Animal Health and Welfare

Research Database

reference (APA)	doi	year	location/country	Livestock category	indicator	classification	coefficient /coefficient output	applicability	summary
Zufferey, R., Minnig, A., Thomann, B., Zwygart, S., Keil, N., Schüpbach, G., ... & Stucki, D. (2021). Animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessment in sheep. Animals, 11(10), 2973.	10.3390/ani11102973	2021	Switzerland	Sheep (adults and lambs)	Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. A robust and viable tool for on-farm assessment and recommend its inclusion in the animal welfare protocol.
					Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health. Shows a good on-farm accepointsance and may be the most direct method of assessing persistent hunger in sheep. The method is based on a subjective assessment, so the need for good training is of vital importance.
					Mucosa color	qualitative	0 = non anemic 1 = anemic	low	Animal based indicator that asses the presence of anemia in small ruminants by correlating the colour chart with haematocrit. Faffa Malan Chart method may be relevant to identify blood-feeding gastrointestinal parasites such as Haemonchus sp. and adult F. hepatica, but only in adult sheep.
					Ears	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = partial pain 2 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses assess ear expression or lessions to detect pain. The breed characteristics may also be an important factor in interpreting ear posture, as ear posture may vary between breeds. Because of the conflicting reports and difficulty to interpret ear postures, further research is needed to determine its usefulness as an indicator for the wellbeing of sheep.
					Eye condition	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses assess eye aperture to detect pain or any abnormality. The eye aperture seems to be a valid component of the pain scales, but not on itself, as it can indicate a state of well-being as well as a state of pain.
					Comfort around humans	qualitative	0 = comfort 1 = no comfort	medium	Animal based indicator that asses animal comfort around humans. Both the human approach test and the fear test performed with indoor ewes have the potential to be used for on farm welfare assessment. However, both require further work to develop the details of the methods and to assess the reliability of the test.
					Fleece condition	qualitative	0 = presence of wool 1 = absence of wool	low	Animal based indicator that asses the presence or absence of wool loos and fleece condition as a well-being correlation. Fleece condition can be a strong early indicator of the presence of aphids or ectoparasites such as Psoropointses ovis, which can have a significant negative impact on sheep welfare.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech. Faecal soiling may occur as a result of a complex interaction of factors, such as gastrointestinal infections or high-quality spring grass. The proportion of faecal soiling correlates with faecal egg counts and therefore with worm burden. Depending on the study, its reliability varies from poor to high, but it has been recognized as rapid, non-invasive and feasible and should be included in animal welfare protocols at least because faecal soiling is a risk factor for fly infestation and therefore remains relevant for sheep welfare.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	low	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. Large skin lesions are easily observed, but small lesions are more difficult to identify. In fully fleeced sheep, inspection is performed by parting the fleece and by palpating the skin. Therefore, handling of the animal is required to allow an efficient examination of the animals.
					Tail length	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	high	Animal based indicator that asses the presence and lenght of the animal tails. Tail docking is considered a painful procedure and risk factor for infections if the procedure is poorly performed. Experts suggested a management-based indicator to be more feasible by recording whether tail docking was practised, and if so, which method, analgesia and anaesthesia were used, rather than measuring the pain responses of the lambsThe tail length seems to be a robust and feasible indicator to include in animal welfare protocols.
					Animal hygiene	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	low	Animal based indicator that asses the animal cleanliness. Given the few sources of research, it is not possible to adequately compare the practices regarding the ideal approach to assess cleanliness. Nevertheless, this measure is easily feasible because it does not require the animals to be gathered and handled and can be performed on undisturbed animals in their home environment.
					Mastitis	qualitative	0 = no evidence of mastitis 1 = evidence of mastitis	high	Animal based indicator that asses the presennce of mastitis and udder health. The California Mastitis Test method achieved good inter-observer reliability and is considered feasible. However, udder examination and milk samples collection are time-consuming and labour intensive, making them less attractive for on farm use.
					Pruritic behaviour	qualitative	0 = absence of scratching and/or rubbing 1 = presence of scratching and/or rubbing	medium	Animal based indicator that asses self-traumatising behaviours such as scratching and rubbing. It could be corraleted with the presence of ectoparasites infestations. The time sheep spend rubbing themselves correlates positively with the total lesion area and the number and age of lesions
					Diarrhoea score	quantitative	0 = normal 1 = soft faeces 2 = diarrhoea	high	Animal based indicator that asses de presence or absence of diarrhoea. Presence of diarrhoea seems to be a valid indicator with a significant relationship to the intensity of intestinal parasite infestation in lambs. This score allowed to correctly identify 80% of the animals in need of treatment.
					Weight gain	qualitative	0 =increased weight 1 = reduced weight	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's weight gain. This measure needs further research to clarify its usefulness because it can be associated with intestinal parasite infections and other pathophysiological affections.
					Rumen fill	qualitative	0 = animal’s left-hand side not sunken/or convex between the hip bone and the ribs 1= animals’ left-hand side deeply sunken	low	Animal based indicator that asses rumen or abdominal fill as as a based of access to feed. It showed a poor reliability, probably due to the difficulties to assess the rumen fill on sheep with a lot of fleece.
					Respiration rate	quantitative	0 = normal respiration rate 1 = not normal respiration rate	low	Animal bases indicator that asses thermal comfort. It is a non-invasive and feasible indicator for use under farm conditions. Yet, the respective study could not investigate its reliability, as no sheep were showing this behaviour. Therefore, the relevance of such an indicator is debatable, and a validation should occur with herds with known subopointsimal thermal comfort
					Eye condition	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses assess eye aperture to detect pain or any abnormality. Eye condition seems to have an excellent level of sensitivity and specificity but needs to be tested on a larger sample size because its reliability could not be assessed.
					Vocalization	qualitative	0 = no vocalization 1 = vocalization	low	Animal based indicator that asses comfort. Vocalisation could be an indicator of negative welfare. Good predictor of an active sheep reaction to an anxious situation. Although it needs further standardisation and validation.
					Mouth features	qualitative	0 = no mouth features 1 = mouth features	low	Animal based indicator that asses pain.The mouth features alone do not appear to be reliable as an indicator of pain due to the low observers agreement, but may be useful as part of the various pain scores.
					Cheek flattening	qualitative	0 = no cheek flattening 1 = cheek flattening	low	Animal based indicator that asses pain.low inter-observer reliability, suggesting that this action unit contributed little to the pain assessment.
					Nasal features	qualitative	0 = no nasal features 1 = nasal features	low	Animal based indicator that asses pain. This indicator should be interpreted cautiously and needs to be confirmed in future studies
					Hoof overgrowth	qualitative	0 = no hoof overgrowth 1 = hoof overgrowth	low	Animal based indicator that hoof health. There are no studies, directly linking reduced movement to an increase in hoof overgrowth. This measure depends on other factors, such as the frequency with which hooves are trimmed and the ability of the animal to move if it suffers from lameness. Has poor reliability and low feasibility, likely due to the difficulty of the assessment.
					Nasal discharge	qualitative	0 = no nasal discharge 1 = nasal discharge	medium	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Nasal bots such as nasal botfly or lungworms. Note that nasal discharge can also be an indicator of pneumonia or other diseases.
