This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Unclaimed
Michael H. Erhard
Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Veterinärstraße 13/R, 80539 Munich, Germany

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Article
Published: 13 August 2021 in Animals
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Feather pecking and cannibalism are behavioral disorders that cause animal-welfare-relevant and economic problems. To mitigate these problems, the beaks of conventionally reared turkeys are usually already trimmed in the hatcheries. To find an alternative to beak trimming, we conducted this study with male turkeys of three breeds: B.U.T. 6, B.U.T. Premium and, Auburn (200 turkeys per breed). Half of the birds had infrared-trimmed beaks; the other half had intact beaks. For each treatment combination (breed, beak status), 25 turkeys were housed in one section. A screed grinding wheel was installed in each feed pan of the non-beak-trimmed turkeys as of week six to facilitate natural beak abrasion until slaughter. Eight randomly selected turkeys per section were regularly examined to record injuries, plumage condition, and beak dimensions. In addition, 96 beaks from randomly slaughtered birds were examined macroscopically and histologically. The results concerning injuries and plumage condition showed in most cases no differences between the beak-trimmed turkeys and the ones provided with the blunting disks. The histological examinations revealed alterations in only the beak-trimmed birds. We can conclude that the blunting method smoothens the beak during feeding and thus may be a possible alternative to beak trimming.

ACS Style

Stefanie Grün; Klaus Damme; Matthias Müller; Marie Franziska Sommer; Paul Schmidt; Michael Erhard; Shana Bergmann. Welfare and Performance of Three Turkey Breeds—Comparison between Infrared Beak Treatment and Natural Beak Abrasion by Pecking on a Screed Grinding Wheel. Animals 2021, 11, 2395 .

AMA Style

Stefanie Grün, Klaus Damme, Matthias Müller, Marie Franziska Sommer, Paul Schmidt, Michael Erhard, Shana Bergmann. Welfare and Performance of Three Turkey Breeds—Comparison between Infrared Beak Treatment and Natural Beak Abrasion by Pecking on a Screed Grinding Wheel. Animals. 2021; 11 (8):2395.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Stefanie Grün; Klaus Damme; Matthias Müller; Marie Franziska Sommer; Paul Schmidt; Michael Erhard; Shana Bergmann. 2021. "Welfare and Performance of Three Turkey Breeds—Comparison between Infrared Beak Treatment and Natural Beak Abrasion by Pecking on a Screed Grinding Wheel." Animals 11, no. 8: 2395.

Journal article
Published: 11 August 2021 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

A scientific consultation tool is currently being developed in Germany to assess, analyze, and improve animal welfare on site and simultaneously consider aspects of environmental sustainability in horse husbandry in order to contribute to a resource-conserving and responsible handling of natural resources and the welfare of living beings. To date, no study has assessed to what extent species-appropriate free-range locomotion possibilities are implemented on horse farms and to what extent turnout areas are affected by unwanted nutrient inputs from horse excretions. Using the indicators “species-appropriate turnout” (hereafter: “turnout”) and “unwanted nitrogen inputs in water bodies” (based on “nitrogen surplus”), we exemplarily examine animal- and environmentally relevant aspects of horse husbandry. We conducted 88 assessments on 46 horse farms (n = 2220 horses) to test literature-based indicators of animal welfare and environmental sustainability. We found that the indicator “nitrogen surplus,” used to assess an aspect of environmental sustainability, was mostly a problem in the wintertime (summertime = −4.24, range: −109.27–58.97; wintertime: mean: 12.01, range: −35.19–468.00 nitrogen surplus per hectare, n = 44 farms, p< 0.001), when the horses had a reduced space allowance for free locomotion. On most farms, “turnout” was provided daily for several hours, but in many of the single housing systems, not all horses had the possibility for free locomotion (24.1 ± 20.4% of horses per farm), which is unacceptable in terms of animal welfare. Husbandry systems with a large enough space allowance for turnout (≥200 m2 per horse) were found to be measures with a valuable synergetic effect, providing a resource which is an opportunity both for an environmentally sustainable and welfare-friendly horse husbandry. Demanuring remarkably decreased the nitrogen surplus (p< 0.001). Hence, based on the study, we recommend to daily demanure the pasture or paddock if the space allowance is less than 200 m2 per horse. In conclusion, regarding animal welfare, group housing is favorable, but regarding a site-specific environmentally friendly or even biodiversity-enhancing management, space allowance per horse is a crucial factor rather than the type of housing system. The two selected exemplary indictors demonstrate the need for a holistic and comprehensive decision support system that considers the linkage between horse welfare and environmental sustainability in order to assist peoples’ decision-making with horses under their care.

ACS Style

Miriam Baumgartner; Sandra Kuhnke; Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen; Michael H. Erhard; Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8991 .

AMA Style

Miriam Baumgartner, Sandra Kuhnke, Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen, Michael H. Erhard, Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):8991.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Miriam Baumgartner; Sandra Kuhnke; Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen; Michael H. Erhard; Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. 2021. "Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8991.

