Practical application of Observer XT software for behaviour and welfare research in small and large ruminants
Nadya Bozakova
, Mehmed Halil, Svetlana Georgieva
Abstract: Contemporary scientific animal research often relies on the synchronization and combination of various vital signs to obtain a complete picture of an animal’s welfare.
Observer XT software not only provides detailed and refined data on animal behaviour, but also allows the visualization of physiological data. It also facilitates the export and synchronization of ethological data with other physiological indicators.
The aim of the present study is to review the practical use of Observer XT software for synchronizing and integrating ethological observations in large and small ruminants with different physiological parameters in relation to their welfare.
To achieve this goal, we reviewed over 250 official documents and scientific publications through online databases, such as PubMed, Research Gate, and Elsevier. They are related to using Observer XT software to integrate data from video recordings of various behavioural reactions of large and small ruminants with their physiological, hormonal, biochemical, and other indicators concerning their poor and positive welfare.
As a result, we summarized and systematized the scientific data from the practical use of Observer XT software to synchronize and integrate indicators from ethological observations in sheep and cattle with other multimodal data. This permitted us to establish relationships and regularities between the various vital indicators and, as a result, to obtain a more complete picture of animal welfare, as well as to significantly improve the quality of scientific research.
Based on the obtained data, Observer XT software proved to be an optimal method for integrating and synchronizing ethological data in research with different physiological parameters in large and small ruminants in relation to their poor and positive welfare.
Keywords: integrating of ethological and physiological parameters; large and small ruminants behaviour; Observer XT
Citation: Bozakova, N., Halil, M. & Georgieva, S. (2024). Practical application of Observer XT software for behaviour and welfare research in small and large ruminants. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 30(5), 914–920
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| Date published: 2024-10-24
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