Title
A systematic approach to defining and verifying descriptors used in the Qualitative Behavioural Assessment of sows
Language
English
Description (en)
Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA) is a welfare evaluation tool that uses a holistic approach to capturing an animal's emotional state. Lists of QBA descriptors validated to assess pig welfare exist, but their definitions are often not described in peer-reviewed literature and the processes used to develop definitions are lacking. The objective of this study is to detail a systematic approach to creating clear definitions for a pre-existing fixed list of QBA descriptors and test their application. A fixed list of 20 descriptors from the EU Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for pigs was modified, and ten pig experts were recruited to assist with defining these descriptors in a focus group-style discussion. Half of the experts involved in creating descriptor definitions partook in a subsequent step, where the newly developed definitions were tested by implementing QBA on a video library of post-weaned sows selected to capture the breadth of sow behaviour. Experts displayed excellent agreement in identifying a PCA dimension interpreted as the valence of descriptors and good agreement for another reflecting arousal. Inter-observer reliability was also measured for each descriptor. Only two descriptors exhibited less than moderate agreement between experts whereas half of the descriptors evoked substantial agreement or better. These findings support our process to delineate clear definitions for a fixed list of QBA descriptors in pigs. This study is the first of its kind detailing the in-depth process of creating and verifying descriptor definitions for future use in sow welfare assessment.
Keywords (en)
Interobserver Reliability; Welfare; Diversity; Emotions; Bias; Pig
DOI
10.1017/awf.2024.6
Author of the digital object
Sarah  Ibach  (University of Pennsylvania)
Thomas D.  Parsons  (University of Pennsylvania)
Jen-Yun  Chou  (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna / Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre)
Monica  Battini  (University of Milan)
Format
application/pdf
Size
454.5 kB
Licence Selected
CC BY 4.0 International
Type of publication
Article
Name of Publication (en)
Animal Welfare
Pages or Volume
8
Volume
33
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publication Date
2024
Content
Details
Object type
PDFDocument
Format
application/pdf
Created
06.05.2024 09:26:21
This object is in collection
Metadata
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien (Vetmeduni) | Veterinärplatz 1 | 1210 Wien - Österreich | T +43 1 25077-0 | Web: vetmeduni.ac.at