					Tail lesions	qualitative	0 = no tail features 1 = tail features	low	Animal based indicator that asses comfort by observing tail features. wagging and raised up tail are controversially discussed indicators because the raised tail may be shown during a negative or positive emotional state
					Lying time	qualitative	min, hours	low	Animal based indicator that asses comfort of the resting places. It was difficult to apply in the field.
					Shivering	qualitative	0 = no shivering 1 = shivering	low	Animal based indicator that asses thermal comfort. Shivering had a very low prevalence and showed a low level of inter-observer reliability
					Rectal temperature	quantitative	0 = no abnormal temperature 1 = abnormal temperature	medium	Animal based indicator that asses body temperature. Rectal temperature is commonly used in clinical examinations and provides useful information about the animal’s health status. Handling is required to take the rectal temperature of a sheep, which could cause stress and stress-induced hyperthermia, which could ultimately bias the results.
					Tooth Loss	qualitative	0 = no dental abnormalities 1 = dental abnormalities	medium	Animal based indicator that asses dental quality. It could give an indication of the sheep’s ability to feed and could allow animals at risk to be identified earlier. Even if the assessment requires handling of sheep, this procedure is quick, simple and frequently performed onfarm, suggesting good feasibility
Racciatti, D. S., Bottegal, D. N., Aguilar, N. M., Menichelli, M. L., Soteras, T., Zimerman, M., ... & Langman, L. E. (2022). Development of a welfare assessment protocol for practical application in Argentine feedlots. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 253, 105662.	10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105662	2022	Argentina	Beef cattle (finishing)	Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health.. Specific for feedlot
					Feeder quality	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	high	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding. Specific for feedlot.
					Water supply	quantitative	0 = good water supply 1 = bad water supply	high	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding. It takes into consideration drinkers availability, cleanliness of water points, and waterlogged pen condition . Specific for feedlot.
					Animal hygiene	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	high	Animal based indicator that asses the animal cleanliness. Not specific for feedlot.
					Discomfort due to the presence of flies	qualitative	0 = comfort 1 = discomfort	high	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate housing and handling. Specific for feedlot.
					Respiration rate	qualitative	0 = normal respiration rate 1 = increased respiration rate	high	Animal based indicator that asses thermal comfort. Specific for feedlot.
					Provision of resources to avoid heat/cold stress	qualitative	0 = comfort 1 = discomfort	high	Resource based indicator that asses thermal comfort. Specific for feedlot.
					Stock density	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses appropriate housing and handling. Specific for feedlot.
					Loading and unloading area conditions	qualitative	0 = comfort 1 = discomfort	high	Resource based indicator that asses appropriate housing and handling.
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Not specific for feedlot.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	high	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries.. Not specific for feedlot.
					Coughing	qualitative	0 = no coughing 1 = coughing	high	Animal based indicator that asses good health,. Not specific for feedlot.
					Nasal discharge	quantitative	0 = no nasal discharge 1 = nasal discharge	high	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Not specific for feedlot.
					Respiration rate	qualitative	0 = normal respiration rate 1 = not normal respiration rate	high	Animal based indicator that asses thermal comfort.. Not specific for feedlot.
					Eye condition	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	high	Animal based indicator that asses assess eye aperture to detect pain or any abnormality. Specific for feedlot.
					Diarrhoea Score	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = soft faeces 2 = diarrhoea	high	Animal based indicator that asses de presence or absence of diarrhoea. Not specific for feedlot.
					Rumen fill	qualitative	0 = animal’s left-hand side not sunken/or convex between the hip bone and the ribs 1= animals’ left-hand side deeply sunken 2 = animals’ left-hand side bloated	high	Animal based indicator that asses rumen or abdominal fill as as a based of access to feed. Specific for feedlot.
					Cattle needing further care	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = not healthy	high	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Specific for feedlot.
					Mortality	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health. Specific for feedlot.
					Pain postures	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	high	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Specific for feedlot.
					Behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	high	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate behaviour. Not specific for feedlot.
					Vocalization	qualitative	0 = no vocalization 1 = vocalization	high	Animal based indicator to asses comfort. . Specific for feedlot.
Bergschmidt, A., March, S., Wagner, K., & Brinkmann, J. (2021). A results-oriented approach for the animal welfare measure of the European Union’s rural development Programme. Animals, 11(6), 1570.	10.3390/ani11061570	2021	Germany	Dairy cattle	Mastitis	quantitative	0 = no evidence of mastitis 1 = evidence of mastitis	high	Animal based indicator that asses the presennce of mastitis and udder health. Mastitis is considered at SCC > 400,000 / mL in milk. Threshold set between 8 - 22 % (according to scientist - practitioners)
					Ketosis	quantitative	0 = no evidence of mastitis 1 =milk fat:protein ratio ≥ 1.5 within 100 days post partum	high	Animal based indicator that asses the presennce of mastitis. Threshold set between 14- 18 % (according to scientist-practitioners)
					Animal hygiene	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	high	Animal based indicator that asses the animal cleanliness. Threshold set between 16 - 17 % (according to scientist-practitioners)
					Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health. Threshold set between 10 - 20 % (according to scientist-practitioners)
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Threshold set between 13 - 15 % (according to scientist -practitioners)
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	high	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. Threshold set between 10 - 14 % (according to scientist-practitioners)
					Mortality	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health. Threshold set between 4 - 6 % (according to scientist, practitioners)
					Tail lesions	qualitative	0 = no tail features 1 = tail features	high	Animal based indicator that asses comfort by observing tail features..Threshold set at 3 % (according to scientist)
					Rumen fermentation disorders	quantitative	0 = healthy 1 = not healthy	high	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Considered not healthy when the milk fat:protein ratio < 1.0. No threshold % (according to scientist, nor to practitioners)
Poulopoulou, I., Zanon, T., Alrhmoun, M., Katzenberger, K., Holighaus, L., & Gauly, M. (2023). Development of a benchmarking tool to assess the welfare of dairy cattle on small-scale farms. Journal of Dairy Science, 106(9), 6464-6475.	10.3168/jds.2022-22592	2023	Italy	Dairy cattle	Water supply	quantitative	0 = good water supply 1 = bad water supply	high	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding. Score indicating the presence of 1 drinker/2 cows, flow rate ≥ 10 L/min, and the level of dirtiness
					Lying behaviour	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses the ratio number of lying places available:number representing the use of the lying area ( animal lies completely within its lying area, animal is standing completely within its lying area, or he animal is standing only partially within its lying area).
					Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health.
					Animal hygiene	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	high	Animal based indicator that asses the animal cleanliness.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	high	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. Cows were assessed for hairless spots and for the presence of swelling or lesions on the neck, carpal, and hock. The scoring scale was assigned as follows: maximum score of 3 points for the neck, maximum score of 3 points for the carpal, and maximum of 4 points for the hock. The scoring scale was distributed as follows. Neck and carpal: no missing or broken hair, and no lesions or swelling, 3 points.; hairless spots, 2 points.; swelling or lesion, 0 points. Hock: no missing, thinning, or broken hairs, and no swelling, 4 points.; hairless spots, 2 points.; swelling or lesion, 0 points.
					Behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	high	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate behaviour. It measured the avoidance response to an approaching human. The observer selected a standing cow >1 m in front of his or her position and, while slowly approaching the animal’s head (approximately 1 step/s), attempted to touch each cow according to a standardized procedure. The observer recorded the point at which each cow showed signs of retreat (stepping backward or turning the head away to either side) at 3 different levels: >1 m from the observer (0 points); <1 m from the observer (10 points.); acceptance of touch (10 points).
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Walking and standing up well with no visible gait impairment (10 points); obvious gait problems in one or more limbs (5 points); and severely reduced mobility (0 points).
					Getting up behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	high	Animal based indicator that asses the difficulty of an animal to get up. Normal getting-up behavior (10 points) and any other type of getting-up behavior (0 points).
					Dystocia	quantitative	%	high	Animal based indicatorthat asses the number of difficult deliveries performed by cesarean section, other veterinary assistance, use of mechanical means, or traction assistance. The assessment was performed on each of the individual cows that participated in the study. Only the 6 mo before the day of the evaluation were taking into consideration.
Thomann, B., Würbel, H., Kuntzer, T., Umstätter, C., Wechsler, B., Meylan, M., & Schüpbach-Regula, G. (2023). Development of a data-driven method for assessing health and welfare in the most common livestock species in Switzerland: the smart animal health project. Frontiers in veterinary science, 10, 1125806.	10.3389/fvets.2023.1125806	2023	Switzerland	Cattle (cows, veal calves), sheep, goats, pigs (breeding and fattening), and poultry (laying hens and broilers).	Antimicrobial usage	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses animal health. Possible to obtain on a data -based.
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 1%, alarm value > 3%.
					Mortality	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health. Possible to obtain on a data based. Target value < 1.5 %, alarm value > 3%.
					Slaughter findings	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator to asses animal health. Possible to obtain on a data based.
					Stillbirth	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator to asses animal health. Possible to obtain on a data based. Target value < 5 %, alarm value > 10%.
					Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 3%, alarm value > 6%.
					Welfare programme	qualitative	0 = implementation 1 = no implementation	high	Resource based indicator to asses husbandry and feeding contitions. Possible to obtain on a data based.
					Biosecurity	qualitative	0 = implementation 1 = no implementation	high	Resource based indicator to asses husbandry and feeding contitions. Possible to obtain on a data based.
					Temperature and Humidity	quantitative	°C	high	Resource based indicator to asses husbandry and feeding contitions. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment.
					Runts	qualitative	0 = no runts 1 = runts	high	Animal based indicator to asses husbandry and feeding contitions. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 2%, alarm value > 4%.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	high	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries.. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 5%, alarm value > 10%.
					Tail lesions	qualitative	0 = no tail features 1 = tail features	high	Animal based indicator that asses comfort by observing tail features. It can infer freedom from pain, suffering harm and anxiety. Possible to obtain on a data based. Target value < 2%, alarm value > 10%.
					Technopathic lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	high	Animal based indicator to asses freedom from pain, suffering harm and anxiety. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 2%, alarm value > 5%.
					Animal supervision	qualitative	0 = frecuent 1 = not frecuent	high	Resource based indicator to asses appropiate behavior. Possible to obtain on a data based.
					Lying behaviour	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses the ratio number of lying places available:number representing the use of the lying area. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 5%, alarm value > 10%.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	high	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech. Possible to obtain on a farm assesment. Target value < 5%, alarm value > 10%.
Rasmussen, S. N., Wurtz, K. E., Erasmus, M., & Riber, A. B. (2024). Animal-based methods for the assessment of broiler chicken welfare in organic and conventional production systems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 276, 106300.	10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106300	2024	Denmark	Broiler chickens	Behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate behaviour. Positive animal based indicator to asses animal welfare. Broilers terms to evaluate behavior were: Active, Relaxed, Comfortable, Fearful, Agitated, Confident, Depressed, Calm, Content, Tense, Unsure, Energetic, Frustrated, Bored, Friendly, Positively Occupied, Scared, Nervous, Happy, and Distressed. The positive animal behaviors are defined as play were play-fighting, wing-flapping, jumping, and running
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	low	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. using the 6-point Bristol gait score method: normal walk with no detectable abnormality (0) to a score of a bird that is completely incapable of walking(5).
					Fearfulness	qualitative	0 = no fear 1 = fear	low	Animal based indicator to asses animal welfare. A novel object (Fig. 1) was gently placed on the floor by an observer, who then slowly took three large steps backward. The birds’ response to the novel object was measured through a 2 min. A circle with a radius of 1 m was drawn around the novel object, and the number of birds within this circle was counted every 10 s for 2 min
Barry, C., Ellingsen-Dalskau, K., Winckler, C., & Kielland, C. (2024). Exploring uses for an algorithmically generated Animal Welfare Indicator for welfare assessment of dairy herds. Journal of dairy science, 107(6), 3941-3958.	10.3168/jds.2023-24158	2024	Norway	Dairy cattle	Mortality	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health. It takes into consideration the dead and euthanized calves, aborted and stillborn calves, and thet treated ones.
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Number of claw diagnoses with pain at claw trimming; professionality of claw trimming; number of trimmed cows, number of of claw-related veterinary diagnoses.
					Fertility	quantitative	%	high	Animal based indicator that asses reproductive traits such as: average days from first insemination until last insemination for heifers; average days from first insemination after calving to last insemination after calving for cows; average calving interval in months; number of heifers and cows culled due to poor fertility.
					Longevity	quantitative	years	high	Animal based indicator that asses the number of cows culled in the first 14 DIM, number of culled cows between 84 and 290 d after last insemination, number of diagnosed pregnant cows , number of culled cows between 84 and 290 d after last insemination, number of cows not pregnancy tested, number of culled cows (not sold live); and the average life length (in days) after second parturition.
					Metabolism	quantitative	%	high	Animal based inicator that asses the number of milk fever diagnoses after second parity; number of ketosis diagnoses of all cows; number of thin cows (BCS <2.75); number of fat cows (BCS >3.75); variation of BCS (STD); number of BCS measurements; carcass weight of young cows, carcass weight of cows, meat classification of young cows; meat classification of cows; fat classification of young cows; fat classification of cows; and breed correction (herds <50% of another breed or mainly Norwegian Red, breed correction = 0; herd >50% of Jersey, breed correction = 2.3; herds >50% Norwegian heritage breeds (Sidet Trønderfe og Nordlandsfe, Telemarksfe, Dølafe, Vestlands Raudkolle, Vestlands Fjordfe, Jarlsbergfe) or Highland Cattle, breed correction = 1.8.
					Milk yield	quantitative	L, kg	high	Animal based indicator that asses the 305-d milk yield in second parity minus first parity; 305-d milk yield in > second parity minus second parity; 305-d milk yield in > second parity minus first parity.
					Mortality	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health.. It takes into consideration the % of dead cows, % of cows emergency slaughtered; and the % of cows euthanized.
					Mastitis	quantitative	%	high	Animal based indicator that asses the presennce of mastitis and udder health. It consideredthe number of cow cell counts >200,000/mL; the cases of clinical mastitis; the number of cows culled due to poor udder health.
