Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
As a behavioural scientist, I study behaviour as a way of measuring Animal Welfare, and to understand and solve welfare problems which involve behaviour in captive animals, particularly farmed livestock.
My research interests include:
1) Behavioural problems in pig groups: particularly
- Social aggression (fighting and bullying), where I have long-standing collaboration with SRUC colleague Dr Simon Turner, looking for genetic and management solutions and seeking to understand how pigs assess each other during fights.
- Tail biting. Identifying practical means to predict, detect and prevent tail biting on farm.
2) The problem of hunger in feed-restricted broiler breeders and dry (lactating) sows. These animals have high growth potential but must be rationed to be healthy adults. Can we find diets which restrict energy to ensure good health without chronic hunger?
3) The use of technology to improve management and welfare by monitoring behaviour on-farm. Developing machine-vision approaches based on video technology to automate behaviour recording. Current work involves collaborating with agri-tech and pig supply chain companies to use 3D cameras to measure tail posture in pigs to develop an early warning system for tail biting (TailTech project)
Projects
Current
- 2021-2022 RESAS ‘Strategic research programme WP2.2’
Previous (selected)
- 2018-2021 Innovate UK ‘TailTech: Developing an early warning system for pig’ tail biting” (£220K)
- 2016-2021 RESAS ‘Strategic research programme RD2.2.8’ (£265K/year)
- 2017-2021 USDA-AFRI ‘Phenomics and Genomics of Behavioral and Growth Traits in Group Housed Pigs’ ($198K)
- 2016-2018 Innovate UK ‘3D Tails: Early detection of tail biting in pigs using 3D video to measure tail posture’ (£201K)
Supervision
- PhD student (2019-2024) ‘Practical diets to improve dry sow welfare: improving satiety and reducing gastric ulcers’ with Edinburgh University
- PhD student (2015-2022 part time) ‘Understanding satiety in broiler breeders during rearing and application to commercial diets’ with Edinburgh University and Aviagen
- PhD student (2015-2019) ‘Strategies to reduce the risk of tail biting in pigs managed on slatted floors’ with Teagasc and Edinburgh University
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Oxford
15 Sep 1993 → 30 Dec 1996
Award Date: 30 Dec 1996
Master, University of Oxford
1 Sep 1990 → 30 Jun 1993
Award Date: 30 Jun 1993
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Network
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Understanding satiety in broiler breeders during rearing and application to commercial diets
1/10/15 → 30/06/22
Project: Research
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RESAS Strategic Research Programme 2016-21 WP2.3 Productive and sustainable land management
Wall, E., Smith, S., Nicoll, L., Parker, J., Robertson, D., Davidson, R., Donbavand, J., Anderson, C., Roehe, R., Harrison, B., Purcell, L., Duthie, C., Gunn, G., Pritchard, T., Jones, S., Bagnall, A., Vosough Ahmadi, B., Archibald, I., Rees, B., Eory, V., Glenk, K., Edwards, T., Buckingham, S., March, M., Broadbent, C., Cloy, J., Hargreaves, P., Wishart, H., Griffiths, B., Fox, N., Sparks, N., Shrestha, S., Banos, G., Henry, M., Watson, C., Dickinson, J., Topp, K., Burnett, F., Kyle, J., Denholm, S., Dewhurst, R., Lawson, D., McCubbin, I., Dwyer, C., Holland, J., McCracken, D., Barratt, A., Havis, N., Stanisz-Migal, M., Miller, G., Bowen, J., Hutchings, M., Creissen, H., D'Eath, R., Baddeley, J., Houdijk, J., Coffey, M., Morgan-Davies, C., Walker, R., Turner, S., Haskell, M., Barnes, A., Athanasiadou, S., Cole, L., Sandilands, V., McLaren, A., MacLeod, M. & Smith, L.
1/04/19 → 31/03/20
Project: Research
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Phenomics and genomics of behavioural and growth traits in group-housed pigs
Turner, S., Roehe, R. & D'Eath, R.
1/04/17 → 30/04/21
Project: Research
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IRELAND: Strategies to reduce the risk of tail biting in pigs managed on slatted floors
1/09/15 → 1/09/19
Project: Research
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Rearing undocked pigs on fully slatted floors using multiple types and variations of enrichment
Chou, J-Y., Drique, C. M. V., Sandercock, D. A., D'Eath, R. B. & O'Driscoll, K., 2 Apr 2019, (First published) In: Animals. 9, 4, 139.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Citations (Scopus)7 Downloads (Pure) -
Using technology to improve animal welfare: 3D cameras can detect lowered tail posture and give early warning of tailbiting in pigs
D'Eath, RB., Jack, MC., Futro, A., Talbot, D., Zhu, Q., Barclay, D. & Baxter, EM., Jun 2018, (First published) p. 52. 1 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
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Early intervention with enrichment can prevent tail biting outbreaks in weaner pigs
Lahrmann, HP., Hansen, CF., D'Eath, RB., Busch, ME., Nielsen, JP. & Forkman, B., 23 Jun 2018, (First published) In: Livestock Science. 214, p. 272 - 277 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile21 Citations (Scopus)71 Downloads (Pure) -
Extracting accurate long-term behavior changes from a large pig dataset
Bergamini, L., Pini, S., Simoni, A., Vezzani, R., Calderara, S., Eath, R. B. D. & Fisher, R. B., 2021, Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications . Farinella, G. M., Radeva, P., Braz, J. & Bouatouch, K. (eds.). SciTePress, Vol. 4. p. 524-533 10 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review
Open AccessFile44 Downloads (Pure) -
A high enrichment replenishment rate reduces damaging behaviours and increases growth rate in undocked pigs kept in fully slatted pens
Chou, JYC., Sandercock, DA., D'Eath, RB. & O'Driscoll, K. K. M., 13 Nov 2020, (First published) In: Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 7, 584706.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)4 Downloads (Pure)
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3D Tails and TailTech: developing an early warning system for pig tail biting
Rick D'Eath (Speaker)
7 Mar 2019Activity: Talk, evidence or presentation types › Invited talk
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Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (External organisation)
Rick D'Eath (Member)
Feb 2019Activity: Membership types › Membership of committee
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3D technology and animal welfare
Emma Baxter (Invited speaker) & Rick D'Eath (Speaker)
10 Apr 2019Activity: Talk, evidence or presentation types › Invited talk
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3D Tails / TailTech
Rick D'Eath (Speaker)
28 Nov 2018Activity: Talk, evidence or presentation types › Invited talk
Press / Media
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Tell Tail Signs: imaging technology detects early warning signs of tail biting in pigs
25/08/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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3D camera technology could help to predict and eliminate tail biting in pigs
7/03/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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Scottish Farmers Test Machine Vision to Manage Pig Pugnacity
21/09/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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