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19 pages, 5047 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Visual Sensor Placement Optimization with 3D Animation for Cattle Health Monitoring in a Confined Operation

by Abdullah All Sourav and Joshua M. Peschel

Animals 2022, 12(9), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12091181 - 5 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2489

Abstract

Computer vision has been extensively used for livestock welfare monitoring in recent years, and data collection with a sensor or camera is the first part of the complete workflow. While current practice in computer vision-based animal welfare monitoring often analyzes data collected from [...] Read more.

Computer vision has been extensively used for livestock welfare monitoring in recent years, and data collection with a sensor or camera is the first part of the complete workflow. While current practice in computer vision-based animal welfare monitoring often analyzes data collected from a sensor or camera mounted on the roof or ceiling of a laboratory, such camera placement is not always viable in a commercial confined cattle feeding environment. This study therefore sought to determine the optimal camera placement locations in a confined steer feeding operation. Measurements of cattle pens were used to create a 3D farm model using Blender 3D computer graphic software. In the first part of this study, a method was developed to calculate the camera coverage in a 3D farm environment, and in the next stage, a genetic algorithm-based model was designed for finding optimal placements of a multi-camera and multi-pen setup. The algorithm’s objective was to maximize the multi-camera coverage while minimizing budget. Two different optimization methods involving multiple cameras and pen combinations were used. The results demonstrated the applicability of the genetic algorithm in achieving the maximum coverage and thereby enhancing the quality of the livestock visual-sensing data. The algorithm also provided the top 25 solutions for each camera and pen combination with a maximum coverage difference of less than 3.5% between them, offering numerous options for the farm manager. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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15 pages, 3450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Air Velocity Treatments under Summer Conditions: Part II—Heavy Broiler’s Behavioral Response

by Suraiya Akter, Yingying Liu, Bin Cheng, John Classen, Edgar Oviedo, Dan Harris and Lingjuan Wang-Li

Animals 2022, 12(9), 1050; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12091050 - 19 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2921

Abstract

Broiler chickens exposed to heat stress adapt to various behavioral changes to regulate their comfortable body temperature, which is critical to ensure their performance and welfare. Hence, assessing various behavioral responses in birds when they are subjected to environmental changes can be essential [...] Read more.

Broiler chickens exposed to heat stress adapt to various behavioral changes to regulate their comfortable body temperature, which is critical to ensure their performance and welfare. Hence, assessing various behavioral responses in birds when they are subjected to environmental changes can be essential for assessing their welfare under heat-stressed conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two air velocity (AV) treatments on heavy broilers’ behavioral changes from 43 to 54 days under summer conditions. Two AV treatments (high and low) were applied in six poultry growth chambers with three chambers per treatment and 44 COBB broilers per chamber from 28 to 61 days in the summer of 2019. Three video cameras placed inside each chamber (2.44 m × 2.44 m × 2.44 m in dimension) were used to record the behavior of different undisturbed birds, such as feeding, drinking, resting, standing, walking, panting, etc. The results indicate that the number of chickens feeding, drinking, standing, walking, sitting, wing flapping, and leg stretching changed under AV treatments. High AV increased the number of chickens feeding, standing, and walking. Moreover, a two-way interaction with age and the time of day can affect drinking and panting. This study provides insights into heavy broilers’ behavioral changes under heat-stressed conditions and AV treatments, which will help guide management practices to improve birds’ performance and welfare under commercial conditions in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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9 pages, 700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Housing System and Gender on Relative Brain Weight, Body Temperature, Hematological Traits, and Bone Quality in Muscovy Ducks

by Ondřej Krunt, Adam Kraus, Lukáš Zita, Karolína Machová, Eva Chmelíková, Stanislav Petrásek and Petr Novák

Animals 2022, 12(3), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030370 - 3 Feb 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2099

Abstract

The study was conducted during the summer season (June–August 2020). Two hundred sixty-four 5-week-old sexed Muscovy ducklings were randomly divided into four equal experimental groups by housing system and by gender. Each group had three replicates (22 birds/replicate) in a randomized design experiment. [...] Read more.