					Youngstock	quantitative	%	high	Animal based indicator that asses the number of dead youngstock; number of emergency-slaughtered youngstock; number of euthanized youngstock; number of treated youngstock; carcass weight, heifers (kg); Growth rate, heifers (g/d); carcass weight, young bull (kg); growth rate, young bull (g/d) ; carcass weight, young cow (kg); growth rate, young cow (g/d); age in months at first calving; breed correction.
Byrd, C. J., Johnson, J. S., Radcliffe, J. S., Craig, B. A., Eicher, S. D., & Lay Jr, D. C. (2020). Nonlinear analysis of heart rate variability for evaluating the growing pig stress response to an acute heat episode. Animal, 14(2), 379-387.	10.1017/S1751731119001630	2019	USA	Pig (growing)	Heart rate	quantitative	bpm	low	Animal based indicator that asses heat stress based on heart rate interval. Additional work is needed to investigate the benefit of including nonlinear HRV measures in studies on swine heat stress.
Richmond, S. E., Wemelsfelder, F., De Heredia, I. B., Ruiz, R., Canali, E., & Dwyer, C. M. (2017). Evaluation of animal-based indicators to be used in a welfare assessment protocol for sheep. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 4, 210.	10.3389/fvets.2017.00210	2017	UK, Italy	Dairy sheep	Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health. Evidence for the reliability of BCS scoring is conflicting: some studies report low levels of reliability and some extremely good agreement. Inconsistency in the methods used may account for some of this variation as both inter- and intra- observer reliability has been found to improve when assessors used a half-point scale compared to the full-point scale, and following training. Body condition score assessment requires that animals are gathered and handled. However, the method is quick and simple and is already used on farm by many managers to monitor feed intake levels, thus there is good on-farm acceptability of this measure.
					Tooth loss	qualitative	0 = no dental abnormalities 1 = dental abnormalities	medium	Animal based indicator that asses dental quality. The reliability of assessing sheep dentition has not been tested. Using tooth loss as a welfare indicator may allow at risk animals to be identified sooner, although housed animals may not experience a reduced intake through loss of incisors As with BCS, assessment of tooth loss requires handling of sheep, but assessment is quick and simple. Assessing the mouths of ewes is also a frequently conducted on-farm procedure suggesting good acceptability.
					Mortality	quantitative	%	medium	Resource based indicator that asses good health. Assessing lamb mortality requires adequate farm record keeping. Many farms do not keep records of lamb mortalities. However assessment of some measure of lamb productivity is possible with even rudimentary farm records, although these fail to distinguish between different causes of mortality. Improved record keeping would improve the reliability of this measure, as seen in other datasets. Lamb mortality can be affected by a number of other factors, including maternal disease state, maternal stress, stocking density, and resource, thus this indicator is not specific for absence of prolonged hunger. However, this lack of specificity can also mean that lamb mortality may function as an iceberg indicator for more than one welfare condition.
					Skin-pinch test	qualitative	0 = absence of dehydtation 1 = presence of dehydtation	low	Animal based indicator that asses good feeding practises. A skin tent test (time taken for skin to lie flat following a pinch, derived from human measures of dehydration) has been used in working equids to assess dehydration. However, for wool sheep, there are few sites on the animal where this test could be successfully conducted, thus feasibility of this measure is questionable.
					Water supply	qualitative	0 = good water supply 1 = bad water supply	medium	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding. Validity of the relationship between ready access to water and absence of prolonged thirst is implicit and no studies have explicitly examined this. Many sources of water for extensively managed sheep may be natural and whether the sheep can safely access a water course may need to be assessed. In addition, dirty or contaminated water courses, whether natural or man-made, will also reduce palatability. Unless natural water sources are widely dispersed or hard to find, this measure can be readily determined in both indoor and outdoor managed sheep.
					Lying time	qualitative	min, hours	low	Animal based indicator that asses comfort of the resting places. The reliability of lying time as a measure of welfare has not been tested in sheep, although good reliability is reported in cows. Time spent lying increases with stage of gestation, decreases with re-grouping or mixing of sheep (36) or separation of ewes and lambs, and increases or decreases with disease [e.g., lameness ; sheep scab infestation]; therefore, this measure is not specific to the provision of a comfortable resting area. With sufficient space in an indoor environment sheep lay for nearly 70% of an observation period, suggesting that assessing lying time may be feasible. However, outdoor managed animals have a pronounced circadian rhythm of active and resting periods, and time spent lying during daylight hours may be much lower than in housed environments.
					Lying synchrony	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	low	Animal based indicator that asses comfort of the resting places. Groups of animals that can perform lying or feeding behavior synchronously have adequate space and access to resources without the need for competition. Reliability for this measure has not been assessed.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	high	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech.. Coat cleanliness can provide information on whether sheep have been forced to lie in wet or muddy areas. The inter- and intra-observer reliability of a binary coat cleanliness scale has been shown to be high, and a four-point scale based on the Animal Needs Index scale was also found to have good inter-observer reliability when applied to housed sheep. This measure does not require the animals to be gathered and handled, it is feasible for this measure to be performed simply in undisturbed animals in their home environment.
					Respiration rate	qualitative	0 = normal respiration rate 1 = not normal respiration rate	low	Animal based indicator that asses thermal comfort. In wooly sheep, dissipation of heat through sweating is severely reduced, so sheep rely on behavioral mechanisms (seeking shelter) and heat loss from the respiratory tract. A respiration rate above 40 breaths per minute is considered to be indicative of panting and increased respiration rate is reliably associated with increasing environmental temperature. This measure is specific for heat stress only when measured in undisturbed animals, but can be an indicator of distress under other conditions.
					Shivering	qualitative	0 = no shivering 1 = shivering	low	Animal based indicator that asses thermal comfort. The reliability of visible shivering does not appear to have been assessed for sheep, either because it occurs at too low an incidence to be assessed or because the presence of the fleece makes observation difficult, suggesting that this is not a feasible measure in sheep.
					Rectal Temperature	quantitative	0 = no abnormal temperature 1 = abnormal temperature	low	Animal based indicator that asses body temperature. Sheep are efficient thermoregulators and can maintain core body temperature for several hours, even in extremes of temperature, thus rectal temperature may not accurately reflect the effort involved in maintaining thermal homeostasis. This measure also requires animal handling and stress-induced hyperthermia may influence the validity of the results. The invasive nature of this measure may compromise biosecurity and it is unlikely to be acceptable for on-farm welfare assessment.
					Access to shade and shelter	qualitative	0 = good access to shelter 1 = bad access to shelter	medium	Resource based indicator that asses a good ennvironment. Sheep use behavioral mechanisms, such as seeking shelter or shade, as part of their ability to adapt to thermal extremes. The use of access to shade and shelter does not appear to have been used before in welfare assessment, thus its reliability is untested. However, it is a feasible indicator to assess on farm.
					Stock density	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses appropriate housing and handling. The speed and ease of calculation of space availability per animal makes this assessment feasible for an on-farm welfare assessment, and this measure has been used in other farm studies
					Floor slipperiness	qualitative	0 = good flooring 1 = bad flooring	medium	Resource based indicator that asses a good ennvironment for housed ewes. This has face validity with ease of movement and has been used in welfare assessment for sheep but no studies have associated perceived slipperiness of flooring with incidence of slips, falls, and difficulty in movement. In tests with two observers, floor slipperiness, as a component of wider environmental assessment, was found to have high reliability.
