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The Purdue Department of Animal Science identified animal well-being as one of three core research areas through its strategic planning process. The department is partnering with the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Livestock Behavior Research Unit at Purdue and other groups to integrate discoveries in animal well-being with developments in meat quality, pre-harvest food safety, genetics, and production systems. This is in line with several national efforts. The following research priorities are excerpted from FAIR 2002, a national document created by stakeholders in animal sciences and animal agriculture.
Assess animal well-being through systematic studies that account for housing, surroundings, physiological and sensory responses, and behavior.
Determine the impact of current and alternative production systems on animal well-being and food quality including handling, transportation and slaughter.
Explore ethical issues in animal production and research.
This page introduces the personnel involved with ongoing animal well-being research. You can also view ongoing research by species by using the following links:
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Personnel:
Faculty whose research interest aligns with animal well-being are as follows:
A. Animal Science Faculty: (percentage of time spent in AWB research)
Dr. Patricia Y. Hester (100%), Physiology
Dr. William Muir (50%), Genomics
Dr. Edmond Pajor (100%) Behavior
Dr. Allan Schinckel (10%) Quantitative Genetics
Dr. Terry Stewart (10%) Quantitative Genetics
B. Adjunct Animal Science Faculty USDA-ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit
Dr. Heng-wei Cheng , (100%) Neuroscience
Dr. Susan Eicher , (100%) Immunology
Dr. Don Lay, (100%) Stress Physiology
Research Activity:
Dr. Patricia Hester
Dr. Hester's laboratory has a focus on skeletal abnormalities in poultry. As hens age, there is a loss in skeletal integrity leading to broken bones during transport and processing, thus compromising animal well being. Genetically selecting live birds for increased bone mass using x-ray absorptiometer may be a viable solution to this problem. If live selection for increased bone mass turns out to be a viable option, then the genetics expertise of Dr. Muir and international collaboration with geneticist, Dr. Monica Ledur of EMBRAPA in Brazil, will be employed in establishing lines of birds for increased and decreased bone mass and to do a map based genome scan for quantitative trait loci (QTL's) associated with bone formation. Dr. Joseph Orban of Southern University in Louisiana and previously a research assistant in Dr. Hester's laboratory with provide nutritional expertise and be responsible for measuring plasma hydroxyproline to determine if this particular metabolite correlates with bone strength and/or densitometric readings.
For information about Dr Hester's Research, click here to open a new page
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Dr. William Muir
The current focus of Dr. Muir's research is at both the molecular and quantitative genetics level. He is further developing genetic methods using mixed model methodology to directly select on an animal's direct and associate effect (Patent Pending) and is applicable to any genetic program, poultry, swine, aquaculture, etc. Such technology is adaptable by primary breeders so they too can develop their own version of kinder, gentler bird, or pig.
Line of quail has been developed using this method selected for growth as a model-breeding program for broiler or swine operations. Preliminary results show that genetic gain for growth in these birds is 1300% higher than with conventional breeding methods. Along with increased growth and decreased mortality, the birds are projected to have a much higher feed efficiency.
Preliminary findings with pigs, shows that use of these methods will increase growth in pigs by approximately 20%, without increasing feed consumption. In the swine industry alone this translates into increased revenue of $2,000,0000 per year. The increase in growth comes primarily from decreased energy spent to maintain social dominance, i.e. less fighting.
At the molecular lever, Dr. Muir's research is focused on finding major QTL's affecting aggressive behavior in egg layers. The practice of beak trimming to reduce cannibalism may be discontinued in the near future as a result of animal well-being concerns. Resource populations were previously developed. During the development of those lines, 90% of the response was from the first two generations, suggesting a major gene for this trait. If such genes exist, it would be possible through marker assisted introgression to move those genes from our resource populations into commercial populations. To achieve that goal, two populations of poultry layers which were divergently group selected for survival and productivity in 12-birds colony cages will be crossed to form the resource populations for genotyping and will be characterized for physiological traits in conjunction with Dr. Cheng.
For information about Dr Muir's Research, click here to open a new page
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Dr. Ed Pajor
The main goal of Dr. Pajor's research program is to develop solutions for animal welfare problems that are also practical for producers. The development of these win-win solutions are generated by applying fundamental principles of animal behavior to specific animal welfare issues. This approach ensures that any recommendations for refining or altering animal management practices are scientifically based. Dr. Pajor's multi-species research program addresses conceptual issues such as maternal behavior, communication, social behavior and animal fear.
