cow confort and stall design - umb · cow response to calf calls. time (ms) (khz) cow vocal...

Warm up game: 1st example:

Time (s)

Fre

qu

en

cy (

kH

z)

0 10

0

1

Warm up game: 2nd example:

Time (s)

Fre

qu

en

cy (

kH

z)

0 4

0

5

Warm up game: 3rd example:

Time (s)

Fre

qu

en

cy (

kH

z)

0 4

0

5

From bird song to pig squeals: animal signals as a

window into animal welfare

Animal signals and communication, NOVA course January 2010

How do animals view their world?

Animal Welfare

Affective states

Basic health &

functioningNatural living

Vocalizations and Welfare Assessment

1) Indicators of functional states (e.g. calf

response to separation):

- Theory, validation, application

Vocalizations and Welfare Assessment

1) Indicators of functional states (e.g. calf

response to separation):

- Theory, validation, application

2) Indicators of subjective states

(e.g. piglet response to

castration):

- Theory, validation, application

Do signals reflect the animal's state?

“begging” calls

“distress” calls

“alarm” calls

Signals can be uninformative or

misinformative:

- Absence of signal

e.g. calling in response to pain, predator

- Presence of signal

e.g. food calls, alarm calls

Honest signalling: Type I

Signalling quality: condition and

signalling positively correlated

- Signalling entails a cost

- High quality individuals pay a

lower cost to produce a given

signal

Honest signalling: Type I

Signalling quality: condition and

signalling positively correlated

- Signalling entails a cost

- High quality individuals pay a

lower cost to produce a given

signal

Honest signalling: Type II

Signalling need: need and signalling positively

correlated

- Listeners derive a benefit by responding

- Signallers vary in need for the response

- Signalling entails a cost

e.g. calling by dairy calves?

Time (ms)

Fre

qu

en

cy

(k

Hz)

Calf vocal response to separation

0

5

10

15

Peak HR Ear mvmt Head mvmt

Noise

CallChange

Marchant et al., 2000

Cow response to calf calls

Time (ms)

Fre

qu

en

cy (

kH

z)

Cow vocal response to separation

Peak HR Ear mvmt Head mvmt

Noise

CallChange

Marchant et al., 2000

0

5

10

Calf response to cow calls

0

5

10

15

Peak HR Ear mvmt Head mvmt

Other

Mother

Marchant et al., 2000

Change

Calf response to cow calls

Late separation results in improved

weight gains for calves

40

50

60

70

kg

1 14 28

Calf age (days)

Body weight

Separation at 1 day

Separation at 14 days

0

Flower & Weary, 2001: AABS 70, 275-284

Calves drink more milk when given

the chance

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

kg / d

0 7 14 21 28 35Calf age (days)

Milk consumed

Ad libConventional

0

50

100

150

Min / d

Ad libitum 4 L / d

Time in feeder

0

10

20

30

40

No.

Ad libitum 4 L / d

Visits to feeder

Unrewarded

Rewarded

De Paula Vieira et al., 2008

Thomas et al., 2001: AABS 74, 165-173

0

2

4

6

8

10Calls / 4 h

Time of day (4-h intervals)

Control

10 -14

14 -18

18 -22

22 -02

02 -06

06 -10

Vocal response

peaks many

hours after

separation

0

2

4

6

8

10

Time of day (4-h intervals)

Extra milk

Control

10 -14

14 -18

18 -22

22 -02

02 -06

06 -10

Thomas et al., 2001: AABS 74, 165-173

Calls / 4 h

This vocal response

is virtually eliminated

when feeding more

milk

Listeners derive benefit by response 4

Signallers vary in need for response4

Signalling entails a cost ?

