Outputs (70)

Quantification of play behaviour in farmed calves using automated ultra-wide band location data and its association with age, weaning and health status (2024)
Journal Article
Vázquez-Diosdado, J., Doidge, C., Bushby, E., Occhiuto, F., & Kaler, J. (2024). Quantification of play behaviour in farmed calves using automated ultra-wide band location data and its association with age, weaning and health status. Scientific Reports, 14, Article 8872. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59142-z

Play behaviour can act as an indicator of positive animal welfare. Previous attempts to predict play behaviour in farmed calves are limited because of the classification methods used, which lead to overestimation, and the short time periods that calv... Read More about Quantification of play behaviour in farmed calves using automated ultra-wide band location data and its association with age, weaning and health status.

A Living Lab approach to understanding dairy farmers' technology and data needs to improve herd health: Focus groups from 6 European countries (2024)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Ånestad, L. M., Burrell, A., Frössling, J., Palczynski, L., Pardon, B., Veldhuis, A., Bokma, J., Carmo, L. P., Hopp, P., Guelbenzu-Gonzalo, M., Meunier, N. V., Ordell, A., Santman-Berends, I., van Schaik, G., & Kaler, J. (2024). A Living Lab approach to understanding dairy farmers' technology and data needs to improve herd health: Focus groups from 6 European countries. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(8), 5754-5778. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-24155

For successful development and adoption of technology on dairy farms, farmers need to be included in the innovation process. However, the design of agricultural technologies usually takes a top-down approach with little involvement of end-users at th... Read More about A Living Lab approach to understanding dairy farmers' technology and data needs to improve herd health: Focus groups from 6 European countries.

Quantification of the effect of in utero events on lifetime resilience in dairy cows (2024)
Journal Article
Lewis, K., Shewbridge Carter, L., Bradley, A., Dewhurst, R., Forde, N., Hyde, R., Kaler, J., March, M. D., Mason, C., O'Grady, L., Strain, S., Thompson, J., & Green, M. (2024). Quantification of the effect of in utero events on lifetime resilience in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(7), 4616-4633. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-24215

Currently, the dairy industry is facing many challenges that could affect its sustainability, including climate change and public perception of the industry. As a result, interest is increasing in the concept of identifying resilient animals, those w... Read More about Quantification of the effect of in utero events on lifetime resilience in dairy cows.

Novel enrichment reduces boredom-associated behaviors in housed dairy cows (2024)
Journal Article
Russell, A. L., Randall, L. V., Eyre, N., Kaler, J., & Green, M. J. (2024). Novel enrichment reduces boredom-associated behaviors in housed dairy cows. JDS Communications, 5(5), 452-456. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2023-0475

There is currently societal interest and concern for dairy cow welfare. It has been suggested that boredom poses a welfare issue for dairy cows, particularly when presented with extended disposable time in housed environments that lack stimuli. Farm... Read More about Novel enrichment reduces boredom-associated behaviors in housed dairy cows.

Evidence of personality-dependent plasticity in dairy calf movement behaviours derived from automated data collection (2023)
Journal Article
Occhiuto, F., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., King, A. J., & Kaler, J. (2023). Evidence of personality-dependent plasticity in dairy calf movement behaviours derived from automated data collection. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 18243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44957-z

Individual consistency in behaviour, known as animal personality, and behavioural plasticity in response to environmental changes are important factors shaping individual behaviour. Correlations between them, called personality-dependent plasticity,... Read More about Evidence of personality-dependent plasticity in dairy calf movement behaviours derived from automated data collection.

Exploring the data divide through a social practice lens: A qualitative study of UK cattle farmers (2023)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Palczynski, L., Zhou, X., Bearth, A., van Schaik, G., & Kaler, J. (2023). Exploring the data divide through a social practice lens: A qualitative study of UK cattle farmers. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 220, Article 106030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106030

Appropriate management decisions are key for sustainable and profitable beef and dairy farming. Data-driven technologies aim to provide information which can improve farmers’ decision-making practices. However, data-driven technologies have resulted... Read More about Exploring the data divide through a social practice lens: A qualitative study of UK cattle farmers.

Incorporating heterogeneity in farmer disease control behaviour into a livestock disease transmission model (2023)
Journal Article
Hill, E., Prosser, N., Brown, P., Ferguson, E., Green, M., Kaler, J., Keeling, M., & Tildesley, M. (2023). Incorporating heterogeneity in farmer disease control behaviour into a livestock disease transmission model. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 219, Article 106019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106019

Human behaviour is critical to effective responses to livestock disease outbreaks, especially with respect to vaccination uptake. Traditionally, mathematical models used to inform this behaviour have not taken heterogeneity in farmer behaviour into a... Read More about Incorporating heterogeneity in farmer disease control behaviour into a livestock disease transmission model.

Social and ethical implications of data and technology use on farms: a qualitative study of Swedish dairy and pig farmers (2023)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Frössling, J., C. Dórea, F., Ordell, A., Vidal, G., & Kaler, J. (2023). Social and ethical implications of data and technology use on farms: a qualitative study of Swedish dairy and pig farmers. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, Article 1171107. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1171107

Introduction:

Livestock farmers are being increasingly encouraged to adopt digital health technologies on their farms. Digital innovations may have unintended consequences, but there tends to be a pro-innovation bias in previous literature. This... Read More about Social and ethical implications of data and technology use on farms: a qualitative study of Swedish dairy and pig farmers.

A multistate modeling approach to investigate long-term effects of claw horn disruption lesions and early lesion development in dairy cows (2023)
Journal Article
Thomas, M., Green, M., Kypraios, T., & Kaler, J. (2023). A multistate modeling approach to investigate long-term effects of claw horn disruption lesions and early lesion development in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-21749

Claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) are a leading cause of lameness in dairy cattle, and the development, effect, and pathology of these lesions remains an open area of interest within dairy cattle health. Current literature typically attempts to mea... Read More about A multistate modeling approach to investigate long-term effects of claw horn disruption lesions and early lesion development in dairy cows.

Use of qualitative behavioural assessment to investigate affective states of housed dairy cows under different environmental conditions (2023)
Journal Article
Russell, A. L., Randall, L. V., Kaler, J., Eyre, N., & Green, M. J. (2023). Use of qualitative behavioural assessment to investigate affective states of housed dairy cows under different environmental conditions. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, Article 1099170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1099170

In addition to the reduction of suboptimal welfare, there is now a need to provide farmed animals with positive opportunities to provide confidence that they have experienced a life worth living. Diversification of the environment through environment... Read More about Use of qualitative behavioural assessment to investigate affective states of housed dairy cows under different environmental conditions.