defines collaborative consumption, a term that was used ambiguously so far. Second, it empirically advances the understanding of social-psychological determinants of collaborative consumption. Third, it explains social-psychological effects of collaborative consumption on consumers over time, something that has not been done in the literature before. Fourth, the thesis identifies and examines the relationships between five prototypical collaborative consumption behaviors. Fifth, it argues for the extension of the theory of planned behavior by a value-based personal norm variable and provides supporting empirical evidence. Finally, it advances knowledge on the causal relationship between values, attitudes, norms, and behavior.
Untersuchungen zur Variation und Rhythmik der individuellen Futteraufnahme bei Pekingenten in Gruppenhaltung
(2003) Bley, Tobias Alexander Georg; Bessei, Werner
Methods to record feed intake in group reared individuals were only available for larger domestic species, such as pigs and cattle. Similar equipment for ducks using an antenna-receiver system had to be developed for the present study. The antenna was fitted nearby the feeder and the transponder was attached to the wing mark. The feeders were connected to an electronic scale and the following characteristics were recorded by a PC continuously: number of the bird, day, time of day, time of visits to the feeder, feed consumption. The system was suitable for duckling from 14 days old onwards. Two experiments were carried out. In experiment 1 a total of 50 male Pekin-type hybrid from 14 to 49 days of age were used. In experiment 2 records were taken from 480 male and female ducks of an experimental line from day 21 to 45. The birds were raised in groups on deep litter (straw). Commercial pelleted feed and water were provided ad libitum. The distance between feeders and drinkers was 1 m in experiment 1 and 5 m in experiment 2. The following traits were extracted from the records: Number of meals per day (defined as visits to the feeder with feed intake) Duration of meals (sec.) Size of meals (grams.) Intensity of feeding (feed intake in grams. per min): feed intake per meal in relation to duration of meal Duration of pauses (sec. or min.) Duration of feed intake per day (min.) Feed intake per day (grams.) Live weight (grams.) Dates of a total of 530 ducks and containing 260000 visits to the feeder were recorded and analysed On the basis of the duration of the frequency of meals per day two distinct groups, birds with large number of short meals (HM), and birds with a small number of big meals (LM), were identified. Comparisons were made between the two meal-type groups for all traits and the circadian rhythms of feed intake. HM ducks were characterised by short duration and small size of meals, and short pauses between meals. There was only a small difference between the meal-types for the total duration of feeding and feeding intensity. HM birds were lighter than LM birds. With increasing age, number of meals per day and duration of feeding per day decreased while daily feed consumption increased. Duration and size of meals, and intensity of feeding increased with age. Changes in feeding activities were most important between 3 and 4 weeks of age. An effect of sex was only noted for the number of meals at seven weeks of age. Differences in the occurrence of pauses were found in response to the experiment, meal-type and age. With regard to the presentation and analysis of pauses the usual procedures using log survivorship functions were discussed. In the present study, however, the differences in the distribution of pauses have been demonstrated using the relative frequency for the pauses of long duration and the cumulative frequency for the pauses of shorter duration. With regard to the high variation of the duration of pauses among individuals and with age the calculation of a single meal criterion, which separates pauses within and between meals, for all individuals and over all ages was not considered useful. On the basis of the distribution of pauses of the different meal-types it seems that the meal criterion is less than one minute in the HM types, and over 35 minutes in the LM types. The circadian rhythm of feed intake was similar in both meal-type groups and shows a biphasic shape with maxima at the beginning and the end of the light period. There was also feed intake during the dark period, the consumption, however, was lower than in the light period. The power spectra of the feed intake showed main components in the 24; 12; 6 and 4.8 hours rhythms and, in addition, various different rhythms in the area of 2-4 hours. The rhythm pattern was more pronounced in the HM types as compared to the LM types. The power of the 24 hours rhythms decreased with age, while a 6 hours rhythm developed at the end of the test period. In general it can be said, that there are distinct types of temporal structures in feeding behaviour in ducks. Age-depending changes appear mainly in the early fattening phase up to 5 weeks of age. There is no general meal criterion in ducks which may be applied to all individuals and at all ages. Feed intake underlies rhythmic processes which are modified with age.