The study was conducted during the summer season (June–August 2020). Two hundred sixty-four 5-week-old sexed Muscovy ducklings were randomly divided into four equal experimental groups by housing system and by gender. Each group had three replicates (22 birds/replicate) in a randomized design experiment. Regarding the hematological traits, the volume of leukocytes was higher in the D group (by 0.34 × 10⁹/L; p < 0.05) than in the S group. Furthermore, body temperature was found to be higher in ducks (by 0.84 °C; p < 0.05) and in the D group (by 0.5 °C; p < 0.05) in comparison with drakes and birds from the S group. Considering relative brain weight, drakes had higher values than ducks (by 0.56 g; p < 0.05), and birds from the S group also manifested higher values (by 0.78 g; p < 0.05). In terms of bone quality, there were no differences in studied parameters of tibia and femur bones regarding housing systems. The results provide valuable evidence of differences in the fattening of intensively bred Muscovy ducks within the housing system but also regarding gender. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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18 pages, 5247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Air Velocity Treatments under Summer Condition: Part I—Heavy Broiler’s Surface Temperature Response

by Suraiya Akter, Bin Cheng, Derek West, Yingying Liu, Yan Qian, Xiuguo Zou, John Classen, Hernan Cordova, Edgar Oviedo and Lingjuan Wang-Li

Animals 2022, 12(3), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030328 - 29 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3071

Abstract

Heavy broilers exposed to hot summer conditions experience fluctuations in surface temperatures due to heat stress, which leads to decreased performance. Maintaining a bird’s homeostasis depends on several environmental factors (temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity). It is important to understand the responses [...] Read more.

Heavy broilers exposed to hot summer conditions experience fluctuations in surface temperatures due to heat stress, which leads to decreased performance. Maintaining a bird’s homeostasis depends on several environmental factors (temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity). It is important to understand the responses of birds to environmental factors and the amount of heat loss to the surrounding environment to create thermal comfort for the heavy broilers for improved performances and welfare. This study investigates the variation in surface temperatures of heavy broilers under high and low air velocity treatments. Daytime, age and bird location’s effect on the surface temperature variation was also examined. The experiment was carried out in the poultry engineering laboratory of North Carolina State University during summers of 2017, 2018, and 2019 as a part of a comprehensive study on the effectiveness of wind chill application to mitigate heat stress on heavy broilers. This live broiler heat stress experiment was conducted under two dynamic air velocity treatments (high and low) with three chambers per treatment and 44 birds per chamber. Surface temperatures of the birds were recorded periodically through the experimental treatment cycles (flocks, 35–61 d) with infrared thermography in the morning, noon, evening, and nighttime. The overall mean surface temperature of the broilers under two treatments was found to be 35.89 ± 2.37 °C. The variation in surface temperature happened due to air temperature, thermal index, air velocity, bird’s age, daytime, and position of birds inside the experimental chambers. The surface temperatures were found lower under high air velocity treatment and higher under low air velocity treatment. During the afternoon time, the broilers’ surface temperatures were higher than other times of the day. It was also found that the birds’ surface temperature increased with age and temperature humidity indices. Based upon the experimental data of five flocks, a simple linear regression model was developed to predict surface temperature from the birds’ age, thermal indices, and air velocity. It will help assess heavy broilers’ thermal comfort under heat stress, which is essential to provide a comfortable environment for them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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13 pages, 596 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Survival of Escherichia coli in Airborne and Settled Poultry Litter Particles

by Xuan Dung Nguyen, Yang Zhao, Jeffrey D. Evans, Jun Lin and Joseph L. Purswell

Animals 2022, 12(3), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030284 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4141

Abstract

Airborne Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the poultry environment can migrate inside and outside houses through air movement. The airborne E. coli, after settling on surfaces, could be re-aerosolized or picked up by vectors (e.g., caretakers, rodents, transport trucks) for [...] Read more.