Journal article
Published: 26 September 2020 in Animals
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of four local anesthetics on pain relief during surgical castration under standardized conditions in conscious piglets. Therefore, 71 male piglets (three to seven days) were distributed into control groups (handling, castration without anesthesia or analgesia) and local anesthetic trial groups (procaine, lidocaine, bupivacaine, mepivacaine). Then, 20 min prior to castration, animals of the treatment groups, except piglets in the handling group, received an injection of a local anesthetic or sodium chloride of 0.5 mL intratesticularly and 0.5 mL subscrotally. During injection and castration, defensive behavior was evaluated. Locomotor activity, as well as postoperative bleeding, wound healing and average daily weight gain were assessed to detect side effects. The injection caused increased defensive movements, significantly in the bupivacaine group. Lidocaine and mepivacaine significantly reduced defensive movements during castration, and procaine and bupivacaine only during severing of the spermatic cord. Impairments of locomotor activity were found in piglets injected with lidocaine, bupivacaine or sodium chloride. Considering healing, bleeding and weight gain, no negative impacts were observed. In conclusion, lidocaine and mepivacaine were able to achieve significant pain relief during the castration procedure, whereas procaine and bupivacaine only during the severing of the spermatic cord. Moreover, the injection of bupivacaine seemed to be painful itself.

ACS Style

Nora Abendschön; Steffanie Senf; Pauline Deffner; Regina Miller; Andrea Grott; Julia Werner; Anna M. Saller; Judith Reiser; Christine Weiß; Yury Zablotski; Johannes Fischer; Shana Bergmann; Michael H. Erhard; Christine Baumgartner; Mathias Ritzmann; Susanne Zöls. Local Anesthesia in Piglets Undergoing Castration—A Comparative Study to Investigate the Analgesic Effects of Four Local Anesthetics Based on Defensive Behavior and Side Effects. Animals 2020, 10, 1752 .

AMA Style

Nora Abendschön, Steffanie Senf, Pauline Deffner, Regina Miller, Andrea Grott, Julia Werner, Anna M. Saller, Judith Reiser, Christine Weiß, Yury Zablotski, Johannes Fischer, Shana Bergmann, Michael H. Erhard, Christine Baumgartner, Mathias Ritzmann, Susanne Zöls. Local Anesthesia in Piglets Undergoing Castration—A Comparative Study to Investigate the Analgesic Effects of Four Local Anesthetics Based on Defensive Behavior and Side Effects. Animals. 2020; 10 (10):1752.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nora Abendschön; Steffanie Senf; Pauline Deffner; Regina Miller; Andrea Grott; Julia Werner; Anna M. Saller; Judith Reiser; Christine Weiß; Yury Zablotski; Johannes Fischer; Shana Bergmann; Michael H. Erhard; Christine Baumgartner; Mathias Ritzmann; Susanne Zöls. 2020. "Local Anesthesia in Piglets Undergoing Castration—A Comparative Study to Investigate the Analgesic Effects of Four Local Anesthetics Based on Defensive Behavior and Side Effects." Animals 10, no. 10: 1752.

Journal article
Published: 02 March 2020 in Animals
Reads 0
Downloads 0

It is a basic high priority need of every horse to take in roughage continuously. In order to ensure the horses’ behavioural, physical and mental welfare, any pause of feed intake should not last for more than 4 hours. However, this basic need is often neglected in practice. The aim of the presented study was to assess the welfare of horses that are fed restrictively (non ad libitum) and kept in individual housing systems. We analyzed whether the feed intake behaviour of horses on edible bedding differs from the one of horses on non-edible bedding. As a common practice, the individually stabled horses were fed roughage twice or thrice a day. Our results showed that with this restrictive feeding practice, the horses were not able to eat any roughage for approx. 9 h during the night. Horses on non-edible bedding altered their feed intake behaviour - i.e., they paused less often during their meals and at a later point in time than the horses on edible bedding. We conclude that special feeding patterns have to be implemented (e.g., automated forage feeding systems) to avoid any impairment of the horses’ welfare if kept on non-edible bedding. During the evolution of the horse, an extended period of feed intake, spread over the entire 24-h period, determined the horses’ behaviour and physiology. Horses will not interrupt their feed intake for more than 4 h, if they have a choice. The aim of the present study was to investigate in what way restrictive feeding practices (non ad libitum) affect the horses’ natural feed intake behaviour. We observed the feed intake behaviour of 104 horses on edible (n = 30) and non-edible bedding (n = 74) on ten different farms. We assessed the duration of the forced nocturnal feed intake interruption of horses housed on shavings when no additional roughage was available. Furthermore, we comparatively examined the feed intake behaviour of horses housed on edible versus non-edible bedding. The daily restrictive feeding of roughage (2 times a day: n = 8; 3 times a day: n = 2), as it is common in individual housing systems, resulted in a nocturnal feed intake interruption of more than 4 hours for the majority (74.32%, 55/74) of the horses on shavings (8:50 ± 1:25 h, median: 8:45 h, minimum: 6:45 h, maximum: 13:23 h). In comparison to horses on straw, horses on shavings paused their feed intake less frequently and at a later latency. Furthermore, they spent less time on consuming the evening meal than horses on straw. Our results of the comparison of the feed-intake behaviour of horses on edible and non-edible bedding show that the horses’ ethological feeding needs are not satisfied on non-edible bedding. If the horses accelerate their feed intake (also defined as “rebound effect”), this might indicate that the horses‘ welfare is compromised. We conclude that in addition to the body condition score, the longest duration of feed intake interruption (usually in the night) is an important welfare indicator of horses that have limited access to roughage.