					Aggression and displacements	qualitative	0 = no aggression 1 = aggression	low	Animal based indicator that asses a good ennvironment for housed ewes. In housed sheep, lying space is an important resource and competition can lead to aggression and social stress. Low space allowance is also associated with an increased frequency of both positive and negative social contacts. Aggression and displacement also occurs with other forms of competition, such as access to feeders, so is not specific to lying space.
					Hoof overgrowth	qualitative	0 = no hoof overgrowth 1 = hoof overgrowth	low	Animal based indicator that hoof health. The hoof is worn by sheep when walking on hard or rocky surfaces. This measure will also be influenced by the frequency with which hooves are trimmed as a resource action. However, hoof wear can be affected by lameness, which prevents the animal from eroding the hoof, thus an elongated hoof may indicate lameness rather than an inability to move easily in a housed environment. The prevalence of lameness and claw overgrowth is known to increase in housed animals in comparison with outdoor grazing.
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Lameness is associated with the presence of and severity of foot rot lesions (the main cause of lameness in sheep). Lameness can be assessed in unhandled animals and in gathered flocks. The more fine-grained assessments require the animal to walk on a hard, flat surface, which may not be available on all farms. However, simpler systems have been used on commercial farms with acceptable reliability; suggesting that this measure can be easily applied on a diversity of farms.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	high	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech. Fecal soiling, or dags, occurs when fecal matter adheres to the wool around the tail and legs. Assessing dag score on farm is feasible, and measures can be made simply on unhandled animals.
					Faecal egg count	quantitative	count	medium	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Assessment of the presence of parasite eggs in the feces of individuals or groups assumes that there is a relationship between eggs shed and the total amount of eggs in the gastrointestinal tract. Although sample collection, particularly on a group basis, can be obtained relatively simply, the method for determination of egg counts can be time consuming, requires specialist training and off-farm assessments which makes this less suitable for on-farm welfare assessment.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	medium	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries.Assessment of fleece and skin condition has formed part of on- farm assessments and can be conducted in unhandled animals (wool loss), although a thorough inspection of skin irritation requires animal handling. Good inter- and intra-observer reliability has been found for this indicator. Wool loss may not, therefore, be specific for the presence of ectoparasites, nonetheless it is potentially a useful indicator of sheep welfare affected by several welfare conditions.
					Mucosa color	qualitative	0 = non anemic 1 = anemic	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the presence of anemia in small ruminants by correlating the colour chart with haematocrit. Mucosa color has been widely assessed on a standardized color chart [FAMACHA©], it has been shown to have good correlation with the presence of Haemonchus contortus, and another blood-feeding parasite. The scale can be readily applied in handled animals and has been used widely in on-farm assessments of requirements for anthelmintic treatments. Inter-observer agreement and test–retest evaluation of the scale has found moderate reliability, although differences between breeds in scores with the same levels of parasitic infection rate are reported.
					Eye condition	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses assess eye aperture to detect pain or any abnormality. The presence of swellings, discharge, infection, or other eye abnormalities, such as entropion, has been suggested for sheep welfare assessment. In lambs reliability of assessment of eye condition was considered to be good, although no data for ewes are available.
					Respiratory condition	qualitative	rpm	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Respiratory infections are associated with coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, and/or audible breath sounds. for welfare assessment purposes, the presence of any of the symptoms is evidence of impaired respiration, due to either infectious disease or poor ventilation. Binary presence/absence scales are most commonly used to assess coughing and nasal discharge, although in these studies the incidence rates were too low to conduct reliability analyses.
					Swollen joints and callus	qualitative	0 = no swollen joints 1 = swollen joints	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health. In housed sheep, the presence of calluses has been reported although at low incidence and whether this is related to lameness or aspects of housing design has not been tested. Reliability of this indicator was found to be poor, although this may be related to the low incidence.
					Mastitis	qualitative	0 = no evidence of mastitis 1 = evidence of mastitis	low	Animal based indicator that asses the presennce of mastitis and udder health. Assessment of somatic cell counts in dairy sheep may be possible on an individual or group basis but is not feasible for routine welfare assessment of meat sheep. Subclinical and chronic mastitis may be difficult to detect, although physical indicators such as abnormalities in skin color, shape, consistency, hardness, and presence of lesions on the udders are indicative of the condition. These assessments are most readily performed in dairy sheep, where udders are frequently handled, but performing a clinical assessment on animals which have been gathered may also be feasible for an on-farm welfare assessment of meat sheep when lactating. There are no reports of reliability assessment of scoring udder traits for welfare assessment.
					Ears	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = partial pain 2 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses assess ear expression or lessions to detect pain.The reliability of assessing the presence of ear lesions, tears, notches, and missing tags or other signs of ear damage has not been formally tested. Although some forms of ear damage may occur for reasons other than as a result of resource procedures, e.g., tears or cuts from environmental features, this appears to be the most likely and frequent cause.
					Tail length	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	high	Animal based indicator that asses the presence and lenght of the animal tails. Tail docking has been shown to cause an increase in active pain behaviors, plasma cortisol, and pain postures associated with acute pain. Assessment of this indicator includes whether tail docking has been carried out (which indicates previous exposure to pain) and tail length (which reflects an increased risk of other welfare challenges such as prolapse).
					Teeth grinding	qualitative	0 = no teeth grinding 1 = teeth grinding	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Teeth grinding increases in frequency with experimental induction of visceral pain, alongside increases in plasma cortisol, heart rate, hyperventilation, and other clinical and behavioral signs of pain, and is seen in painful disease conditions [e.g., ruminal acidosis]. The frequency of tooth grinding does not appear to have been included in on- farm welfare assessments before, thus reliability has not been tested. It may be feasible to make a group-level assessment of tooth grinding but individual responses are unlikely to be feasible.
					Social withdrawal	qualitative	0 = no social withdrawal 1 = social withdrawal	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health. animals in chronic pain can display apathy, depression, and “learned helplessness”, seen as withdrawal from the social group. There are no reports where this assessment has formed part of an on-farm welfare assessment scheme for sheep.
					Facial expression associated with pain	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health. In adult ewes, facial expressions associated with pain have been seen in sheep with foot rot and mastitis, and to decline with treatment and resolution of the condition. Good reliability between observers is also reported. Assessing facial expression in extensive conditions is likely to be problematic, but this may be feasible in intensive resource system where it requires on-farm testing.
					Pain postures	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = pain	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health. Although postures are likely also to be related to pain in adult sheep, the data to support this are not currently available. In lambs, postures (hunched and “tucked up”) have been reliably assessed on farm but have not been assessed in adult ewes.
					Vocalization	qualitative	0 = no vocalization 1 = vocalization	low	Animal based indicator to asses comfort. Increased vocalization may also be an indication of increased fear in sheep. Cockram concluded that vocalization, specifically high-pitched bleats, was a useful measure of distress in sheep, seen with social isolation, separation from specific individuals and on exposure to novelty, although vocalization in sheep can be inhibited in the presence of predators. No studies have addressed the reliability of assesing vocal behavior in sheep as an on-farm welfare indicator.
					Behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate behaviour. Stereotypy in sheep is infrequent, but the performance of oral (repetitive licking, chewing, and mouthing pen fixtures) and locomotor (rearing, butting, route-tracing, weaving) stereotypies have been reported in confined sheep. Sheep also show wool-pulling or biting when housed, particularly at high stocking density and when fed a diet with low roughage. Stereotypy does not appear to have been assessed on farm before as part of sheep welfare assessment, thus no reliability data are available. Unlike quantitative approaches that describe which behaviors are performed by animals, qualitative behavioral assesment (QBA) asks how behaviors are performed. With QBA information about body language and the way the animal interacts with the environment is assimilated and translated into qualitative descriptors such as “calm” or “agitated”. As the fixed lists for a species QBA can contain some 20 terms, involving both positive (e.g., calm, content) and negative terms (e.g., agitated, frustrated), QBA is not considered specific only to positive emotional states. Play in sheep appears to be largely restricted to young animals and is seen infrequently in adult animals. As the occurrence is so rare, it is likely that play will not be readily observed on farm and, thus, its utility as a welfare indicator in adult animals is doubtful.
					Vigilance	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropiate behaviors. Presence of stressors in the environment also cause increased vigilance and reduced social cohesion and grazing behavior (99). Increased vigilance is also associated with pharmacologically induced anxiety in sheep. No data are currently available in the literature to assess the reliability of this measure for on-farm welfare assessment.
					Response to surprising events	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropiate behaviors. The main anti-predator response of sheep is flight to a safe distance or to cover. The time taken by sheep to resume normal behavior following flight is influenced by their perception of the degree of threat. Thus, both the response to a surprising event, and the time taken to resume previous behavior, can form potential indicators to assess underlying fearfulness.
					Novel object test	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropiate behaviors. The novel object test is similar to the “surprise” test except that it is the reaction on exposure to the object rather than the manner in which it is presented which is tested. Due to the heterogeneity of sheep farms, being able to provide a standardized environment in which to conduct this test, and defining a novel object to which all sheep will not have been previously exposed, make it unlikely that this can be conducted successfully on all sheep farms.
					Comfort around humans	qualitative	0 = comfort 1 = no comfort	low	Animal based indicator that asses animal comfort around humans. This test is designed to elicit a flight response and assessing the distance to which an animal will allow a human to approach is considered a good indicator of their comfort around humans. Sheep flight distances are modified by animal experience, the nature of the approaching human (e.g., whether accompanied by a dog), and perceived risk. The overall lack of consistency and standardization between studies using these tests on farms has led to criticism and claims that it should not be used during an on-farm welfare assessment
					Fear test	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropiate behaviors. This test assesses the reactivity of animals to a stationary human by measuring their willingness to feed in the presence of the human. This test is specific to housed animals but has been used in on- farm assessment with sheep, where it was modified such that the human was moving along a feed bunker rather than remaining stationary. Assessments of the repeatability of this measure are generally good and significant. However, the inter-observer reliability of the assessments has not been assessed.
					Response to milking	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropiate behaviors. There is some evidence that these reactive responses are reduced in positively handled animals compared to negative and that there is good correlation with milk cortisol. Although potentially feasible and simple to measure on dairy farms, there is likely to be considerable between farm variation in parlor design, normal milking practices, and previous experience which can influence the results.
Minnig, A., Zufferey, R., Thomann, B., Zwygart, S., Keil, N., Schüpbach-Regula, G., ... & Zanolari, P. (2021). Animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessment in goats. Animals, 11(11), 3138.	10.3390/ani11113138	2021	EU	Dairy goats	Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	low	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. It considers abnormal gait, head nodding, spine curvature, and appearance of kneeling in locations other than the feeding rack. In the literature, lameness is described as one of the most serious health and welfare problems for dairy cattle. Information for goats, however, is scarce and based on rather small samples. A standard protocol for identifying mild, moderate, and severe cases would not be feasible on-farm due to the diversity of resource practices, used resources, and husbandry constraints on dairy goat farms. There is probably no single solution for scoring goats’ gait in the context of animal welfare assessment. Newly developed scoring systems should ideally be tested in large farms under different husbandry conditions.
					Body condition score	quantitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health. Several methods are used to assess BCS in the context of goat welfare, all of which have their advantages and their disadvantages. A visual scoring method provides a simple and valid method that can be used by inexperienced observers and is less stressful for the goats as no palpation is required. Further work, specifically on goats, is needed because methods for other small ruminants such as sheep do not translate very well to goats due to anatomical differences in fat distribution
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	low	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech. if there is there is a correlation between udder hygiene score and the prevalence of intramammary infection. Hower, there is little information available on the effect of dirtiness on goat welfare. Also, assessment of goats’ cleanliness may require a some time in order to correctly score animals considering possible bias introduced by different coat colours.
					Discharges	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	low	Animal based indicator that asses nasal and ocular discharges. Discharges of different natures have been used as welfare indicators on-farm and appear to be easy to score as only their presence or absence is noted in most existing protocols. However, there is still a need to investigate which types of discharges should be considered for welfare assessment and how environmental factors influence this animal-based indicator.
					Behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	medium	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate behaviour. It usesda list of descriptors such as “content” or “fearful”. It is suggested more practice with visual analogue scales and especially more on-farm training to improve inter-observer reliability scores. Evidence in other animal species such as dairy cows also suggested good inter-observer agreement.
					Comfort around humans	qualitative	0 = comfort 1 = no comfort	low	Animal based indicator that asses animal comfort around humans. A positive relationship between farm animals and humans as low levels of anxiety in animals or animals having high levels of trust in humans. Human–animal relationship testing appears to be a young but promising field in goat welfare research, as several publications in recent years have discussed different tests and their relevance for the field of welfare assessment. The variety of factors influencing the results, e.g., housing or stockpeople’s behaviour create a challenging environment for future work.
					Hoof overgrowth	qualitative	0 = no hoof overgrowth 1 = hoof overgrowth	low	Animal based indicator that hoof health. Overgrown claws in goats are associated with deformation and lameness . Scoring methods to evaluate goats’ claws are numerous and differ in assessment techniques and scales used to score the claw.
					Mastitis	qualitative	0 = no evidence of mastitis 1 = evidence of mastitis	low	Animal based indicator that asses the presennce of mastitis and udder health. Animal based indicator that asses lesions of udders and teats as well as alterations in udder conformation can affect dairy goats’ welfare and production value. A great variety of specific udder and teat indicators have been used in the assessment of dairy goat welfare. Different udder and teat abnormalities include, for example, skin lesions, missing glands, accessory teats, pendulous udders, inflamed skin, swellings, asymmetry between the glands, and clinical mastitis. A common scoring system for udder and teat abnormalities could provide a basis for data comparisons. Another goal for future research might be to find the most valid variables out of the ones proposed in existing protocols in order to perform udder and teat health assessment in a reasonable time frame.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	medium	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. It asses toe length, heel shape, claw shape,claw splay, and fetlock shape. Issues in reliability and consistency over time should be addressed by further on-farm testing and standardising scoring techniques. These two indicators could also be used in semi-intensive or extensive systems. In order for accuracy and feasibility of goat claw scoring applied on-farm to be increased, a visual binary assessment appears to be the most appropriate method to date.