Das Verhalten von Mastputen bei unterschiedlicher Besatzdichte und Einstreuart
(2013) Günthner, Pia; Bessei, Werner
There exists at present no legal regulation concerning housing and management of commercial turkey production in Europe. The European Commission is working on a directive of keeping fattening turkeys. In Germany is a voluntary agreement of turkey producers, animal protection societies and governmental authorities, which provides standards and minimum requirements for adequate turkey rearing. These standards, however, are still being debated. Especially the stocking density is considered too high. The present study was carried out to provide scientific information on the behaviour of turkeys under different stocking densities, and thus, to support the revision of the voluntary agreement on turkey keeping. The turkeys (B.U.T. Big 6) were kept in an experimental turkey house. The male and female birds were kept in two separate parts of the same building. Each part contained 16 identical pens. The males were raised up to the 21 weeks of age and received a commercial pelleted turkey diet in 7 feeding phases. The females were raised upt to 16 weeks and received 6 feeding phases. Three different stocking densities were testet: low, intermediate and high. The existing recommendations of stocking density for males and females of the voluntary agreement were chosen as intermediate density. All birds were kept on wood shavings as litter from day-old to 5 weeks of age. From the 6th week of age (which correspond to the 3rd feeding phase) onwards chopped straw was spread as required to maintain good litter quality. In one additional treatment wood shavings instead of straw were spread throughout the fattening period. The intermediate stocking density of males and females was used for this treatment. Hence the experimental setup consisted of 4 treatments within both sexes. Direct behavioural observations were carried out by 4 trained observers. The direct observations started with the 2nd feeding phase and continued untill the end of the fattening period. Feeding, drinking, walking, sitting/lying, standing, litter pecking/scratching, dust bathing, preening, feather pecking, wound pecking and aggressive pecking were recorded using time sampling technique. In addition all pens were video-recorded in the weeks before or after the direct observations. The duration of the different behaviours were measured using the video records. Feed consumption, water consumption, body weight development and temperature inside the stables were recorded continuously. The experiment was repeated with a second batch of birds using the same experimental layout and the same criteria as in the first batch. Litter temperature was additionally recorded in the second batch. In the first batch the frequency and duration of sitting/lying was significantly higher at the lower stocking density as compared to the stocking density. This could by explained by physical disturbance of resting birds at the higher stocking density. The higher litter temperature under high stocking density might also have interrupted the sitting phases of the birds. At the lower stocking density there were significantly more preening, feather pecking and a non-significantly higher level of dust bathing than in the higher stocking density. The opposite result has been expected with regard to feather pecking. This supports the result of other publications which reported an interrelationship of comfort behaviours, such as preening and dust bathing, and feather pecking. The effect of stocking density was not significant for all other behaviours. This shows that stocking density in the tested range has little influence on the behaviour growing turkeys. Feed intake growth rate and the water : feed ratio were lower at the lower stocking density. The lower water : feed ratio indicated that the reduction of feed intake and growth rate with increasing stocking density is influenced by higher litter temperature. The turkeys raised on wood shavings from the 3rd feeding phase onwards showed significantly more feeding behaviour than those kept on straw in the first batch, and a similar tendency in the second batch. They also pecked significantly more the feathers of their pen mates in both batches. The higher feeding behaviour of the birds kept on wood shavings coincided with a significantly higher feed intake only in the second batch. All other performance traits did not significantly respond to the different litter types. The higher feeding behaviour and feed intake of turkeys kept on wood shavings was explained by a compensatory activity to litter pecking: straw as litter obviously presents a higher stimulus for exploratory litter pecking than wood shavings. The lower feather pecking activity of the turkeys kept on straw can be explained by the same effect. Feather pecking as substitute of litter pecking has been reported in the literature for turkeys and other poultry species. Sitting/lying behaviour was consistently higher in male than in female birds in both batches. The causes of this effect can be manifold. The higher body weight may reduce the ability of standing and thus increase sitting/lying. The lower group size and lower stocking density in the males may have led to less disturbances and allowed more resting behaviour. Finally the higher litter temperature observed in the female pens may have reduced the time spent sitting/lying in the females. Males showed significantly more litter pecking and scratching in both batches. Preening was higher and feather pecking was lower in males. This effect was significant in at least one batch. The inverse relationships between litter pecking and feather pecking among males and females are consistent with the effect of litter on these behaviours. In conclusion, the effect of stocking density in the range tested in the present experiment was relatively small as compared to other factors, such as age, season, sex and Litter temperature.