ACS Style

Miriam Baumgartner; Theresa Boisson; Michael H. Erhard; Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. Common Feeding Practices Pose A Risk to the Welfare of Horses When Kept on Non-Edible Bedding. Animals 2020, 10, 411 .

AMA Style

Miriam Baumgartner, Theresa Boisson, Michael H. Erhard, Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. Common Feeding Practices Pose A Risk to the Welfare of Horses When Kept on Non-Edible Bedding. Animals. 2020; 10 (3):411.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Miriam Baumgartner; Theresa Boisson; Michael H. Erhard; Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. 2020. "Common Feeding Practices Pose A Risk to the Welfare of Horses When Kept on Non-Edible Bedding." Animals 10, no. 3: 411.

Journal article
Published: 22 May 2019 in Animals
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Domesticated horses are constantly confronted with novel tasks. A recent study on anecdotal data indicates that some are innovative in dealing with such tasks. However, innovative behavior in horses has not previously been investigated under experimental conditions. In this study, we investigated whether 16 horses found an innovative solution when confronted with a novel feeder. Moreover, we investigated whether innovative behavior in horses may be affected by individual aspects such as: age, sex, size, motor and sensory laterality, fecal stress hormone concentrations (GCMs), and task-related behavior. Our study revealed evidence for 25% of the horses being capable of innovative problem solving for operating a novel feeder. Innovative horses of the present study were active, tenacious, and may be considered to have a higher inhibitory control, which was revealed by their task related behavior. Furthermore, they appeared to be emotional, reflected by high baseline GCM concentrations and a left sensory and motor laterality. These findings may contribute to the understanding of horses’ cognitive capacities to deal with their environment and calls for enriched environments in sports and leisure horse management.

ACS Style

Laureen Esch; Caroline Wöhr; Michael Erhard; Konstanze Krüger. Horses’ (Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving. Animals 2019, 9, 265 .

AMA Style

Laureen Esch, Caroline Wöhr, Michael Erhard, Konstanze Krüger. Horses’ (Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving. Animals. 2019; 9 (5):265.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laureen Esch; Caroline Wöhr; Michael Erhard; Konstanze Krüger. 2019. "Horses’ (Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving." Animals 9, no. 5: 265.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2019 in The Animal Biology
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Elke Rauch; T. Kürn; K. Bernhart; Klaus Reiter; Michael Erhard. Impact of ad libitum milk feeding regarding weight gain and behaviour of Simmental calves. The Animal Biology 2019, 21, 58 -60.

AMA Style

Elke Rauch, T. Kürn, K. Bernhart, Klaus Reiter, Michael Erhard. Impact of ad libitum milk feeding regarding weight gain and behaviour of Simmental calves. The Animal Biology. 2019; 21 (2):58-60.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elke Rauch; T. Kürn; K. Bernhart; Klaus Reiter; Michael Erhard. 2019. "Impact of ad libitum milk feeding regarding weight gain and behaviour of Simmental calves." The Animal Biology 21, no. 2: 58-60.

Journal article
Published: 19 October 2018 in Tierärztliche Praxis Ausgabe G: Großtiere / Nutztiere
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Zusammenfassung Ziel: Direkter Vergleich einer alternativen Abferkelbucht mit einem konventionellen Kastenstand mit Fokus auf Tierwohl und -leistung. Material und Methoden: Über ein Jahr wurden in sieben Durchgängen Daten von 129 Sauen und deren 2109 Ferkeln (davon 1935 lebend geboren) erfasst. 65 Sauen (Versuchsgruppe, VG) waren in einer Abferkelbucht mit zu öffnendem Stand, 64 Sauen (Kontrollgruppe, KG) in einem Kastenstand eingestallt. Erfasst wurden der Body Condition Score (BCS) der Sauen sowie Verluste und Gewicht bei den Ferkeln. Die Beurteilung fand 9–10 Tage nach Einstallen der Muttersau (Beurteilungszeitpunkt 1 = BZP1) und 21 Tage später (BZP2) statt. In der VG wurde der Stand 5–17 Tage nach dem Abferkeln geöffnet. Das Versuchsprotokoll sah eine Öffnung nach Tag 7 vor, weshalb die Auswertung sowohl nach Tagen (Zeitraum [ZR] 1 von Tag 1–7, ZR2 ab Tag 8) als auch nach Standöffnung (offen: Gruppe Vo, geschlossen: Gruppe Vg) erfolgte. Ergebnisse: Die durchschnittlichen Ferkelzunahmen unterschieden sich nicht signifikant (VG: 5169,4 ± 787,9 g; KG: 5304,2 ± 873,3 g). Der BCS der Sauen zum BZP1 (VG: 3,30 ± 0,47; KG: 3,33 ± 0,52) war in beiden Gruppen annähernd gleich, während die Sauen der VG an BZP2 signifikant (p = 0,001) besser konditioniert waren (VG: 2,82 ± 0,54; KG: 2,50 ± 0,48). Die Gesamtverluste differierten zwischen VG und KG nicht signifikant. Die relativen Erdrückungsverluste waren von Tag 1–7 in der VG mit geschlossener Bucht signifikant (p = 0,016) geringer als in der KG. Ab Tag 8 zeigte sich in Gruppe Vo kein signifikanter Unterschied zur Gruppe Vg. Die durchschnittliche Anzahl lebend geborener Ferkel pro Sau betrug in der VG 15,1, in der KG 14,9. Schlussfolgerung und klinische Relevanz: Mit Fixierung der Sau in den ersten Lebenstagen der Ferkel erwies sich die getestete Abferkelbucht hinsichtlich der Produktionsdaten in diesem Betrieb als Alternative zum Kastenstand. Da Verluste nicht nur mit dem Haltungssystem verbunden sind, könnte eine Kombination dieser tierfreundlicheren Abferkelbucht mit einer anderen Genetik (weniger Ferkel/Wurf) ähnliche Aufzucht-ergebnisse erbringen wie das konventionelle System.