					Rectal Temperature	quantitative	0 = no abnormal temperature 1 = abnormal temperature	low	Animal based indicator that asses body temperature. It indicates if the animals are under thermal stress. Thermal conditions for dairy goats housed indoors include an optimal temperature of 10–18 C, relative humidity between 60 and 80%, and wind speed of 0.5 m/s. Outside of these ranges, goats may experience varying degrees of thermal stress that negatively affect goat welfare. A visual assessment of thermal stress in dairy goats using specific descriptors can validly reflect on their welfare. Assessment of this indicator takes little time but may be complicated by confounding factors such as underlying health issues which could reduce the feasibility. The use of this indicator for meat or fibre goats or goats kept more extensively is subject to future research.
Pfeifer, M., Eggemann, L., Kransmann, J., Schmitt, A. O., & Hessel, E. F. (2019). Inter-and intra-observer reliability of animal welfare indicators for the on-farm self-assessment of fattening pigs. Animal, 13(8), 1712-1720.	10.1017/S1751731118003701	2019	Germany	Pig (fattening)	Tail length	quantitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the presence and lenght of the animal tails.Suitable for any meaningful implementation, independent of the area of application.
					Tail lesions	qualitative	0 = no tail features 1 = tail features	low	Animal based indicator that asses comfort by observing tail features. No significance could be ascribed to the indicator tail lesions due to its unsatisfactory Intra-OR in this study.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	low	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	medium	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. Suitable for any meaningful implementation, independent of the area of application.
					Ears	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = partial pain 2 = pain	medium	Animal based indicator that asses assess ear expression or lessions to detect pain. Suitable for any meaningful implementation, independent of the area of application.
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	low	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues.
De Jong, I. C., Hindle, V. A., Butterworth, A., Engel, B., Ferrari, P., Gunnink, H., ... & Van Reenen, C. G. (2016). Simplifying the Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for broiler chicken welfare. Animal, 10(1), 117-127.	10.1017/S1751731115001706	2015	Denmark, UK, Belgium, Italy	Broiler chickens	Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health.
					Water supply	quantitative	0 = good water supply 1 = bad water supply	high	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding practices.
					Plumage cleanliness	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	low	Animal based indicator that asses good housing.
					Litter quality	qualitative	0 = good quality 1 = bad quality	medium	Resource based indicator that asses good housing.
					Dust sheet test	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	low	Resource based indicator that asses good housing.
					Respiration rate	qualitative	0 = normal respiration rate 1 = not normal respiration rate	low	Animal based indicator that asses good housing.
					Stock density	quantitative	%	medium	Resource based indicator that asses appropriate housing and handling.
					Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	low	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues.
					Hock burn	qualitative	0 = no burns 1 = burns	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health.
					Footpad dermatitis	qualitative	0 = no dermatitis 1 = dermatitis	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health.
					Breast blister	qualitative	0 = no breast blisters 1 = breast blisters	low	Animal based indicator that asses good health.
					Mortality	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health.
					Rejections	quantitative	%	high	Resource based indicator that asses good health.
					Avoidance distance test	qualitative	0 = no avoidance 1 = avoidance	low	Animal based indicator that asses appropiate behaviour
Knock, M., & Carroll, G. A. (2019). The potential of post-mortem carcass assessments in reflecting the welfare of beef and dairy cattle. Animals, 9(11), 959.	10.3390/ani9110959	2019	UK	Dairy cattle and Beef cattle	Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses locomotion issues. Ante-mortem indicator. Scores were; (0) good mobility, even weight bearing on all four limbs; (1) imperfect mobility, uneven steps; (2) impaired mobility, uneven weight bearing; (3) severely impaired mobility, unable to walk at the same pace as the rest of the herd.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech.. Ante-mortem indicator. Cleanliness was scored on a scale of 0 to 2 and were; (0) clean, no dirt only minor splashing present; (1) dirty, an area of dirtiness at least 10 15 cm; (2) very dirty, plaques of dirt at least 40 cm in any dimension.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	medium	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. Ante-mortem indicator. Lesions and hair loss were scored using a system developed by the AHDB. The body, neck, tail and legs were assigned a score of either (0) no lesions or hair loss; (1) one or more hairless patches larger than 2 cm in diameter; or (2) one or more lesions larger than 2 cm in diameter. Lesions occurring anywhere other than the ‘neck,’ ‘tail’ and ‘legs’ regions were classified under the heading of ‘body.’ If there was more than one lesion in one of the specified body regions, the maximum severity was recorded.
					Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health.Ante-mortem indicator. Due to differences in body conformation between beef and dairy cattle, two body condition scoring (BCS) systems were used for beef cattle and for dairy cows . Both scoring systems had similar technical descriptions. However, a visual scoring system was also utilised and allowed the conformation differences between beef and dairy breeds to be accounted for. Scores ranged from (1) Poor, (2) Moderate, (3) Good, (4) Fat to (5) Grossly fat. Body condition score was condensed into a binary variable for the regression analysis; score 1 and 2 were combined to form the category ‘Underweight,’ scores 3 to 5 were combined to form the category ‘Not underweight.’
					Bruise score	qualitative	0 = no carcass bruising 1 = carcass bruising	medium	Animal based indicator that asses carcass bruising. Post-mortem indicator. Bruising is defined as the rupture of blood vessels that results in haemorrhage of tissue, causing accumulation of blood that discolours beneath the surface of the skin. seven anatomical sites were used to record bruise location—(1) Butt, (2) Rump-loin, (3) Rib, (4) Forequarter, (5) Back, (6) Pin and (7) Hip. The size of the bruise at each of the seven anatomical sites was scored based on the diameter or longest length of bruise and assigned a score from 1 to 4—(1) 0 cm–2 cm, (2) 2 cm–8 cm, (3) 9 cm–16 cm, (4) more than 16 cm. If more than one bruise was present on a specific area, the maximum severity of the size were recorded. Bruise size was determined by holding up a clipboard with an integrated ruler to each bruise. Have the potential to act as iceberg indicators of cattle welfare status ante-mortem.
					Hot carcass weight	qualitative	0 = poor 1 = superior	high	Resource based indicator that asses hot carcass weights. Post-mortem indicator. Carcasses were graded by trained technicians for conformation (from 1 [poor] to 6 [superior]) and fat coverage (from 1 [low] to 5 [very high]). These data were obtained from abattoir records.Have the potential to act as iceberg indicators of cattle welfare status ante-mortem.
Mullan, S., Wiltshire, P., Cross, K., Main, D. C., Still, K., Crawley, M., & Dowsey, A. W. (2022). National farm assurance scheme demonstrates welfare outcome improvements for sustainable intensification of dairy production. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 20(4), 558-575.	10.1080/14735903.2021.1957348	2021	UK	Dairy Cattle	Lameness	qualitative	0 = healthy 1 = lame	high	Animal based indicator that asses movility. Score 0/1 Good/ imperfect movility; score 2 impair movility; score 3 severely impaired movility.
					Body condition score	qualitative	0 = thin 5 = fat	high	Animal based indicator that asses the amount of fat and muscle coverage on an animal's body, indicating its nutritional status and overall health.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	medium	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries. It visually asses the presence of skin lesions and or hair loss from one side of the animal, from a distance not exceeding 2 m. Is present when: one or more hairless patches (may include scars) ≥ 2 cm diameter [scars should only be included if they are at least 3 mm wide]; one or more lesions (areas of skin damage i.e. wound or scab) ≥ 2 cm diameter [Do not include scars].