Dr. Pajor provides leadership and expertise in ethology to a number of collaborative projects with USDA and other Animal Sciences faculty. The major focus of Dr. Pajor's research program focuses on swine welfare. Research activities include the development of alternative housing systems for gestating and lactating swine, the behavior of lean genetic lines and the welfare implications of dietary additives, which promote lean growth.
In the area of dairy cattle, Dr. Pajor's research is focusing on cow comfort and the impact of holding time on dairy cattle behavior and milk production. As dairy farms have become larger and adopted 3x milking, the amount of time dairy cattle are waiting in the holding area, away from food, water, and the opportunity to lie down has increased to over 6 hours per day in some cases.
In poultry, Dr. Pajor's is investigating the impact of parent-offspring communication on egg hatchability and starve out in poultry. In addition, Dr. Pajor is evaluating the welfare implications of various bill trimming methods in ducks and how these methods relate to the development of neuromas.
For information about Dr Pajor's Research, click here to open a new page
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Allan Schinckel
Environmental sensitivity, immune response of swine to stress, behavior of Paylean fed pigs.
For information about Dr Schinckel's Research, click here to open a new page
Terry Stewart
Research involves the study of behavioral differences in the Auburn select and control lines that differ in loin-muscle-area by 3 genetic standard deviations. Results indicate that the heavier muscled pigs are more active and have higher blood serotonin levels than control. When pigs were mixed into new pens within line, the select pigs had more "interactions" over the first 48 hours due to a longer persistency of interaction. The interactions could not be classified as aggression vs. play.
For information about Dr Stewart's Research, click here to open a new page
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Don Lay
Discover information that will allow for both optimum animal welfare and animal production. Society, animal researchers, and livestock producers are concerned about the stress to which animals are subjected, and they all wish to have this stress minimized. Yet we still struggle to define stress and interpret animal behavior in order to assess the state of our livestock. Decreasing animal stress and increasing animal welfare is a noble goal and a surmountable challenge. Dr. Lay's research program is designed to meet this challenge and to produce a lasting contribution to both science and society.
A major thrust of Lay's research program is to understand how stress imposed on a pregnant animal (prenatal stress) affects the developing offspring. The physiologic alterations induced by prenatal stress appear to be a universal theme in mammalian development. However, there is little understanding of this phenomenon in livestock. Until we gain an understanding of how stress during fetal development alters the development and maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in livestock, production practices cannot be implemented to better manage livestock by decreasing the deleterious effects of this stress. By minimizing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress, livestock will be less likely to succumb to disease, and be allowed to reproduce and grow to their full potential. Thus, animal production and well-being will be enhanced.
Dr. Lay's research emphasis concentrates on several aspects of sow and piglet behavior that influence piglet survival. Piglet mortality due to crushing in farrowing crates is high, estimated to be between 5 and 18%. Even at the modest rate of 5%, crushing costs swine producers in the state of Iowa alone more than $8 million each year. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the number of piglets weaned per litter has increased by only one piglet in the past 20 years, even though litter size has increased by several piglets. Loss of piglets due to crushing is a challenge to production agriculture as well as a serious welfare issue.
For information about Dr Lay's Research, click here to open a new page
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Susan Eicher
Immunological, behavioral, and physiological measures to define stress in swine, poultry, and cattle, and to use those measures to determine the most "welfare friendly" environments and management practices. Dr. Eicher is known nationally and internationally for work in the dairy industry that integrates multiple disciplines to answer the well-being questions of that industry. Her research program has been accomplished through collaborative efforts with other USDA-ARS scientist and Purdue faculty. Results of this research have been disseminated through Purdue extension personnel, national meetings, and personal communications with other scientists interested in this research area, and posting on the Livestock Behavior Research Unit's Web Page.
For information about Dr Eicher's Research, click here to open a new page
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Heng Wei Cheng
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of aggression and cannibalism in poultry, and stress-induced neuronal plasticity, alterations of physiological parameters, and their correlations with chickens' behavioral adaptation. Integrated morphological, molecular biological, pharmacological and behavioral approaches to the investigations have been designed in Dr. Cheng's laboratory.
For information about Dr Cheng's Research, click here to open a new page