Verhaltens- und Gesundheitsmonitoring für die Gruppenhaltung tragender Sauen
(2015) Junge, Melanie; Jungbluth, Thomas
The number of pig farmers in Germany with breeding sow herds has continually re-duced over the past 15 years. Simultaneously, herd size has increased. This trend is intensified through the introduction of mandatory group housing for gestating sows. While larger herds represent high demands on management and monitoring of indi-vidual animal health, the situation also offers potential for automation of work proce-dures or in data recording as part of indicator-based systems. The primary objective of this work was conception, implementation and evaluation of a monitoring system for determining health and behaviour deviations of gestating sows in group housing. Hereby, sensor and data technology infrastructure was to be designed for recording animal-individual indicators as feeding or drinking events as well as minimum distances travelled within a sow gestation stable for a large dynamic group. Materials used were the available RFID technology of two electronic feeding stations (EFS) and a boar recognition system. These were supplemented by the mounting of additional RFID antennae besides drinkers and on the two doors between exercise and indoor areas. For determining volumes of water metered out, flowmeters were fitted in the supply pipelines for all eight drinkers. The EFS data protocols were used for assessment of feeding events and calculation of relative eating ranks. Over the combined time-related sequencing of registration of the 13 RFID antennae within the sow gestation stable, the animal-individual minimum distances travelled were calculated on a daily basis. Animal-individual assessment of health status and changes in behaviour of the sows was conducted as part of an observation study. Examined were relationships between the automatically recorded indicators feeding events, drinking events and distances travelled, in addition to changes in health and behaviour were examined. The potential for implementation of a monitoring or prediction model was then assessed. From 13.04.2012 to 31.05.2013, recorded and analysed were 29,552 day data sets from 199 gestating sows (parity 2 to 11). In this period, only a few effects on sow health through cases of disease were documented. However, during the twice-weekly gait assessment of the sows via locomotion scoring, some cases of medium to serious lameness were identified. During 372 days, 69,577 drinking events with water volumes of from 2 ml to 11.45 l were recorded. On average, the sows drank 0.53 l water 2.4 times per day although, for 25% of the daily data sets, no drinking events were determined. In addition, a clear 24-hour cycle of water consumption was established with maxima during morning and afternoon. Where sows did not take feed from the EFS, they then tended to drink less water from the drinkers. Parity and temperature differences appeared to have only a limited influence on water consumption. Contrary to this, the sows identified as lame showed a highly significant reduced count of animal-individual drinking events, metered amounts of water at the drinkers, lower calculated distances travelled and time spent at the boar recognition in comparison with sows showing no symptoms of lameness. Detection of sows returning to heat via observation of animal-individual periods of attendance at the boar recognition and then applying a threshold value model proved very effective. Comparing standard-behaviour sows and those returning to heat also led to identifying a tendency towards reduction in metered drinking water consumption and number of drinking events for the latter. The assessments of feeding sequences at the EFS and calculation of relative eating ranks gave no significant differences between non-standard behaviour and standard behaviour animals. A tendency for influences of age, lameness and return to heat on EFS feeding sequence, or on relative eating ranks, was observed. For locomotion behaviour of gestating sows kept in large groups, reference values for possible distances travelled could be collected. Up to now, only very little literature was available on this subject. Management-associated measures such as the integration of new animals in the group appeared to have very little influence on the investigated indicators. The feasibility of animal-individual monitoring through real time processing of sensor data recorded from a group of gestating sows and of integration with a management software program, could be demonstrated. In total, however, the very large animal intra and inter variability for the parameters drinking events, feeding events and minimum distances travelled complicated the definition of the individual-animal monitoring models for indicator-based early identification of health problems. Conceivable here are further follow-up investigations regarding indicators, sensors and assessment algorithms.