Airborne Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the poultry environment can migrate inside and outside houses through air movement. The airborne E. coli, after settling on surfaces, could be re-aerosolized or picked up by vectors (e.g., caretakers, rodents, transport trucks) for further transmission. To assess the impacts of airborne E. coli transmission among poultry farms, understanding the survivability of the bacteria is necessary. The objective of this study is to determine the survivability of airborne E. coli, settled E. coli, and E. coli in poultry litter under laboratory environmental conditions (22–28 °C with relative humidity of 54–63%). To determine the survivability of airborne E. coli, an AGI-30 bioaerosol sampler (AGI-30) was used to collect the E. coli at 0 and 20 min after the aerosolization. The half-life time of airborne E. coli was then determined by comparing the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of the two samplings. To determine the survivability of settled E. coli, four sterile Petri dishes were placed on the chamber floor right after the aerosolization to collect settled E. coli. The Petri dishes were then divided into two groups, with each group being quantified for culturable E. coli concentrations and dust particle weight at 24-h intervals. The survivability of settled E. coli was then determined by comparing the number of viable E. coli per milligram settled dust collected in the Petri dishes in the two groups. The survivability of E. coli in the poultry litter sample (for aerosolization) was also determined. Results show that the half-life time of airborne E. coli was 5.7 ± 1.2 min. The survivability of E. coli in poultry litter and settled E. coli were much longer with the half-life time of 15.9 ± 1.3 h and 9.6 ± 1.6 h, respectively. In addition, the size distribution of airborne E. coli attached to dust particles and the size distribution of airborne dust particles were measured by using an Andersen impactor and a dust concentration monitor (DustTrak). Results show that most airborne E. coli (98.89% of total E. coli) were carried by the dust particles with aerodynamic diameter larger than 2.1 µm. The findings of this study may help better understand the fate of E. coli transmitted through the air and settled on surfaces and evaluate the impact of airborne transmission in poultry production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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19 pages, 5085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Thermal Indices as the Indicators of Heat Stress in Dairy Cows in a Temperate Climate

by Geqi Yan, Hao Li and Zhengxiang Shi

Animals 2021, 11(8), 2459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082459 - 21 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4282

Abstract

Many thermal indices (TIs) have been developed to quantify the severity of heat stress in dairy cows. Systematic evaluation of the representative TIs is still lacking, which may cause potential misapplication. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the theoretical and actual [...] Read more.

Many thermal indices (TIs) have been developed to quantify the severity of heat stress in dairy cows. Systematic evaluation of the representative TIs is still lacking, which may cause potential misapplication. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the theoretical and actual performance of the TIs in a temperate climate. The data were collected in freestall barns at a commercial dairy farm. The heat transfer characteristics of the TIs were examined by equivalent air temperature change (ΔTeq). One-way ANOVA and correlation were used to test the relationships between the TIs and the animal-based indicators (i.e., rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR), skin temperature (ST), and eye temperature (ET)). Results showed that the warming effect of the increased relative humidity and the chilling effect of the increased wind speed was the most reflected by the equivalent temperature index (ETI) and the comprehensive climate index (CCI), respectively. Only the equivalent temperature index for cows (ETIC) reflected that warming effect of solar radiation could obviously increase with increasing Ta. The THI and ETIC showed expected relationships with the RT and RR, whereas the CCI and ETIC showed expected relationships with the ST and ET. Moreover, CCI showed a higher correlation with RT (r = 0.672, p < 0.01), ST(r = 0.845, p < 0.01), and ET (r = 0.617, p < 0.01) than other TIs (p < 0.0001). ETIC showed the highest correlation with RR (r = 0.850, p < 0.01). These findings demonstrated that the CCI could be the most promising thermal index to assess heat stress for housed dairy cows. Future research is still needed to develop new TIs tp precisely assess the microclimates in cow buildings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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11 pages, 809 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Cold Exposure on Performance and Skeletal Muscle Fiber in Weaned Piglets

by Jie Yu, Shuai Chen, Ziyou Zeng, Shuaibing Xing, Daiwen Chen, Bing Yu, Jun He, Zhiqing Huang, Yuheng Luo, Ping Zheng, Xiangbing Mao, Junqiu Luo and Hui Yan

Animals 2021, 11(7), 2148; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072148 - 20 Jul 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4065

Abstract

Low-temperature is one of the most significant risks for the animal industry. In light of this, the present study aimed to explore the effects of low-temperature on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, myofiber types and mitochondrial function in weaned piglets. A total of sixteen [...] Read more.

Low-temperature is one of the most significant risks for the animal industry. In light of this, the present study aimed to explore the effects of low-temperature on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, myofiber types and mitochondrial function in weaned piglets. A total of sixteen 21-day-old male Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) piglets were randomly divided into a control group (CON, 26 ± 1 °C) and a low-temperature group (LT, 15 ± 1 °C), with eight duplicate piglets in each group. The trial period lasted for 21 days. We showed that LT not only increased the ADFI (p < 0.05), as well as increasing the diarrhea incidence and diarrhea index of weaned piglets in the early stage of the experiment (p < 0.01), but it also decreased the apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP), organic matter (OM) and dry matter (DM) (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, in the LT group, the mRNA expression of MyHC IIa (p < 0.05) in longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) and MyHC I (p < 0.01) in psoas muscle (PM) were increased, while the mRNA expression of MyHC IIx in PM was decreased (p < 0.05). In addition, LT increased the mRNA expression of mitochondrial function-related genes citrate synthase (CS) and succinate dehydrogenase-b (SDHB) in LM, as well as increased the mRNA expression of CS (p < 0.05) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1b (CPT-1b) (p < 0.01) in PM. Furthermore, LT increased the T-AOC activity in serum and LM (p < 0.01), as well as increased the T-SOD activity in PM (p < 0.05). Taken together, these findings showed that low-temperature could negatively affect the growth performance and nutrient digestibility, but resulted in a shift toward oxidative muscle fibers, which may occur through mitochondrial function regulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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9 pages, 1894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparison of the Behavior, Physiology, and Offspring Resilience of Gestating Sows When Raised in a Group Housing System and Individual Stalls