					Swellings	qualitative	0 = no swellings 1 = swellings	medium	Animal based indicator that assesthat visually asses the presence of swellings from one side of the animal, from a distance not exceeding 2 m. Substantial swelling is an abnormal enlargement which is a prominent/pronounced extension away from the body. Around the hock and the knee (carpus) this will be apparent as an obviously rounded swelling > 5cm in diameter. On other parts of the body the swelling may be long rather than round.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech.
Louton, H., Piller, A., Bergmann, S., Erhard, M., Schmidt, P., Kemper, N., ... & Schwarzer, A. (2022). Validation of an automatic scoring system for the assessment of hock burn in broiler. Poultry science, 101(9), 102025.	10.1016/j.psj.2022.102025	2022	Germany	Broiler chickens	Hock burn	qualitative	0 = no burns 1 = burns	low	Resorce based indicator that asses hock burn via a camera vision score. Macro Score 0 (no lesion), Macro Score 1 (superficial, attached (single) lesion or several single superficial or deep lesions ≤0.5 cm), Macro Score 2 (deep lesion >0.5 cm to ≤1 cm or superficial lesion >0.5 cm), Macro Score 3 (deep lesion >1.0 cm) to Macro Score 4 (whole hock extensively altered).The probability of a correct identification of lesions by the camera system was slightly higher (not significant) with the updated software (risk = 0.66 [0.62 −0.70]) than with the original software (risk = 0.63 [0.58−0.67]). Automatic assessment systems at slaughter could be adjusted to the presented threshold values to classify hock burn lesions. Software adaptations can improve the performance measures of diagnosis and reduce the probability of errors.
Hayer, J. J., Nysar, D., Heinemann, C., Leubner, C. D., & Steinhoff-Wagner, J. (2021). Influences on the assessment of resource-and animal-based welfare indicators in unweaned dairy calves for usage by farmers. Journal of Animal Science, 99(10), skab266.	10.1093/jas/skab266	2021	Germany	Dairy cattle (calves)	Access to roughage	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	high	Resorce based indicator that asses the effect of providing calves with additional roughage (excluding bedding)
					Access to concentrate	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	high	Resorce based indicator that asses the effect of providing calves with additional concentrate
					Cleanliness of milk bucket	qualitative	0 = clean 1 = not clean	high	Resource based indicator that asses the appearance and condition of each calf’s milk bucket.
					Feeder quality	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	high	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding. It evaluates the appearance and condition of each calf’s feeding trough.
					Water supply	quantitative	0 = good water supply 1 = bad water supply	high	Resource based indicator that asses good feeding.
					Cleanliness bedding	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	medium	Resorce based indicator that asses the appearance and condition of each calf’s beeding.
					Soiling	qualitative	0 = clean breach region 1 = feaces adhered to more 2/3 breech region	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the animal's degree of faecal soiling around the breech.
					Nesting score	qualitative	0 = good 1 = bad	medium	Animal based indicator that asses the amount and quality of bedding
					Runts	qualitative	0 = no runts 1 = runts	high	Animal based indicator that asses the general appearance (muscles, visibility of ribs, and coat) of calves
					Rectal Temperature	quantitative	0 = no abnormal temperature 1 = abnormal temperature	low	Animal based indicator that asses body temperature. . Indicates if calves are under hypothermia (rectal temperature < 38.5 °C) or hyperthermia (rectal temperature > 39.5 °C)
					Ears	qualitative	0 = no pain 1 = partial pain 2 = pain	medium	Animal based indicator that asses assess ear expression or lessions to detect pain.
					Horn bud inflammation	qualitative	0 = no inflammation 1 = inflammation	medium	Animal based indicator that asses evidence of wound infection around the removed horn bud
					Navel inflammation	qualitative	0 = no inflammation 1 = inflammation	medium	Animal based indicator that asses evidence of navel infection
					Diarrhoea Score	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = soft faeces 2 = diarrhoea	high	Animal based indicator that asses de presence or absence of diarrhoea.
					Coughing	qualitative	0 = no coughing 1 = coughing	medium	Animal based indicator that asses good health.
					Skin lesions	qualitative	0 = absence of lesions 1 = presence of lesions	medium	Animal based indicator that asses of the presence or absence of injuries.
					Sucked teats	qualitative	0 = no sucked 1 = sucked	low	Animal based indicator that asses evidence of sucked teats
Herborn, K. A., McElligott, A. G., Mitchell, M. A., Sandilands, V., Bradshaw, B., & Asher, L. (2020). Spectral entropy of early-life distress calls as an iceberg indicator of chicken welfare. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 17(167), 20200086.	10.1098/rsif.2020.0086	2020	UK	Broiler chickens	Vocalization	qualitative	0 = no vocalization 1 = vocalization	medium	Animal based indicator to asses comfort. Distress calls are a catch-all response to a range of environmental stressors, and elicit food calling and brooding from hens. Further research is required to identify what triggers, and thus could alleviate, distress calling in broiler chicks. However, within the field of precision livestock farming, this work shows the potential for simple descriptors of the overall acoustic environment to be a novel, tractable and real-time ‘iceberg indicator’ of current and future welfare.
Rhodes, V., Maguire, M., Shetty, M., McAloon, C., & Smeaton, A. F. (2022). Periodicity intensity of the 24 h circadian rhythm in newborn calves show indicators of herd welfare. Sensors, 22(15), 5843.	10.3390/s22155843	2025	Ireland	Dairy Cattle	Circadian Rhythms	qualitative	regularity	High	Animal based indicator that asses better health and welfare in dairy cattle, monitored via accelerometers.
				Beef cattle (finishing)	Activity Monitoring	quantitative	%	High	Resorce based indicator that asses health and welfare via activity patterns recorded in accelerometer.
				Dairy and Beef cattle	Behaviour	qualitative	0 = normal 1 = abnormal	High	Animal based indicator that asses appropriate behaviour. It considered the synchronization of herd movements and serves as an external welfare marker.
Vasdal, G., Granquist, E. G., Skjerve, E., De Jong, I. C., Berg, C., Michel, V., & Moe, R. O. (2019). Associations between carcass weight uniformity and production measures on farm and at slaughter in commercial broiler flocks. Poultry Science, 98(10), 4261-4268.	dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps/pez252	2019	Norway	Broiler chickens	Flock weight uniformity	quantitative	%	medium	Animal based indicator that asses flock weight uniformity.It is often defined as the percent individuals within 10% of the mean body weight (BW) and the variability of this uniformity can be expressed as the CV of BW. Results showed that flock uniformity varied from 11% to 18% between flocks within the same hybrid, similar management standards, and similar slaughter age (day 29 to 32). Poorer uniformity was associated with increased first week mortality, increased total mortality, less efficient growth) , reduced growth rate, and a reduced rejection rate at slaughter. The results show that flock uniformity varies across broiler flocks, and is associated with several production measures. Further research on a larger number of flocks is necessary to determine whether flock uniformity may represent a suitable iceberg indicator for welfare problems in commercial broiler flocks.