ACS Style

Elisabeth Spindler; Sandrina Klein; Sven Reese; Dorian Patzkéwitsch; Michael Erhard. Eine alternative Abferkelbucht im Feldversuch – direkter Vergleich zweier Abferkelsysteme. Tierärztliche Praxis Ausgabe G: Großtiere / Nutztiere 2018, 46, 283 -290.

AMA Style

Elisabeth Spindler, Sandrina Klein, Sven Reese, Dorian Patzkéwitsch, Michael Erhard. Eine alternative Abferkelbucht im Feldversuch – direkter Vergleich zweier Abferkelsysteme. Tierärztliche Praxis Ausgabe G: Großtiere / Nutztiere. 2018; 46 (05):283-290.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elisabeth Spindler; Sandrina Klein; Sven Reese; Dorian Patzkéwitsch; Michael Erhard. 2018. "Eine alternative Abferkelbucht im Feldversuch – direkter Vergleich zweier Abferkelsysteme." Tierärztliche Praxis Ausgabe G: Großtiere / Nutztiere 46, no. 05: 283-290.

Journal article
Published: 19 October 2018 in Animals
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Animal welfare has been of increasing interest to consumers and producers of animal products in Europe. Issues during transport affect both the wellbeing and the productivity of livestock. This study was conducted to analyze two practice-oriented transport variants of organically mixed-held white and brown pullets. No significant difference could be found between the transport variants. Instead, we discovered clear differences between the two genetic pullet lines. The welfare of two genetic lines of organic layer hen pullets—H&N Super Nick (HNS) and H&N Brown Nick (HNB)—was compared during two commercial transport variants of 15 flocks of mixed-reared birds. Birds were either transported overnight (with a break in travel), or were transported direct to the layer farm (without a break in travel). Samples of feces were collected non-invasively from 25 birds of each genetic line per flock for each transport variant before transportation to evaluate baseline values of glucocorticoid metabolites, and at 0 h, 3 h, 6 h, 10 h, 24 h, 34 h, 48 h, 58 h, and 72 h after the end of transportation, to measure transportation and translocation stress. We assessed the fear toward humans with the touch test before transportation, and we checked the birds’ body condition by scoring the plumage condition and the occurrence of injuries. Body weight before and weight loss after transportation were determined, and ambient temperature was measured before, during, and after transportation. Stress investigations showed no significant differences between the transport variants (effect: −0.208; 95% confidence interval (CI): (−0.567; 0.163)). Instead, we discovered differences between the pullet lines (effect: −0.286; 95% CI: (−0.334; 0.238)). Weight loss was different between the transport variants (2.1 percentage points; 95% CI: (−2.6; −1.5)) and between the genetic lines, as HNB lost significantly less weight than HNS (0.5 percentage points; 95% CI: (0.3; 0.7)).

ACS Style

Helena Sprafke; Rupert Palme; Paul Schmidt; Michael Erhard; Shana Bergmann. Effect of Two Transport Options on the Welfare of Two Genetic Lines of Organic Free Range Pullets in Switzerland. Animals 2018, 8, 183 .

