Nest-building activity and laying date influence female reproductive investment in magpies: an experimental study

2002 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 975-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liesbeth de Neve ◽  
Juan José Soler
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Building Activity

Spatial Preferences of farrowing sows

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 ◽  
pp. 63-63
Author(s):  
A M Petchey
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Enriched Environment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Body Width ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Building Activity ◽  
High Standards

To satisfy stringent welfare criteria a farrowing pen must meet the sows’ needs for freedom of movement and allow her to exhibit most normal behaviours.Pens must be designed which provide adequate space for the loose housed farrowing sow but which have additional features to promote high standards of pig care. The sow should not be left to farrow indiscriminately within the pen but must be provided with an enriched environment to satisfy both her needs and those of the piglets. Within the pen the sow requires a suitable nest site and material to manipulate immediately pre-farrowing. These features can only be provided when it becomes known what the sows’ find desirable. In previous work it was shown that sows’ preferred to build their nests and farrow within a cubicle rather than in a corner or against a straight but open wall and that sows exhibit intensive nest building activity in the 14 hours before farrowing. In this trial the objective was to determine the farrowing sows’ response to an arrangement of parallel walls spaced 0.55, 0.95 and 1.35 m apart. The rationale behind the measurements was that they approximated to the body width, height and length of a generalised sow. Information about the sows’ response to such a wall arrangement would be useful if pens with walk-through nests were being designed.

Reproductive behaviour in captive freshwater shrimp Macrobrachium australiense Holthuis

1973 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
NV Ruello ◽  
PF Moffitt ◽  
SG Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
First Record ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Freshwater Shrimp ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
Building Activity ◽  
In Captivity

The nest building and beckoning behaviour, the female premating moult, the mating process, and parental care demonstrated by a pair of captive Macrobrachium australiense are described and compared with the reproductive activity previously recorded for several other palaemonid shrimps. This is believed to be the first record of nest building activity in the Natantia. Although M. australiense will breed in captivity without any apparent difficulty, the relatively low fecundity and small size of adults of this and most other Australian species of Macrobrachium seem to limit their economic potential for aquaculture.

An Experimental Study of the Mechanisms of Nest Building in a Weaverbird

The Auk ◽  
1962 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Collias ◽  
Elsie C. Collias
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Nest Building

scholarly journals Integrated plumage colour variation in relation to body condition, reproductive investment and laying date in the collared flycatcher

2013 ◽  
Vol 100 (10) ◽  
pp. 983-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miklós Laczi ◽  
Gergely Hegyi ◽  
Márton Herényi ◽  
Dorottya Kiss ◽  
Gábor Markó ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Plumage Colour ◽  
Colour Variation ◽  
Collared Flycatcher

INFLUENCE OF PHOTOPERIOD ON OESTROGENIC INDUCTION OF NEST-BUILDING IN CANARIES

1972 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH STEEL ◽  
R. A. HINDE
Keyword(s):  
Nest Building ◽  
Similar Difference ◽  
Hormone Injection ◽  
Exogenous Oestrogen ◽  
Building Activity ◽  
Building Behaviour ◽  
High Level ◽  
Autumn And Winter ◽  
Long Photoperiod

SUMMARY A 20h light:4h darkness lighting schedule induced a high level of gathering behaviour in intact canary hens in autumn and winter. The same schedule was relatively ineffective in ovariectomized birds, indicating that the ovary is normally a mediator in the photostimulation of nest-building behaviour. However, exogenous oestrogen given to ovariectomized birds on normal winter daylengths resulted in only a slight increase in gathering behaviour, while in similar birds previously exposed for 5 weeks to a 20h light: 4h darkness schedule a rapid increase in gathering occurred to a level approaching that of intact birds on long photoperiods. A similar difference in response to hormone injection with and without exposure to long photoperiods was also seen with testosterone and with oestrogen and testosterone in combination. Nest-building was not completely eliminated in ovariectomized birds. Ovariectomized birds on 20h light:4h darkness per day gathered more than those on normal daylengths. This is unlikely to be a consequence of the longer time available for building activity as it can be suppressed in the long-photoperiod birds by methallibure, a gonadotrophin inhibitor. The possibility that a non-ovarian mechanism is involved in building behaviour is discussed. The results suggest that although the effect of long photoperiods on nest-building is mediated largely by oestrogen there is a second factor operating without which oestrogen is relatively ineffective. Possible mechanisms for this effect are discussed.

