Overgrown claws make walking painful, increase difficulty in finding food, and increase susceptibility to foot problems. This study highlights the effect of surgical claw trimming on the behavior, physiological indices, and ruminal activity of sheep. Twenty sheep that had severe claw overgrowth were divided into 2 groups: the trimmed group (T), subjected to the process of claw trimming, and the overgrown claw group, the control group (C). Claw morphometric measurements (toe length, claw height, sole length, sole width, heel height, dorsal hoof angle, fetlock angle, and dew claws length), gait analysis, behavioral patterns (feeding, rumination, drinking, standing, walking, and resting), hematological and blood biochemical indices (complete blood count, plasma cortisol, glucose, lactate, copper, and tumor necrosis factorea levels), and ruminal function tests (ruminal PH, and count and activity of ruminal fauna) were evaluated in both groups. The overgrown claw trimming improved sheep behavior, gait scoring, physiological indicators, and ruminal activity.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pair housing versus individual and group housing on behavioural patterns of female buffalo calves (n = 18; 15.0±3.0 days of age) were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 treatments of group housing with (C1=one calf/pen, C2=two calves/pen, or C3= three calves/pen) supplying a total pen space allowance of 1.82 m2 /calf, regardless of pen size. Behaviour was recorded by direct observation throughout the day from 10:00 to 14:00 clock, during a single day each week for 12 weeks using scan sampling every 15 min within 4 hours’ observation sessions. Calves housed in C2 group showed more (P ≤ 0.05) eating and drinking, chewing/ruminating, object manipulation and self grooming, lying activities, and less (P 0.05) inactivity and standing when compared to calves housed in C1 and C3 groups. In conclusion, raising buffalo calves in paired housing system provided calves more opportunity to express their comfort, grooming, and feeding activities compared to individual and group housing system, however further investigation is still required to study the effect of paired housing system on the performance and physiological indicators in buffalo calves.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pair housing versus individual and group housing on behavioural patterns of female buffalo calves (n = 18; 15.0±3.0 days of age) were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 treatments of group housing with (C1=one calf/pen, C2=two calves/pen, or C3= three calves/pen) supplying a total pen space allowance of 1.82 m2 /calf, regardless of pen size. Behaviour was recorded by direct observation throughout the day from 10:00 to 14:00 clock, during a single day each week for 12 weeks using scan sampling every 15 min within 4 hours’ observation sessions. Calves housed in C2 group showed more (P ≤ 0.05) eating and drinking, chewing/ruminating, object manipulation and self grooming, lying activities, and less (P 0.05) inactivity and standing when compared to calves housed in C1 and C3 groups. In conclusion, raising buffalo calves in paired housing system provided calves more opportunity to express their comfort, grooming, and feeding activities compared to individual and group housing system, however further investigation is still required to study the effect of paired housing system on the performance and physiological indicators in buffalo calves.

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