Wohlbefinden von Mastschweinen in verschiedenen Haltungssystemen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ethologischer Merkmale
(2003) Weber, Ragnhild E. F.; Valle Zárate, Anne
This study aims to compare practice oriented husbandry systems with regard to their effect on the welfare of fattening pigs. This should also contribute to the development of evaluation indicators for pig welfare. A literature review was conducted covering Definition of Welfare, Indicators for Welfare Assessment, Behavior of Fattening Pigs, Ethological Methods for Welfare Assessment, and Husbandry Systems for Fattening Pigs. Insights attained were significantly taken into account when developing and conducting the study. 2 husbandry systems were established, compromising on conventional pig husbandry and currently available knowledge on the welfare of fattening pigs. The investigation emphasizes on ethological traits. This research is part of a comprehensive project investigating prevalent fattening pig husbandry systems in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with regard to animal welfare and pig farmers? and consumers? attitudes towards husbandry conditions. The present study was conducted on the experimental station Frankenforst of the University of Bonn, Germany. A total of 256 Piétrain (Pi) x German Landrace (DL) or Pi x (Large White (DE) x DL) fattening pigs were investigated throughout 2 periods of time: middle of June 1998 to beginning of January 1999, and middle of April to end of September 1999. They were kept in two enriched husbandry systems. One system was equipped with heater, forced ventilation and partly slatted floor (TSP: 8 pigs/pen), the other was in an open stable with half the area deep littered (OT: 32 pigs/pen). The enrichments included chains, a wooden chewing bar, and a straw rack in the non-bedded system. Over a period of 10 weeks indirect video observations were conducted once per week between 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. The behavioral traits observed included feeding, exploration and occupation, abnormal occupation, comfort, aggression and fighting, locomotion, and resting and lying. In the second year direct observations were additionally conducted at specific times to analyse occupation and comfort behavior in more detail. Further traits investigated included: state of health, medical treatments, skin lesions, changes of extremities and claws, general condition, carcass, lung, liver, heart, kidney, and lymph node changes, fattening and slaughtering performance and housing characteristics. The results showed that rooting, which is of utmost importance for the welfare of pigs and which could only be performed in the OT, could not completely be compensated for in the TSP by the enrichment objects and the stable environment. In the TSP the behavioral disorders of pseudo-rooting and manipulation of pen-mates were clearly performed more often. In contrast, the husbandry environment of the OT (straw bedding, enrichment, more overall space, more outside stimuli) had a positive effect on the behavior of the pigs. An improvement of the pigs? welfare in the OT can particularly be concluded from the increased level of rooting, playing, alertness, and walking+standing as compared to the TSP. Comfort+wallowing, the least observed behavior, was also performed significantly more often in the OT. On the other hand, fattening pigs in the OT were also not completely free of behavioral disorders. In both husbandry systems pigs laid (with no other activity) more than 70 % of the observation time. Low lighting in the TSP probably caused a less pronounced endogenously predisposed two-phase daily rhythm of the pigs with less activity in the morning as compared to the pigs in the OT. The forced ventilation in the TSP and the non-bedded area of the OT were not completely sufficient to cool the pigs in summer. The territorial division of the pen by the pigs was disturbed to the point that no clear distinction between lying, defecation and feeding areas could be made. Cardiovascular problems occurred in the OT on some very hot days. Skin lesions, changes in the extremities and claws and the pigs? general condition did not deviate greatly from normal and healthy conditions. No obvious relation of injuries being caused by means of the husbandry system could be found. Carcass inspections showed that lung alterations and pleuritis occurred most frequently. Significant differences between the husbandry systems (OT > TSP) were found for liver and pluck findings. With regard to animal health the pigs in the TSP were better off. It can be presumed that welfare was reduced by the slight Ra. outbreak in the OT in the second year. Differences in daily gain and feed conversion were only due to a substantially lower performance of the pigs in the OT in the first year probably caused by higher thermoregulation efforts. By means of the methods and traits (indicators) used the welfare of the pigs in the two different husbandry systems could be compared. Proposals for further improvements of the methods as well as for the improvement of the husbandry systems were submitted.