scholarly journals Behavioral Observation Procedures and Tests to Characterize the Suitability of Sows for Loose-Housed Farrowing Systems

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2547
Author(s):  
Julia Neu ◽  
Nina Göres ◽  
Jelena Kecman ◽  
Barbara Voß ◽  
Frank Rosner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Partum ◽  
Behavioral Observation ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Defensive Reactions ◽  
Building Activity ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Chewing Activity ◽  
Lying Down

The objective of the study was to evaluate behavioral observation procedures and tests to characterize sows’ behavior for their suitability for free farrowing systems. Nest building activity (NB), lying-down behavior (LDB), and position after lying down (PLD) were assessed. Four tests were designed to characterize the reaction of sows to a novel object and an unexpected situation (Towel Test, TT), behavior towards humans (Dummy Arm Test, DAT; Trough Cleaning Test, TCT), and behavior towards piglets (Reunion Test, RT). The study was performed on a nucleus farm in 37 batches including 771 purebred landrace sows housed in farrowing pens with short-term fixation. The assessment of NB started 2 days before the expected date of the farrowing. In 56.2% of the observations, the sows showed increased chewing activity on gunnysacks. The LDB and PLD were assessed on days 3 and 19 post partum (p.p.). In 49.1% of the observations, sows showed careful lying-down behavior. In 50.1% of cases, sows preferred the stomach-teats-position when lying down. With the DAT on day 4 p.p., in 89.3% of observations, no or only slight reactions of the sow were documented. The TT and TCT were performed on days 3 and 10 p.p. Strong defensive reactions of animals towards humans were recorded in 4.5% of the observations in the TT, and in 4.0% of the observations in the TCT. In the RT on day 3 p.p., in 61.8%, a joyful response of the sows to the reunion with their piglets was observed. This study showed that the behavioral observation procedures and designed tests are suitable to characterize sows’ behavior towards humans and piglets with regard to traits that are particularly important in systems without fixation.

Burrowing and nest building activity in mice after exposure to grid floor, isoflurane or ip injections

2019 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Gjendal ◽  
Jan Lund Ottesen ◽  
I. Anna S. Olsson ◽  
Dorte Bratbo Sørensen
Keyword(s):  
Grid Floor ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Building Activity

scholarly journals Effect of Repeated Exposure to Isoflurane on Nest Building and Burrowing in Mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36
Author(s):  
Karen Gjendal ◽  
Jan L Ottesen ◽  
I Anna S Olsson ◽  
Dorte B Sørensen
Keyword(s):  
Grid Floor ◽  
Repeated Exposure ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Sucrose Preference ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
Building Activity ◽  
Building Behavior ◽  
Burrowing Behavior

Nest building and burrowing are highly motivated natural behaviors in rodents, and changes in these behaviors can serve as welfare assessment tools. In this study, we investigated: 1) the limits of agreement between 2 observers for a refined scoring method for nest-building behavior; 2) the effect of repeated exposure to 15 min of isoflurane on nest-building behavior; 3) the effect of 24 h of grid-floor housing, repeated exposure to 15 min isoflurane, and daily intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mL 0.9% isotonic saline for 3 d on burrowing behavior; and 4) the effect of exposure to grid-floor housing, isoflurane, and intraperitoneal injections on fecal corticosterone metabolites, body weight, fur status, and sucrose preference in mice. SPF C57BL/6NTac female mice (n = 27) were included in the study and were assessed first for burrowing behavior, followed by 2 wk of rest and then for nesting behavior. The refined scoring method for nest-building activity had good inter observer agreement. According to this method, a single exposure to anesthesia with isoflurane led to a decrease in nest-building activity and sucrose preference; a second exposure to anesthesia with isoflurane had no effect on nest building. Neither grid-floor housing nor repeated exposure to isoflurane anesthesia had any effect on burrowing behavior in mice. In contrast, intraperitoneal injections increased burrowing behavior. In conclusion, a refined scoring method for nest-building activity test that we developed for this study proved to be objective and sensitive to the effect of an initial exposure to anesthesia with isoflurane.

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