GroupHouseNet 

Articles in international scientific journals here. 

Arney, D.​, Leming, R. 2018. Kuidas vähendada agressiivset käitumist sigadel ja lindudel? (How to reduce damaging behaviour in pigs and chickens?) In: Terve loom ja tervislik toit 2018 (Healthy animal and healthy food 2018). March 7th-8th, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia. Poster.

Diana, A., Carpentier, L., Piette, D., Boyle, L., Norton, T., Berckmans, D. 2017. Vocalisations of weaner pigs as a potential tool to monitor ear biting behaviours. In: Proceeding of the 68th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). 28th August – 01st September 2017, Tallinn, Estonia. pp. 222.

Diana, A., Carpentier, L., Piette, D., Boyle, L., Tullo, E., Guarino, M., Norton, T., Berckmans, D. 2017. An ethogram of biter and bitten weaner pigs during ear biting events by automatic video recordings. Proceeding of the 68th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). 28th August – 01st September 2017, Tallinn, Estonia. pp. 129.

Diana, A., Norton, T., Berckmans, D., Tullo, E., Guarino, M., Boyle, L. 2017. Developing a Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) tool to monitor ear biting behaviour in pigs. Proceeding of the Teagasc Pig Research Dissemination day 2017. 29th & 31st May 2017, Teagasc, Moorepark, Co. Cork, Ireland. Pp. 25.

Carpentier, L. Diana, A. Boyle, L. Norton, T. Berckmans. D. 2017. Behaviour of weaner pigs during ear biting as possible indicators for automatic detection. Proceeding of the Benelux Regional Meeting of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE). 12th October 2017, De Ruurhoeve, Hoogeloon, The Netherlands, Pp. 23.

Ertan, G., Özkan, S., Krause, E., Phi van, L., Kjaer, J.B. 2018. The effect of plumage colour and serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms on feather pecking behaviour in laying hens. In: European Poultry Conference. September 17-21st, Dubrovnik, Croatia, submitted. A link to the conference can be found here. 

Fernyhough, M., Nicol, C.J., Yeates, J., Toscano, M.J., Tønnessen, M. 2018. The ethics of laying hen genetics. In prep for Animal Welfare or Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics).

GroupHouseNet. 2017. Information leaflet about COST Action GroupHouseNet, CA 15134.

Kakanis, M., Sossidou, E. 2017. Χοίροι: Η παράδοξη συμπεριφορά δαγκώματος της ουράς στους χοίρους ( Pigs: The abnormal behavior of tail biting). Article in a Greek Journal for Agricultural and Livestock Production.  Issue 8/2017  p. 72-74. 

Nordgreen, J., Munsterhjelm, C., Aae, F., Popova, A., Boysen, P., Ranheim, B., Heinonen, M.,  Raszplewicz, J., Piepponen, P., Lervik, A., Valros, A., Janczak, A.M. 2017. The effect of a low dose of lipopolysaccharide on physiology and behaviour of individually housed pigs. In: Jensen, M.B.,Herskin, M.S., Malmkvist. J., (Eds.). Proceedings of the 51st Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. August 7th-10th, Aarhus, Denmark. Pub: Wageningen Academic Publishers. Oral presentation.

Nordgreen, J., Munsterhjelm, C., Aae, F., Heinonen, M., Olstad, K., Aasmundstad, T., Janczak, A.M., Valros, A.  2017. The effect of illness on social behaviour, cytokine levels and feed intake in undocked boars. In: Jensen, M.B.,Herskin, M.S., Malmkvist. J., (Eds.). Proceedings of the 51st Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. August 7th-10th, Aarhus, Denmark. Pub: Wageningen Academic Publishers. Poster. 

Rodenburg, T.B., Bennewitz, J., de Haas E.N., Košál L., Pichová, K., Piette, D., Tetens, J. van der Eijk, J. Visser, B. Ellen, E.D. 2017. The use of sensor technology and genomics to breed for laying hens that show less damaging behaviour. In: Berkmans, D., Keita, A. (Eds.) Precision Livestock Farming '17. Papers presented at the 8th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming. Nantes, France, September 12-14th. p. 532-541. 