by Xin Liu, Pengkang Song, Hua Yan, Longchao Zhang, Ligang Wang, Fuping Zhao, Hongmei Gao, Xinhua Hou, Lijun Shi, Bugao Li and Lixian Wang

Animals 2021, 11(7), 2076; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072076 - 12 Jul 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5107

Abstract

Being in a confined environment causes chronic stress in gestating sows, which is detrimental for sow health, welfare and, consequently, offspring physiology. This study assessed the health and welfare of gestating sows housed in a group housing system compared to individual gestation stalls. [...] Read more.

Being in a confined environment causes chronic stress in gestating sows, which is detrimental for sow health, welfare and, consequently, offspring physiology. This study assessed the health and welfare of gestating sows housed in a group housing system compared to individual gestation stalls. After pregnancy was confirmed, experimental sows were divided randomly into two groups: the group housing system (GS), with the electronic sow feeding (ESF) system; or individual stall (IS). The behavior of sows housed in the GS or IS was then compared; throughout pregnancy, GS sows displayed more exploratory behavior, less vacuum chewing, and less sitting behavior (p < 0.05). IS sows showed higher stress hormone levels than GS sows. In particular, at 41 days of gestation, the concentration of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and adrenaline (A) in IS sows was significantly higher than that of GS sows, and the A level of IS sows remained significantly higher at 71 days of gestation (p < 0.01). The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) test was carried out in the weaned piglets of the studied sows. Compared with the offspring of gestating sows housed in GS (PG) or IS (PS), PG experienced a shorter period of high temperature and showed a quicker return to the normal state (p < 0.05). Additionally, their lower levels of stress hormone (p < 0.01) suggest that PG did not suffer from as much stress as PS. These findings suggested that gestating sows housed in GS were more able to carry out their natural behaviors and, therefore, had lower levels of stress and improved welfare. In addition, PG also showed better disease resistance and resilience. These results will provide a research basis for the welfare and breeding of gestating sows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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15 pages, 1512 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Heat Stress in Sows Part 2: Comparison of Various Thermal Comfort Indices

by Mengbing Cao, Chao Zong, Yanrong Zhuang, Guanghui Teng, Shengnan Zhou and Ting Yang

Animals 2021, 11(6), 1498; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061498 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4016

Abstract

Heat stress has an adverse effect on the production performance of sows, and causes a large economic loss every year. The thermal environment index is an important indicator for evaluating the level of heat stress in animals. Many thermal indices have been used [...] Read more.

Heat stress has an adverse effect on the production performance of sows, and causes a large economic loss every year. The thermal environment index is an important indicator for evaluating the level of heat stress in animals. Many thermal indices have been used to analyze the environment of the pig house, including temperature and humidity index (THI), effective temperature (ET), equivalent temperature index of sows (ETIS), and enthalpy (H), among others. Different heat indices have different characteristics, and it is necessary to analyze and compare the characteristics of heat indices to select a relatively suitable heat index for specific application. This article reviews the thermal environment indices used in the process of sow breeding, and compares various heat indices in four ways: (1) Holding the value of the thermal index constant and analyzing the equivalent temperature changes caused by the relative humidity. (2) Analyzing the variations of ET and ETIS caused by changes in air velocity. (3) Conducting a comparative analysis of a variety of isothermal lines fitted to the psychrometric chart. (4) Analyzing the distributions of various heat index values inside the sow barn and the correlation between various heat indices and sow heat dissipation with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. The results show that the ETIS performs better than other thermal indices in the analysis of sows’ thermal environment, followed by THI2, THI4, and THI7. Different pigs have different heat transfer characteristics and different adaptability to the environment. Therefore, based on the above results, the following suggestions have been given: The thermal index thresholds need to be divided based on the adaptability of pigs to the environment at different growth stages and the different climates in different regions. An appropriate threshold for a thermal index can provide a theoretical basis for the environmental control of the pig house. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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16 pages, 3009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Heat Stress in Sows—Part 1: Establishment of the Prediction Model for the Equivalent Temperature Index of the Sows

by Mengbing Cao, Chao Zong, Xiaoshuai Wang, Guanghui Teng, Yanrong Zhuang and Kaidong Lei

