Dr JORGE VAZQUEZ DIOSDADO's Outputs (14)

Dairy calves provided with environmental enrichment are more active, playful and have fewer feeding interruptions (2025)
Journal Article
Occhiuto, F., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Thomas, M., Gayner, E. R., King, A. J., & Kaler, J. (2025). Dairy calves provided with environmental enrichment are more active, playful and have fewer feeding interruptions. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 4241. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88129-7

Concerns for farm animal welfare have led to the use of environmental enrichment to stimulate natural behaviours and promote positive emotions. In cattle, the provision of brushes is sometimes recommended but their use in calves and the effects they... Read More about Dairy calves provided with environmental enrichment are more active, playful and have fewer feeding interruptions.

Early detection of bovine respiratory disease in pre-weaned dairy calves using sensor based feeding, movement, and social behavioural data (2024)
Journal Article
Bushby, E. V., Thomas, M., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Occhiuto, F., & Kaler, J. (2024). Early detection of bovine respiratory disease in pre-weaned dairy calves using sensor based feeding, movement, and social behavioural data. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 9737. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58206-4

Previous research shows that feeding and activity behaviours in combination with machine learning algorithms has the potential to predict the onset of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). This study used 229 novel and previously researched feeding, move... Read More about Early detection of bovine respiratory disease in pre-weaned dairy calves using sensor based feeding, movement, and social behavioural data.

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.

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.

Accurate prediction of calving in dairy cows by applying feature engineering and machine learning (2023)
Journal Article
Vázquez-Diosdado, J., Gruhier, J., Miguel-Pacheco, G., Green, M., Dottorini, T., Kaler, J., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., & Kaler, J. (2023). Accurate prediction of calving in dairy cows by applying feature engineering and machine learning. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 219, Article 106007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106007

Prediction of calving is key to dairy cow management. Current trends of increasing herd sizes globally can directly impact the time that farmers spend monitoring individual animals. Automated monitoring on behavioural and physiological changes prior... Read More about Accurate prediction of calving in dairy cows by applying feature engineering and machine learning.

Familiarity, age, weaning and health status impact social proximity networks in dairy calves (2023)
Journal Article
Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Occhiuto, F., Carslake, C., & Kaler, J. (2023). Familiarity, age, weaning and health status impact social proximity networks in dairy calves. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 2275. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29309-1

Social network analysis in dairy calves has not been widely studied, with previous studies limited by the short study duration, and low number of animals and replicates. In this study, we investigated social proximity interactions of 79 Holstein–Frie... Read More about Familiarity, age, weaning and health status impact social proximity networks in dairy calves.

Indication of a personality trait in dairy calves and its link to weight gain through automatically collected feeding behaviours (2022)
Journal Article
Carslake, C., Occhiuto, F., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., & Kaler, J. (2022). Indication of a personality trait in dairy calves and its link to weight gain through automatically collected feeding behaviours. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 19425. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24076-x

Farm animal personality traits are of interest since they can help predict individual variation in behaviour and productivity. However, personality traits are currently inferred using behavioural tests which are impractical outside of research settin... Read More about Indication of a personality trait in dairy calves and its link to weight gain through automatically collected feeding behaviours.

Personality and predictability in farmed calves using movement and space-use behaviours quantified by ultra-wideband sensors (2022)
Journal Article
Occhiuto, F., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Carslake, C., & Kaler, J. (2022). Personality and predictability in farmed calves using movement and space-use behaviours quantified by ultra-wideband sensors. Royal Society Open Science, 9(6), Article 212019. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.212019

Individuals within a population often show consistent between individual differences in their average behavioural expression (personality), and consistent differences in their within-individual variability of behaviour around the mean (predictability... Read More about Personality and predictability in farmed calves using movement and space-use behaviours quantified by ultra-wideband sensors.