AMA Style

Helena Sprafke, Rupert Palme, Paul Schmidt, Michael Erhard, Shana Bergmann. Effect of Two Transport Options on the Welfare of Two Genetic Lines of Organic Free Range Pullets in Switzerland. Animals. 2018; 8 (10):183.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Helena Sprafke; Rupert Palme; Paul Schmidt; Michael Erhard; Shana Bergmann. 2018. "Effect of Two Transport Options on the Welfare of Two Genetic Lines of Organic Free Range Pullets in Switzerland." Animals 8, no. 10: 183.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2016 in Poultry Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The dust-bathing behavior of Lohmann Selected Leghorn hens was compared in 4 enriched colony housing systems and in an aviary system. The enriched colony housing systems differed especially in the alignment and division of the functional areas dust bath, nest, and perches. Forty-eight-hour video recordings were performed at 3 time-points during the laying period, and focal animal sampling and behavior sampling methods were used to analyze the dust-bathing behavior. Focal animal data included the relative fractions of dust-bathing hens overall, of hens bathing in the dust-bath area, and of those bathing on the wire floor throughout the day. Behavior data included the number of dust-bathing bouts within a predefined time range, the duration of 1 bout, the number of and reasons for interruptions, and the number of and reasons for the termination of dust-bathing bouts. Results showed that the average duration of dust bathing varied between the 4 enriched colony housing systems compared with the aviary system. The duration of dust-bathing bouts was shorter than reported under natural conditions. A positive correlation between dust-bathing activity and size of the dust-bath area was observed. Frequently, dust baths were interrupted and terminated by disturbing influences such as pecking by other hens. This was especially observed in the enriched colony housing systems. In none of the observed systems, neither in the enriched colony housing nor in the aviary system, were all of the observed dust baths terminated "normally." Dust bathing behavior on the wire mesh rather than in the provided dust-bath area generally was observed at different frequencies in all enriched colony housing systems during all observation periods, but never in the aviary system. The size and design of the dust-bath area influenced the prevalence of dust-bathing behavior in that small and subdivided dust-bath areas reduced the number of dust-bathing bouts but increased the incidence of sham dust bathing on the wire mesh.

ACS Style

Helen Louton; Shana Bergmann; Sven Reese; M. H. Erhard; E. Rauch. Dust-bathing behavior of laying hens in enriched colony housing systems and an aviary system. Poultry Science 2016, 95, 1482 -1491.

AMA Style

Helen Louton, Shana Bergmann, Sven Reese, M. H. Erhard, E. Rauch. Dust-bathing behavior of laying hens in enriched colony housing systems and an aviary system. Poultry Science. 2016; 95 (7):1482-1491.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Helen Louton; Shana Bergmann; Sven Reese; M. H. Erhard; E. Rauch. 2016. "Dust-bathing behavior of laying hens in enriched colony housing systems and an aviary system." Poultry Science 95, no. 7: 1482-1491.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2016 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0

European legislation recommends comfortable resting areas, toys and chews in laboratory dogs’ husbandry. However, there is no standard “enrichment” defined for laboratory dogs as yet. Different research facilities provide different housing conditions and forms of enrichment. To get an overview of the behavior of dogs in their usual housing conditions in different laboratories and to evaluate whether and how much they use the enrichment available to them, the present study was conducted in four research facilities (A-D) by videotaping 47 beagles over a 24-hour period. Housing conditions differed widely between facilities. In three facilities the kennels were equipped with resting areas (A: dog beds, B: elevated lying boards, C: low lying boards), two facilities provided chewing objects that were permanently available (A: branches, C: dental balls), and two facilities enabled permanent access to outdoor runs (C, D).The dogs frequently used available indoor resting areas, mainly in company and as a whole group (mean of 0.83 in the 80% confidence interval with a lower bound of 0.59 and an upper bound of 0.94) and particularly during the night (dog beds with bedding in A: 83.1%-95.6% of ca. 17h in the indoor kennels; elevated plastic lying board in B: 50.2% of 24h; 75.4% of 12 h at night; low lying boards in C: 60.3% of 24h; 79.8% of 12 h at night; percentages represent mean portion of time per dog). The dogs only rarely lay on the ground when dog beds or lying boards were available. The permanent available chews, branches in the runs or dental balls, were only rarely used.Permanent access to outdoor runs was predominantly used during daytime (C: 41.8%, D: 24.1% from 6:00-18:00 hrs.) and as exclusive defecation area. Aggressive behaviors like baring teeth, snapping, or biting did not occur. Only two of the 47 dogs showed repetitive behaviors lasting for more than five minutes. Coprophagy occurred very frequently in all four facilities, and one facility with the youngest dogs had the highest mean incidence of 5.3 times per dog during 24h.This study confirms the importance of resting areas as permanent enrichment and shows the willingness and desire of laboratory dogs to use defecation areas away from their resting areas. However, the attractiveness and safety of chews and toys require further research.

ACS Style

Dorothea Döring; Barbara E. Haberland; Alexander Bauer; Britta Dobenecker; Rüdiger Hack; Jörg Schmidt; Michael Helmut Erhard. Behavioral observations in dogs in 4 research facilities: Do they use their enrichment? Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2016, 13, 55 -62.

AMA Style

Dorothea Döring, Barbara E. Haberland, Alexander Bauer, Britta Dobenecker, Rüdiger Hack, Jörg Schmidt, Michael Helmut Erhard. Behavioral observations in dogs in 4 research facilities: Do they use their enrichment? Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2016; 13 ():55-62.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dorothea Döring; Barbara E. Haberland; Alexander Bauer; Britta Dobenecker; Rüdiger Hack; Jörg Schmidt; Michael Helmut Erhard. 2016. "Behavioral observations in dogs in 4 research facilities: Do they use their enrichment?" Journal of Veterinary Behavior 13, no. : 55-62.

Journal article
Published: 08 April 2016 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Dorothea Döring; Daphne A. Ketter; André Klima; Helmut Küchenhoff; Britta Dobenecker; Jörg Schmidt; Michael H. Erhard. Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2016, 13, 39 -45.

