{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T15:57:52Z","timestamp":1792079872473,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,14]],"date-time":"2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736812800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"British Poultry Science"},{"name":"Scottish Government\u2019s Environment, Agriculture and Food Strategic Research Programme"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to identify if sensor technology could be used to detect sickness-type signs (caused by a live vaccine) in laying hens compared to physiological and clinical sign scoring and behaviour observation. The experiment comprised 5 replicate batches (4 hens and 12 days per batch) using previously non-vaccinated hens (n = 20). Hens were moved on day 1 to a large experimental room with various designated zones (e.g., litter, perches, nest box), where they wore two sensors (FitBark, TrackLab). Saline was applied using ocular and nasal drops on day 3 as a control. A live vaccine (Infectious Laryngotracheitis, ILT, vaccine), applied using the same method on day 6, was used to induce mild respiratory and other responses. Physiological and clinical signs, and behaviour from videos were also recorded by a single observer. There were significant changes in body weight (p &lt; 0.001), feed intake (p = 0.031), cloacal temperature (p &lt; 0.001) and three out of five clinical signs (ocular discharge (p &lt; 0.001), conjunctivitis (p &lt; 0.001) and depression (p = 0.009)) over days. A significant decrease (p &lt; 0.001) in activity level (FitBark) and distance travelled (both sensors) were identified over the study days, and activity and distance travelled were highly significantly associated (p &lt; 0.001) with total clinical scores, with hens showing reduced activity and distance travelled with worsening total clinical scores. With behaviour observations from videos, the proportions of sitting, foraging and feeding behaviours (p = 0.044, 0.036 and 0.004, respectively), the proportion of total visit duration to the litter zone (p &lt; 0.001) and perch (p = 0.037) with TrackLab and the proportions of visit counts of hens in the litter zone (p = 0.012) from video scanning changed significantly with days. This study suggests that the vaccine challenge caused associated changes in clinical\/physiological signs and activity\/distance travelled data from the sensors. Sensors may have a role in detecting changes in activity and movement in individual hens indicative of health or welfare problems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15020205","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,14]],"date-time":"2025-01-14T06:13:07Z","timestamp":1736835187000},"page":"205","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Do Activity Sensors Identify Physiological, Clinical and Behavioural Changes in Laying Hens Exposed to a Vaccine Challenge?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Hyungwook","family":"Kang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Scotland\u2019s Rural College, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK"},{"name":"Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Brocklehurst","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King\u2019s Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9373-0624","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marie","family":"Haskell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scotland\u2019s Rural College, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susan","family":"Jarvis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0806-3535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Victoria","family":"Sandilands","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scotland\u2019s Rural College, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4020-6558-3_1","article-title":"Introduction: What Is Animal Welfare?","volume":"Volume 5","author":"Rushen","year":"2008","journal-title":"The Welfare of Cattle"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"703","DOI":"10.1080\/00071668.2010.528748","article-title":"Sub-Clinical Infection with Salmonella in Chickens Differentially Affects Behaviour and Welfare in Three Inbred Strains","volume":"51","author":"Toscano","year":"2010","journal-title":"Br. 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