Repeatability and Predictability of Calf Feeding Behaviors—Quantifying Between- and Within-Individual Variation for Precision Livestock Farming (2022)
Journal Article
Carslake, C., Occhiuto, F., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., & Kaler, J. (2022). Repeatability and Predictability of Calf Feeding Behaviors—Quantifying Between- and Within-Individual Variation for Precision Livestock Farming. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, Article 827124. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.827124

Individual calves show substantial between- and within-individual variation in their feeding behavior, the existence and extent of which are not fully researched. In this study, 57,196 feeding records, collected by a computerized milk feeder from 48... Read More about Repeatability and Predictability of Calf Feeding Behaviors—Quantifying Between- and Within-Individual Variation for Precision Livestock Farming.

Machine Learning Algorithms to Classify and Quantify Multiple Behaviours in Dairy Calves Using a Sensor: Moving Beyond Classification in Precision Livestock (2020)
Journal Article
Carslake, C., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., & Kaler, J. (2021). Machine Learning Algorithms to Classify and Quantify Multiple Behaviours in Dairy Calves Using a Sensor: Moving Beyond Classification in Precision Livestock. Sensors, 21(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010088

Previous research has shown that sensors monitoring lying behaviours and feeding can detect early signs of ill health in calves. There is evidence to suggest that monitoring change in a single behaviour might not be enough for disease prediction. In... Read More about Machine Learning Algorithms to Classify and Quantify Multiple Behaviours in Dairy Calves Using a Sensor: Moving Beyond Classification in Precision Livestock.

Automated detection of lameness in sheep using machine learning approaches: novel insights into behavioural differences among lame and non-lame sheep (2020)
Journal Article
Kaler, J., Mitsch, J., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Bollard, N., Dottorini, T., & Ellis, K. A. (2020). Automated detection of lameness in sheep using machine learning approaches: novel insights into behavioural differences among lame and non-lame sheep. Royal Society Open Science, 7(1), Article 190824. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190824

Lameness in sheep is the biggest cause of concern regarding poor health and welfare among sheep producing countries. Best practice for lameness relies on rapid treatment, yet there are no objective measures of lameness detection. Use of accelerometer... Read More about Automated detection of lameness in sheep using machine learning approaches: novel insights into behavioural differences among lame and non-lame sheep.

Development and validation of a new standardised data collection tool to aid in the diagnosis of canine skin allergies (2019)
Journal Article
Harvey, N. D., Shaw, S. C., Blott, S. C., Vàzquez-Diosdado, J. A., & England, G. C. W. (2019). Development and validation of a new standardised data collection tool to aid in the diagnosis of canine skin allergies. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 3039. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39630-3

Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a common hereditary clinical syndrome in domestic dogs with no definitive diagnostic tests, which causes marked morbidity and has a high economic impact internationally. We created a novel questionnaire for Labrador... Read More about Development and validation of a new standardised data collection tool to aid in the diagnosis of canine skin allergies.

The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry (2018)
Journal Article
Gosling, E., Vázquez-Diosdado, J., & Harvey, N. (2018). The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry. Animals, 8(11), 199. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8110199

Conditions of pet rabbit breeding colonies and breeder practices are undocumented and very little is known about the pet rabbit sales market. Here, multiple methods were employed to investigate this sector of the UK pet industry. A freedom of informa... Read More about The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry.

Use of novel sensors combining local positioning and acceleration to measure feeding behavior differences associated with lameness in dairy cattle (2018)
Journal Article
Barker, Z., Vázquez Diosdado, J. A., Codling, E., Bell, N., Hodges, H., Croft, D., & Amory, J. (2018). Use of novel sensors combining local positioning and acceleration to measure feeding behavior differences associated with lameness in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science, 101(7), https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-12172

Time constraints for dairy farmers are an important factor contributing to the under-detection of lameness, resulting in delayed or missed treatment of lame cows within many commercial dairy herds. Hence, a need exists for flexible and affordable cow... Read More about Use of novel sensors combining local positioning and acceleration to measure feeding behavior differences associated with lameness in dairy cattle.