AMA Style

Dorothea Döring, Daphne A. Ketter, André Klima, Helmut Küchenhoff, Britta Dobenecker, Jörg Schmidt, Michael H. Erhard. Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2016; 13 ():39-45.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dorothea Döring; Daphne A. Ketter; André Klima; Helmut Küchenhoff; Britta Dobenecker; Jörg Schmidt; Michael H. Erhard. 2016. "Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 13, no. : 39-45.

Journal article
Published: 09 March 2016 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0

- Farmed mink used the opportunity to stay at or in water basins extensively.- The mink showed a significant preference for a rectangular, 30 cm deep swimming pool over a running creek (3,5 cm deep) and a round pond (80 cm deep)- We found no indication for hygienic issues in the swimming water. AbstractThe aims of this study were to investigate whether farmed mink use swimming basins as an environmental enrichment factor and to identify layouts suitable to allow mink to perform their characteristic behavior to a large extent. Furthermore, an assessment of the water quality was intended. In 2006, the German ‘Order on the Protection of Animals and the Keeping of Production Animals’ (German designation: Tierschutz-Nutztierhaltungsverordnung) stated mandatory husbandry requirements for fur animals for the first time in Germany. For mink, these include a water basin which is suitable for swimming.Forty American mink (Neovison vison) from a commercial mink farm were housed in two identically constructed free-range enclosures at the age of 13 weeks. In each of the two enclosures, the mink were offered three different water basins, which differed in shape, depth and surface area and included a rectangular ‘swimming pool’ (surface area approx. 20.5 m2, depth approx. 30 cm), a round ‘pond’ (surface area 4.9 m2, depth approx. 80 cm) and a flowing ‘creek’ (surface area 4.0 m2, length approx. 10.0 m, width 40 cm, depth 3–4 cm). Twenty nest boxes were placed in each enclosure (animal–to–nest box ratio: 1:1). The animal behavior in both groups was assessed by direct and video observations. Results showed that the mink generally accepted all three water basins and used them extensively from the beginning to the end of the study. Descriptive and negative binomial model analysis of water contact counts obtained from direct observations showed that mink preferred the swimming pool. However, in relation to the basin surface area the preference effect is more pronounced for the pond. Overall, the animals spent a considerable amount of time at and in the water during their main activity time. On average, each mink could be observed seven minutes per hour (12.0 %) at and in the pool or three minutes per hour (5.5 %) in the pool. The water quality was very good throughout the study. Although the mink used the water frequently, the total bacteria count and the level of Enterobacteriaceae were always very low. There were no traces of salmonella in any water sample.

ACS Style

Angela Schwarzer; Shana Bergmann; Juliane Manitz; Helmut Küchenhoff; Michael Helmut Erhard; Elke Rauch. Behavioral studies on the use of open water basins by American mink (Neovison vison). Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2016, 13, 19 -26.

AMA Style

Angela Schwarzer, Shana Bergmann, Juliane Manitz, Helmut Küchenhoff, Michael Helmut Erhard, Elke Rauch. Behavioral studies on the use of open water basins by American mink (Neovison vison). Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2016; 13 ():19-26.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Angela Schwarzer; Shana Bergmann; Juliane Manitz; Helmut Küchenhoff; Michael Helmut Erhard; Elke Rauch. 2016. "Behavioral studies on the use of open water basins by American mink (Neovison vison)." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 13, no. : 19-26.

English abstract
Published: 25 February 2016 in Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Elke Rauch; Nicola Hirsch; Nina Firnkäs; Michael Helmut Erhard; Shana Bergmann. [Animal hygiene, water quality and animal health using round drinkers as an animal-friendly water supply for Pekin ducks under practical conditions]. Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift 2016, 129, 1 .

AMA Style

Elke Rauch, Nicola Hirsch, Nina Firnkäs, Michael Helmut Erhard, Shana Bergmann. [Animal hygiene, water quality and animal health using round drinkers as an animal-friendly water supply for Pekin ducks under practical conditions]. Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift. 2016; 129 (1):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elke Rauch; Nicola Hirsch; Nina Firnkäs; Michael Helmut Erhard; Shana Bergmann. 2016. "[Animal hygiene, water quality and animal health using round drinkers as an animal-friendly water supply for Pekin ducks under practical conditions]." Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift 129, no. 1: 1.

English abstract
Published: 25 February 2016 in Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Elke Rauch; Nina Firnkäs; Nicola Hirsch; Klaus Damme; Paul Schmidt; Michael Helmut Erhard; Shana Bergmann. [Use of the AquaDuc T® round drinker with Pekin ducks under field conditions--behaviour as one indicator of welfare]. Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift 2016, 129, 1 .

AMA Style

Elke Rauch, Nina Firnkäs, Nicola Hirsch, Klaus Damme, Paul Schmidt, Michael Helmut Erhard, Shana Bergmann. [Use of the AquaDuc T® round drinker with Pekin ducks under field conditions--behaviour as one indicator of welfare]. Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift. 2016; 129 (1):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elke Rauch; Nina Firnkäs; Nicola Hirsch; Klaus Damme; Paul Schmidt; Michael Helmut Erhard; Shana Bergmann. 2016. "[Use of the AquaDuc T® round drinker with Pekin ducks under field conditions--behaviour as one indicator of welfare]." Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift 129, no. 1: 1.