Signallers in greater need signal more4

Calf vocal response to separation

Warm up game: 3rd example:

Time (s)

Fre

qu

en

cy (

kH

z)

0 15

0

1

Sow response to piglet calls

Moves/minCalls/min Time (s)

0

6

12

B D A0

10

20

B D A0

3

6

B D A

Sow response to piglet calls

0

4

8Moves/min

D A0

10

20Calls/min

D A

LowHigh

0

25

50Time (s)

D A

Vocalizations and Welfare Assessment

1) Indicators of functional states (e.g. calf

response to separation)

2) Indicators of subjective states

(e.g. piglet response to castration)

Evaluating emotions like pain in animals is

one of the most important challenges in

animal welfare science

“Because subjective phenomena cannot

be observed objectively in animals, it is idle

to claim or deny their existence”

Tinbergen, 1951, p. 4

“develop and implement a definition of pain

that applies not only to those individuals

whose communicative skills conform to the

expectations and capabilities of the

investigators”

Anand & Craig (1996, pg. 5)

Pain assessment in non-verbal patients

“Since subjective experiences are known

only to those experiencing them, the only

way we can infer their existence in any other

being, human or non-human, is by

analogy….”

Dawkins, 1990, p. 4

Concepts - the argument by analogy

Evidence:

Neuroanatomy

Neuropharmacology

Behaviour

0

2

4kHz

Lido. Contr.White et al., 1995

Concepts - the argument by analogy

Piglet calls during castration

0

50

100

150

200

250

Obs.

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000

Frequency (Hz)

Bimodal distribution with

separation at 1000 Hz

Weary et al., 1998: AABS 56, 161-172

Call rate increases during castration - but

only for calls > 1000 Hz

0.0

0.4

0.8

1.2

Calls < 1 kHz

Control Cast.0.0

0.4

0.8

1.2

Calls > 1 kHz

Control Cast.

Calls / s

Taylor & Weary, 2000: AABS 70, 17-26

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1 2 3 4 5 6

Stage

Hig

h c

all

s (

ca

lls

/s)

Taylor & Weary, 2000: AABS 70, 17-26

Effect of procedure?

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1 2 3 4 5 6

Hig

h c

alls (

calls/s

)

Taylor & Weary, 2000: AABS 70, 17-26

Stage

Effect of procedure?

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1 2 3 4 5 6

Piglets respond most to pulling and cutting of the

spermatic cords, regardless of stage

Hig

h c

alls (

calls/s

)

Taylor & Weary, 2000: AABS 70, 17-26

Stage

Evidence for analogy 4

Understanding the signalling system4

Link between signalling and pain4

Using calls to identify problems4

Piglet vocal response to pain

Use of signals in welfare assessment

is a three part process -

Theory: understanding the signalling system

and why the signals should relate to the state of

interest

Validation: establishing an empirical link

between the signal and the state

Application: using signals to improve conditions

for animals

CO2 euthanasia

Behavioral responses to CO2

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

-105 0 105

Time (s)

Nose to

lid (s /

period)

Air

Carbon dioxide

Niel & Weary, 2006

-5

0

5

10

15

Side changes Rears Escape

behaviours

Vocalizations

Change

from

baseline

Air

Carbon Dioxide

Behavioral responses to CO2

Niel & Weary, 2006

Behavioral responses to CO2

Niel & Weary, 2006

Question – positive welfare

Jaak Panksepp suggests that 50 kHz calls are

indicators of positive affective states in rats:

–What function does he propose for „laughter‟ in rats?

–What is the best evidence this signals positive affect?

–What signaling systems in farm animals (species,

situation, etc.) might be good candidates for study?

Questions – individual differences

•Grandin‟s paper shows that some presumably

aversive events (like electric prodding) result in low

rates of calling. Can we still use these vocal

responses when not every animal vocalizes? Is it

“illogical” to attribute these individual differences to

welfare, as Watts & Stookey suggest?

•How would you design a study (or conduct the

analysis) to account for these individual differences in

responsiveness?

•What individuals might be most suitable for using

vocal responses in welfare assessments?

Signalling illness

Questions – signals of health

•Can vocal (or other?) signals be used to assess

health in farm animals? Which examples are most

promising and why? In his review paper, Manteuffel

suggests that non-linearities in some vocalizations

might be good candidates for health assessments –

do you agree?

Budzynska et al., 2008; Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 112: 33–39.

0

50

100

150

200

Calls/calf/ hr

Day and time (h)

Control

Experimental

12 0 12 0 12 0 12 0

Day 0 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Questions – make fun of Dan

The paper by Budzynska & Weary uses changes in

vocal responses to assess the effects treatments

designed to improve welfare:

–What assumptions does this study rest upon?

–What are the functions of the calls (and who are they

directed to)?

–Are the conclusions justified?