Animals 2021, 11(5), 1472; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051472 - 20 May 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3410

Abstract

Heat stress affects the estrus time and conception rate of sows. Compared with other life stages of pigs, sows are more susceptible to heat stress because of their increased heat production. Various indicators can be found in the literature assessing the level of [...] Read more.

Heat stress affects the estrus time and conception rate of sows. Compared with other life stages of pigs, sows are more susceptible to heat stress because of their increased heat production. Various indicators can be found in the literature assessing the level of heat stress in pigs. However, none of them is specific to assess the sows’ thermal condition. Moreover, thermal indices are mainly developed by considering partial environment parameters, and there is no interaction between the index and the animal’s physiological response. Therefore, this study aims to develop a thermal index specified for sows, called equivalent temperature index for sows (ETIS), which includes parameters of air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Based on the heat transfer characteristics of sows, multiple regression analysis is used to combine air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Environmental data are used as independent variables, and physiological parameters are used as dependent variables. In 1029 sets of data, 70% of the data is used as the training set, and 30% of the data is used as the test set to create and develop a new thermal index. According to the correlation equation between ETIS and temperature-humidity index (THI), combined with the threshold of THI, ETIS was divided into thresholds. The results show that the ETIS heat stress threshold is classified as follows: suitable temperature ETIS < 33.1 °C, mild temperature 33.1 °C ≤ ETIS < 34.5 °C, moderate stress temperature 34.5 °C ≤ ETIS < 35.9 °C, and severe temperature ETIS ≥ 35.9 °C. The ETIS model can predict the sows’ physiological response in a good manner. The correlation coefficients R of skin temperature was 0.82. Compared to early developed thermal indices, ETIS has the best predictive effect on skin temperature. This index could be a useful tool for assessing the thermal environment to ensure thermal comfort for sows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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19 pages, 6105 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of TiO₂ Based Photocatalytic Treatment of Odor and Gaseous Emissions from Swine Manure with UV-A and UV-C

by Myeongseong Lee, Jacek A. Koziel, Wyatt Murphy, William S. Jenks, Baitong Chen, Peiyang Li and Chumki Banik

Animals 2021, 11(5), 1289; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051289 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3620

Abstract

It is essential to mitigate gaseous emissions that result from poultry and livestock production to increase industry sustainability. Odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia (NH₃), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have detrimental effects on the quality of [...] Read more.

It is essential to mitigate gaseous emissions that result from poultry and livestock production to increase industry sustainability. Odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia (NH₃), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have detrimental effects on the quality of life in rural communities, the environment, and climate. This study’s objective was to evaluate the photocatalytic UV treatment of gaseous emissions of odor, odorous VOCs, NH₃, and other gases (GHGs, O₃—sometimes considered as by-products of UV treatment) from stored swine manure on a pilot-scale. The manure emissions were treated in fast-moving air using a mobile lab equipped with UV-A and UV-C lights and TiO₂-based photocatalyst. Treated gas airflow (0.25–0.76 m³∙s⁻¹) simulates output from a small ventilation fan in a barn. Through controlling the light intensity and airflow, UV dose was tested for techno-economic analyses. The treatment effectiveness depended on the UV dose and wavelength. Under UV-A (367 nm) photocatalysis, the percent reduction of targeted gases was up to (i) 63% of odor, (ii) 51%, 51%, 53%, 67%, and 32% of acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, p-cresol, and indole, respectively, (iii) 14% of nitrous oxide (N₂O), (iv) 100% of O₃, and 26% generation of CO₂. Under UV-C (185 + 254 nm) photocatalysis, the percent reductions of target gases were up to (i) 54% and 47% for p-cresol and indole, respectively, (ii) 25% of N₂O, (iii) 71% of CH₄, and 46% and 139% generation of CO₂ and O₃, respectively. The results proved that the UV technology was sufficiently effective in treating odorous gases, and the mobile lab was ready for farm-scale trials. The UV technology can be considered for the scaled-up treatment of emissions and air quality improvement inside livestock barns. Results from this study are needed to inform the experimental design for future on-farm research with UV-A and UV-C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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15 pages, 3701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of a Partially Perforated Flooring System on Ammonia Emissions in Broiler Housing—Conflict of Objectives between Animal Welfare and Environment?