Journal article
Published: 25 February 2016 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Conventional ‘battery’ cages for laying hens without perches, nests and litter areas have been banned by law throughout the European Union since 1 January 2012. As an alternative solution, enriched cage systems were introduced. Our aim was to investigate how many applications of litter substrate per day are necessary to motivate laying hens to perform dust bathing behaviour, and to what extent the hens use these offered litter areas in a species-appropriate manner. Each of the two consecutive experiments was conducted for 12 months, during which 20 (experiment 1) and 40 (experiment 2) laying hens of the strains Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) and Lohmann Brown Classic (LB) were housed in 10 units of the enriched cage system HÜK 125/80 (2 hens/unit [(experiment 1], 4 hens/unit [experiment 2], same strain per unit). In defined daily application frequencies from one to four times (11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.) over the laying period, 50g conventional feed per application were applied as litter substrate onto each 925cm2 sized mat. The hens were recorded weekly by digital video systems. Results showed that the mean duration of dust bathing behaviour lasted 05:58min in experiment 1 and 04:59min in experiment 2. Litter application frequency had a significant effect on the dust bathing duration as well in experiment 1 (P<0.05) as experiment 2 (P<0.01). For both experiments the number of dust baths increased with the maximum number of litter applications per day and this linear trend is significant for experiment 2 (P<0.001). A high percentage of interrupted and early terminated dust bathing bouts were observed, mostly induced by a conspecific. The mean interruption duration was 00:18min for experiment 1 and 00:45min for experiment 2. The daily litter application frequency had no significant effect on the duration of interruptions for neither experiment but on the number of interruptions. According to the results of this study, litter applications at least twice a day can be recommended, and sufficiently sized dust bathing mats should be offered to laying hens housed in cage systems. Even with generously provided resources, the hens showed deficits in species–specific behaviour

ACS Style

Hye-Won Lee; Helen Louton; Angela Schwarzer; Elke Rauch; Amrei Probst; Shuai Shao; Paul Schmidt; Michael Helmut Erhard; Shana Bergmann. Effects of multiple daily litter applications on the dust bathing behaviour of laying hens kept in an enriched cage system. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2016, 178, 51 -59.

AMA Style

Hye-Won Lee, Helen Louton, Angela Schwarzer, Elke Rauch, Amrei Probst, Shuai Shao, Paul Schmidt, Michael Helmut Erhard, Shana Bergmann. Effects of multiple daily litter applications on the dust bathing behaviour of laying hens kept in an enriched cage system. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2016; 178 ():51-59.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hye-Won Lee; Helen Louton; Angela Schwarzer; Elke Rauch; Amrei Probst; Shuai Shao; Paul Schmidt; Michael Helmut Erhard; Shana Bergmann. 2016. "Effects of multiple daily litter applications on the dust bathing behaviour of laying hens kept in an enriched cage system." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 178, no. : 51-59.

Journal article
Published: 29 December 2015 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Barbara M. Schneider; Michael Helmut Erhard; Fabian Scheipl; Helmut Küchenhoff; Dorothea Döring. Comparison of 2 gentling programs for laboratory rats: Effects on the behavior toward humans. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2015, 12, 73 -81.

AMA Style

Barbara M. Schneider, Michael Helmut Erhard, Fabian Scheipl, Helmut Küchenhoff, Dorothea Döring. Comparison of 2 gentling programs for laboratory rats: Effects on the behavior toward humans. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2015; 12 ():73-81.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Barbara M. Schneider; Michael Helmut Erhard; Fabian Scheipl; Helmut Küchenhoff; Dorothea Döring. 2015. "Comparison of 2 gentling programs for laboratory rats: Effects on the behavior toward humans." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 12, no. : 73-81.

Journal article
Published: 12 December 2015 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Horses are kept in various housing systems, for example, with conspecifics in horse pens or singly in horseboxes, with or without pasturing. To provide appropriate living conditions for horses, it is necessary to know in which conditions they feel well or unwell. Here, a cognitive bias assessment provides information about an individual's affective state and its well-being. When a positive affective state prevails, animals tend to judge optimistically in ambiguous situations. When a negative affective state prevails, animals judge pessimistically in unclear situations. In the present study, we trained horses on a spatial discrimination task and evaluated their judgment of ambiguous locations when they had access to pastures and contact to conspecifics versus when they were kept singly in horseboxes. Ten days of pasturing and contact with conspecifics after being kept singly in horseboxes for 6 months induced a positive cognitive bias in the horses. We suggest that horses need to act out certain behaviors like exploration, social interaction, play, or grooming to fulfill their needs. After a time in which they were individually in horseboxes without pasturing and access to the herd, they seem to have a positive cognitive bias once they have access to pastures and conspecifics. This positive cognitive bias effect seems to disappear over time, as horses appear to adapt to the circumstances.

