Waiblinger: Animal welfare and product quality
Supervisor: Susanne Waiblinger, Institut für Tierhaltung und Tierschutz, Department für Nutztiere und öffentliches Gesundheitswesen in der Veterinärmedizin
In cooperation with: Martin Wagner, Milchhygiene, Vetmeduni Vienna
Effects of human-animal interactions on animal welfare and product quality
The significance of human-farm animal interactions and the resulting human-animal relationship for animal behaviour (including defensive behaviour related to risk of accidents), animal stress and thus welfare and productivity was shown in several studies in different species. Human factors, such as attitudes, leading to differences in the human-animal relationship and thus animal welfare and productivity were identified. Recently, valid and reliable tests for the on farm assessment of the human-animal relationship for both research and implementation purposes were developed.
However, effects of the human-animal relationship on animal health and product quality were rarely in focus. Experiments as well as specific epidemiological studies of these aspects are lacking in dairy cows or laying hens in non-cage systems. Human-animal interactions were strong predictors for milk somatic cell count in an on farm study on 80 dairy cow farms in Austria. Some research suggest that stress affects milk quality negatively both directly (increased permeability of epi- and endothels of the udder) as well as indirectly (increased mastitis incidence). Former work in chicken as well as research with different laboratory animals and humans suggest a neurohumoral regulated anti-stress effect of tactile stimulation, resulting in better welfare and improved immune function. The effectiveness also depend on the body region where tactile stimulation takes place, as suggested also by results of behaviour and heart rate of dairy cows when stroked at different body regions. Regarding other sensory channels, especially acoustic interactions, or the potential of combination of different interactions no comparable knowledge exists. As well possible factors influencing the effectiveness and efficiency (such as the level of fear of human, period of time and duration of interaction) and the duration of effects were rarely investigated.
The present project aims to investigate
- Effects of different human-animal interactions (tactile on different regions, acoustic, gustative, combinations) on animal health, product quality and welfare of, e.g., dairy cows or laying hens
- Duration of potential effects.
- Potential long-term effects of early positive interactions
- Importance of early positive interactions for later efficiency of interactions
Publication list
Waiblinger, S. (1996): Die Mensch-Tier-Beziehung bei der Laufstallhaltung von behornten Milchkühen. Tierhaltung Bd. 24, Ökologie Ethologie Gesundheit, Universität/Gesamthochschule Kassel, pp 129.
Waiblinger, S. und C. Menke (1999): Influence of size of herd on human-animal relationship in dairy farms. Anthrozoös 12 (4), 240-247.
Waiblinger S., C.Menke, G. Coleman (2002): The relationship between attitudes, personal characteristics and behaviour of stockpeople and subsequent behaviour and production of dairy cows. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 79/3, 195-219.
Waiblinger, S., C.Menke and D.W.Fölsch (2003): Influences on the avoidance and approach behaviour of dairy cows towards humans on 35 farms. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 84, p.23-39.
Waiblinger S. and C. Menke (2003): Influence of sample size and experimenter on reliability of measures of avoidance distance in dairy cows. Animal Welfare 12 (4), 585-589.
Mülleder C., J. Troxler and S. Waiblinger (2003): Methodological aspects when assessing social behaviour and avoidance distance on dairy cattle farms. Animal Welfare 12 (4), 579-584.
Waiblinger, S. (2004): Human-animal relationship: the significance for dairy cow welfare and aspects of on-farm assessment. Habilitation, Vet. Med. Univ. Wien.
Rousing, T. and S. Waiblinger (2004): Evaluation of on-farm methods for testing the human-animal relationship in dairy herds with cubicle loose housing systems – Test-retest and inter-observer reliability and consistency to familiarity of test person. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 85 (3-4), 215-231.
Waiblinger, S., C. Menke, J. Korff and A. Bucher (2004): Previous handling and gentle interactions affect behaviour and heart rate of dairy cows during a veterinary procedure. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.85 (1-2), 31-42.
Waiblinger, S., Boivin, X., Pedersen, V., Tosi, M., Janczak, A.M., Visser, E. K. and Jones, R.B. (2006): Assessing the human-animal relationship in farmed species: a critical review. App. Anim. Behav. Sci. 101, 185-242.
Waiblinger, S., C. Mülleder., C. Menke (.2006): The human-animal relationship and animal health management. In: Proceedings of the Organic Congress, 30.-31.5.2006, Odense, Denmark, 498-499, http://orgprints.org/7844/ [Link 1].
Raubek, J., Niebuhr, K. and Waiblinger, S. (2007): Development of on-farm methods to assess the animal-human relationship in laying hens kept in non-cage systems. Animal Welfare, 16(2),173 – 176.
Waiblinger, S., Mülleder, C., Schmied, C. and Dembele, I. (2007): Assessing the animals’ relationship to humans in tied dairy cows: between-experimenter repeatability of measuring avoidance reactions. Animal Welfare, 16 (2),143-146.
Waiblinger, S. and Spoolder, H. (2007): Quality of stockpersonship. In: Velarde, A. and Geers, R. (eds.) On farm monitoring of pig welfare. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, 159-166.
Schmied, C., Waiblinger, S. Scharl, T., Leisch, F. and Boivin, X. (2008): Stroking of different body regions by a human: Effects on behaviour and heart rate of dairy cows, Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 109, 25-38.
Graml, C., Waiblinger, S. and Niebuhr, K. (2008): Validation of tests for on-farm assessment of the hen-human relationship in non-cage systems. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.111, 301-310.
Schmied, C., Boivin, X. and Waiblinger, S. (2008): Stroking Different Body Regions of Dairy Cows: Effects on Avoidance and Approach Behavior towards a Human, J. Dairy Sci., 91(2), 596-605.
Graml, C., Niebuhr, K. and Waiblinger, S. (2008). Reaction of laying hens to humans in the home or a novel environment. Appl.Anim.Behav.Sci. 113, 98-109.
Windschnurer, I., Schmied, C., Boivin, X., Waiblinger, S. (2008): Reliability and inter-test relationship of tests for on-farm assessment of dairy cows’ relationship to humans. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 114, 1-2, 37-53.
Windschnurer I., Boivin, X., Waiblinger, S. (2009): Reliability of an avoidance distance test for the assessment of animals' responsiveness to humans and a preliminary investigation of its association with farmers' attitudes on bull fattening farms. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 117, 3-4 117-127.
Spoolder, H. and Waiblinger, S. (2009) Pigs and humans. In: Marchant-Forde, J.M.(Ed.) The welfare of pigs. Springer, 211 – 236.
Waiblinger, S. (2009) Human-animal relations. In: Jensen, P. (Ed.) The ethology of domestic animals: An introductory text. 2nd edition. CABI.
Windschnurer I., Barth,K., Waiblinger, S. (accepted) Can stroking during milking decrease avoidance distances of cows towards humans? Animal Welfare