Rodenburg, T.B, van der Eijk J.A.J., Pichová K., van Mil, B. and de Haas E.N. 2017. PhenoLab: automatic recording of location, activity and proximity in group-housed laying hens In: Berkmans, D., Keita, A. (Eds.) Precision Livestock Farming '17. Papers presented at the 8th European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming. September 12-14th,  Nantes, France. p. 270-276. 

Rodenburg, T.B.; Eijk, J.A.J. van der; Pichova, K., Mil, B. van; Haas, E.N. de 2017. PhenoLab: automatic recording of location, activity and proximity in group-housed laying hens. Proceedings of the ISAE Benelux conference 2017 International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE). October 12th, 2017, Hoogeloon, The Netherlands. pp. 21.  

Rodenburg, T.B., Berk, J., Dimitrov, I., Edgar, J., van der Eijk, J.A.J., Estevez, I., Ferrante, V., de Haas, E.N., Kostal, L., Liaubet, L., Michel, V., Nordgreen, J., Ozkan, S., Piette, D., Pichova, K., Riber, A.B., Sossidou, E., Toscano, M., Valros, A., Zupan, M. and Janczak, A.M. 2017. The GroupHouseNet COST Action: exploiting European synergy to reduce feather pecking in laying hens, Xth European Symposium on Poultry Welfare, Ploufragan, France, World's Poultry Science Journal. p. 41-46.

Valros, A. Lecture on how to rear pigs with intact tails for Danish producers and industry ( Udviklingscenter for Husdyr på Friland, Denmark), 19.12 2017 

List of researchers and private sector parties focussing on analysis and prevention of damaging behaviour in pigs and laying hens

List of researchers and related project links

List of research projects focussing on tail biting compiled by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute. The original is available here. 

Complete overview of the Management Committee of GroupHouseNet with contact details

ChickenStress European Training Network

Towards a Norwegian pork production free of tail biting. Project leader Kristina Hov Martinsen, Norsvin. Financed by ' Forskningsmidlene for jordbruk og matindustri', Norwegian industry, Norway  (2018-2022). More information about the project in Norwegian can be found here. 

The link between immune activation, pharmacological intervention, and social behaviour in finishing pigs. Project leader Janicke Nordgreen, NMBU. Financed by NMBU, Norway (2018-2020).

Long time effects of early stress in chickens - epigenetic blood markers. Project leader Per Jensen, SLU, Sweden. Financed by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS (2016-2018).  

Opportunities for improving the Animal welfare of turkeys, hens and chicken broilers by immunomodulator as a food supplement. Project leader  Nadya Aleksandrova Bozakova,  Trakia University, Bulgaria. Financed by  Trakia University fund for scientific research – Stara Zagora (2018-)

SmartResilience: towards a sustainable, future-oriented pig production system that supports and predicts resilience and welfare in pigs. Project leader  Liesbeth Bolhuis, Wageningen University the Netherlands, together with Utrecht University and Topigs Norsvin (2018-2022).  One the main goals of the project is to develop methods for automatic tracking of resilience indicators in pigs, including predictors of tail biting.   

Individual tracking in group-housed animals. Project leader Bas Rodenburg Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Financed by Breed4Food (2017-2021).  One of the main goals of the project is to develop methods for automatic tracking that can be used in animal breeding.

Increased robustness and disease tolerence in pigs by identification of new phenotypes and development of breeding methods 'Økt robusthet og sykdomstoleranse hos gris gjennom identifisering av nye fenotyper og utvikling av avlsmetoder'. Project leader Norsvin together with NMBU. Financed by ' Forskningsmidlene for jordbruk og matindustri', Norwegian industry, Norway (2014-2017). One of the main goals is to incorporporate disease tolerence into the breeding program as demonstrated here.