ACS Style

Sandra Löckener; Sven Reese; Michael Helmut Erhard; Anna-Caroline Wöhr. Pasturing in herds after housing in horseboxes induces a positive cognitive bias in horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2015, 11, 50 -55.

AMA Style

Sandra Löckener, Sven Reese, Michael Helmut Erhard, Anna-Caroline Wöhr. Pasturing in herds after housing in horseboxes induces a positive cognitive bias in horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2015; 11 ():50-55.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sandra Löckener; Sven Reese; Michael Helmut Erhard; Anna-Caroline Wöhr. 2015. "Pasturing in herds after housing in horseboxes induces a positive cognitive bias in horses." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 11, no. : 50-55.

Journal article
Published: 21 October 2015 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Dorothea Döring; Barbara E. Haberland; Andrea Ossig; Helmut Küchenhoff; Britta Dobenecker; Rüdiger Hack; Jörg Schmidt; Michael H. Erhard. Behavior of laboratory beagles: Assessment in a standardized behavior test using novel stimuli and situations. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2015, 11, 18 -25.

AMA Style

Dorothea Döring, Barbara E. Haberland, Andrea Ossig, Helmut Küchenhoff, Britta Dobenecker, Rüdiger Hack, Jörg Schmidt, Michael H. Erhard. Behavior of laboratory beagles: Assessment in a standardized behavior test using novel stimuli and situations. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2015; 11 ():18-25.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dorothea Döring; Barbara E. Haberland; Andrea Ossig; Helmut Küchenhoff; Britta Dobenecker; Rüdiger Hack; Jörg Schmidt; Michael H. Erhard. 2015. "Behavior of laboratory beagles: Assessment in a standardized behavior test using novel stimuli and situations." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 11, no. : 18-25.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2015 in Animal Welfare
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Excessive breeding for brachycephaly (fore-shortened muzzle) has led to increasing problems in pugs related to brachycephalic airway syndrome (BAS). Consequently, the German Pug Club (Deutscher Mopsclub eV; DMC) established a stress test in 2009 that must be passed for breeding and requires normalised heart and respiratory rates 15 min after having covered a distance of 1 km. In this study, 42 pugs underwent the stress test under standardised conditions. Taking into account that this exercise should not be too physically demanding for any healthy dog, the results were surprising: 14 of the pugs failed, ie a failure rate of 33.3%. In addition to the stress test, the pugs were assessed according to their heart and respiratory rates at rest, which we predicted would be associated with BAS, and in this test, 21 out of 42 pugs failed. Thus, 50.0% of the pugs were in a severely compromised physical condition. A further group of seven retropugs, ie a crossbreed of pugs with a slightly longer muzzle, was included in the study to compare brachycephalic problems. All of the retropugs passed the test, even when respiratory and heart rates at rest were considered. However, the findings may not be transferable to all retropugs because of the small sample size, so further research is needed. In summary, this study has enabled the development of recommendations for future implementation of stress tests.

ACS Style

A Bartels; V Martin; E Bidoli; S Steigmeier-Raith; A Bruhschwein; Sven Reese; R Köstlin; Michael Helmut Erhard. Brachycephalic problems of pugs relevant to animal welfare. Animal Welfare 2015, 24, 327 -333.

AMA Style

A Bartels, V Martin, E Bidoli, S Steigmeier-Raith, A Bruhschwein, Sven Reese, R Köstlin, Michael Helmut Erhard. Brachycephalic problems of pugs relevant to animal welfare. Animal Welfare. 2015; 24 (3):327-333.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A Bartels; V Martin; E Bidoli; S Steigmeier-Raith; A Bruhschwein; Sven Reese; R Köstlin; Michael Helmut Erhard. 2015. "Brachycephalic problems of pugs relevant to animal welfare." Animal Welfare 24, no. 3: 327-333.

Articles
Published: 20 January 2015 in Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Sheep and goats are frequently used in nonhuman animal-assisted activities on city farms. There are few data available on this type of usage of small ruminants. Health evaluations, behavioral observations (feeding, resting, comfort, explorative and social behaviors), behavioral tests (human approach tests and touch test), and measurements of fecal cortisol metabolites and heart rate were performed to assess stress levels in 25 sheep and 32 goats on 7 city farms and 2 activity playgrounds in Germany. No evidence was found that the animals suffered from major distress. Health evaluations, behavioral observations, and behavioral tests proved to be the methods of stress assessment most suitable for routine on-farm checks in these settings.

ACS Style

Anna-Katarina Schilling; Sven Reese; Rupert Palme; Michael Helmut Erhard; Anna-Caroline Wöhr. Stress Assessment in Small Ruminants Kept on City Farms in Southern Germany. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 2015, 18, 119 -132.

AMA Style

Anna-Katarina Schilling, Sven Reese, Rupert Palme, Michael Helmut Erhard, Anna-Caroline Wöhr. Stress Assessment in Small Ruminants Kept on City Farms in Southern Germany. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 2015; 18 (2):119-132.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anna-Katarina Schilling; Sven Reese; Rupert Palme; Michael Helmut Erhard; Anna-Caroline Wöhr. 2015. "Stress Assessment in Small Ruminants Kept on City Farms in Southern Germany." Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 18, no. 2: 119-132.