by Carolin Adler, Alexander J. Schmithausen, Manfred Trimborn, Sophia Heitmann, Birgit Spindler, Inga Tiemann, Nicole Kemper and Wolfgang Büscher

Animals 2021, 11(3), 707; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030707 - 5 Mar 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3480

Abstract

A partially (50%) perforated flooring system showed positive effects on health- and behavior-based welfare indicators without affecting production performance. Ammonia (NH₃) is the most common air pollutant in poultry production, with effects on animal welfare and the environment. The objectives of [...] Read more.

A partially (50%) perforated flooring system showed positive effects on health- and behavior-based welfare indicators without affecting production performance. Ammonia (NH₃) is the most common air pollutant in poultry production, with effects on animal welfare and the environment. The objectives of animal welfare and environmental protection are often incompatible. Therefore, this study addresses the question of how a partially perforated flooring system affects NH₃ emissions. According to German regulations, three fattening periods were carried out with 500 Ross 308 broilers per barn (final stocking density: 39 kg m⁻²). The experimental barn was equipped with an elevated perforated area in the supply section, accessible by perforated ramps. The remaining area in the experimental barn and the control barn were equipped with wood shavings (600 g m⁻²). Besides the different floor types, management was identical. Air temperature (Temp), relative air humidity (RH), NH₃ concentration, and ventilation rate (VR) were measured continuously. Furthermore, dry matter (DM) content, pH, and litter quality were assessed. Towards the end of the fattening periods, the NH₃ emission rate (ER) of the partially perforated flooring system was higher compared with that of the littered control barn (all p < 0.001). This effect is mainly caused by the higher NH₃ concentrations, which are promoted by the lack of compaction underneath the elevated perforated area and the increase in pH value under aerobic conditions. Nevertheless, the partially perforated flooring system offers different approaches for NH₃ reduction that were previously not feasible, potentially contributing equally to animal welfare and environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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Review

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14 pages, 324 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effects of Key Farm Management Practices on Pullets Welfare—A Review

by Xiaohui Du, Pingwu Qin, Yanting Liu, Felix Kwame Amevor, Gang Shu, Diyan Li and Xiaoling Zhao

Animals 2022, 12(6), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060729 - 14 Mar 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4888

Abstract

Studies on animal behavior and welfare have reported that improving the management practices of pullets can enhance their growth, as well as their physical and mental condition, thus benefiting the productivity of laying hens. There is growing confidence in the international community to [...] Read more.

Studies on animal behavior and welfare have reported that improving the management practices of pullets can enhance their growth, as well as their physical and mental condition, thus benefiting the productivity of laying hens. There is growing confidence in the international community to abandon the conventional practices of “cage-rearing and beak-trimming” to improve the welfare of chickens. Therefore, in this review, we summarized some of the effective poultry management practices that have provided welfare benefits for pullets. The results are as follows: 1. Maintaining similar housing conditions at different periods alleviates fear and discomfort among pullets; 2. Pullets reared under cage-free systems have better physical conditions and temperaments than those reared in cage systems, and they are more suitable to be transferred to similar housing to lay eggs; 3. Improving flock uniformity in appearance and body size has reduced the risk of pecking and injury; 4. Maintaining an appropriate population (40–500 birds) has reduced flock aggressiveness; 5. A combination of 8–10 h of darkness and 5–30 lux of light-intensity exposure via natural or warm white LED light has achieved a welfare–performance balance in pullets. (This varies by age, strain, and activities.); 6. Dark brooders (mimicking mother hens) have alleviated fear and pecking behaviors in pullets; 7. The air quality of the chicken house has been effectively improved by optimizing feed formulation and ventilation, and by reducing fecal accumulation and fermentation; 8. Complex environments (with litter, perches, straw bales, slopes, platforms, outdoor access, etc.) have stimulated the activities of chickens and have produced good welfare effects. In conclusion, the application of comprehensive management strategies has improved the physical and mental health of pullets, which has, in turn, improved the quantity and quality of poultry products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Housing Environment and Farm Animals' Well-Being)

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