Associate Professor

E-Mail: rnewberry@wsu.edu

Phone: (509) 335-2957 or (509) 335-5059

In the Newberry laboratory, we are studying factors affecting the behavior and well-being of animals, and the quality of human-animal interactions. We use behavioral measures such as vocalizations, exploration, and play to assess affective states. We also investigate animal preferences, motivations, and decision-making to gain insights into the inner subjective lives of animals. Our goal is to develop methods for improving animal care through environmental enrichment, social grouping strategies, handling and training methods, and housing design. We also seek methods to prevent and control abnormal behavior. We work with a variety of species in agricultural, laboratory, and zoo settings, as well as with companion animals.

Biographical Information

Ruth C. Newberry, Associate Professor, received her B.Sc. in biology and her Ph.D. in agriculture from the University of Edinburgh in 1979 and 1983, respectively. She held a fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Agassiz, British Columbia from 1983-1985. She was subsequently employed there as a research scientist until 1996, when she joined the faculty of the Departments of VCAPP and Animal Sciences. She was the first faculty member appointed in the Center for the Study of Animal Well-being (www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-CSAW). She is a Past President of the International Society for Applied Ethology (www.applied-ethology.org), and is currently a scientific advisor to various groups addressing issues of farm animal well-being.

Recent Publications

Newberry, R.C. and Swanson, J.C. 2008.  Implications of breaking mother-young social bonds. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 110, 3-23.

Cloutier, S. and Newberry, R.C. 2008.  The use of a conditioning technique to reduce the physiological and behavioural stress associated with repeated intra-peritoneal injections in rats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 112, 158-173.

Dennis, R., Newberry, R.C., Cheng, H-W. and Estevez, I. 2008.  Appearance matters: artificial marking alters aggression and stress. Poultry Science 87, 1939-1946.

Wibowo, T.A., Gaskins, C.T., Newberry, R.C., Thorgaard, G.H., Michal, J.J. and Jiang, Z. 2008.  Genome assembly anchored QTL map of bovine chromosome 14. International Journal of Biological Sciences 4, 406-414.

Thogerson, C.M., Hester, P.Y., Mench, J.A., Newberry, R.C., Pajor, E.A. and Garner, J.P. The effect of feeder space allocation on behavior of Hy-line W36 hens housed in conventional cages. Poultry Science (in press).

Thogerson, C.M., Hester, P.Y., Mench, J.A., Newberry, R.C., Okura, C.M., Pajor, E.A., Talaty, P.N. and Garner, J.P. The effect of feeder space allocation on productivity and physiology of Hy-line W36 hens housed in conventional cages. Poultry Science (in press).

Croney, C. and Newberry, R.C. 2007. Group size and cognitive processes. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 103, 215-228.

Newberry, R.C., Keeling, L.J., Estevez, I. and Bilčík, B. 2007.  Behaviour when young as a predictor of severe feather pecking in adult laying hens: the redirected foraging hypothesis revisited. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 107, 262-274.

Gifford, A.K., Cloutier, S. and Newberry, R.C. 2007.  Objects as enrichment: effects of object exposure time and delay interval on object recognition memory of the domestic pig. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 107, 206-217.

Newberry, R.C. and Špinka, M. 2007. Humans and pigs. P. 1154-1159. In: Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships: A Global Exploration of Our Connections with Animals. Vol. 4. Ed. by M. Bekoff, Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport CT.

Cloutier, S., Skaer, T.L. and Newberry, R.C. 2006. Consumption of alcohol by sows in a choice situation. Physiology and Behavior 88, 101-107.

Cloutier, S., Newberry, R.C., Cambridge, A.J. and Tobias, K.M. 2005. Behavioral signs of postoperative pain in cats following onychectomy or tenectomy surgery. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 92, 325-335.

Newberry, R.C. 2004. Cannibalism. pp. 239-258. In: Welfare of the Laying Hen. Ed. by G.C. Perry, CABI Publishing, Wallingford UK.

Cloutier, S., Newberry, R.C. and Honda, K. 2004. Comparison of social ranks based on worm-running and aggressive behaviour in young domestic fowl. Behavioural Processes 65, 79-86.

Yngvesson, J., Keeling, L.J. and Newberry, R.C. 2004. Individual production differences do not explain cannibalistic behaviour in laying hens. British Poultry Science 45, 453-462.

Other Selected Publications

Cloutier S., Newberry, R.C., Honda, K. and Alldredge, J.R. 2002. Cannibalistic behaviour spread by social learning. Animal Behaviour 63, 1153-1162.

Donaldson, T.M., Newberry, R.C., Špinka, M. and Cloutier, S. 2002. Effects of early play experience on play behaviour of piglets after weaning. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 79, 221-231.

Cloutier, S. and Newberry, R.C. 2002. Differences in skeletal and ornamental traits between laying hen cannibals, victims and bystanders. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 77, 115-126.

Estevez I., Newberry, R.C. and Keeling, L.J. 2002. Dynamics of aggression in the domestic fowl. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 76, 307-325.

Špinka, M., Newberry, R.C. and Bekoff, M. 2001.  Mammalian play: training for the unexpected.  The Quarterly Review of Biology 76, 141-168.

Newberry, R.C., Estevez, I. and Keeling, L.J. 2001.  Group size and perching behaviour in young domestic fowl.  Applied Animal Behaviour Science 73, 117-129.

Šustr P., Špinka, M., Cloutier, S. and Newberry, R.C. 2001. Computer-aided method for calculating animal configurations during social interactions from x, y coordinates of color-marked body parts. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers 33, 364-370.

Cambridge, A.J., Tobias, K.M., Newberry, R.C. and Sarkar, D.K. 2000.  Evaluation of subjective and objective measurements of postoperative pain in cats.  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 217, 685-690.

Cloutier, S. and Newberry, R.C. 2000.  Recent social experience, body weight and initial patterns of attack predict the social status attained by unfamiliar hens in a new group.  Behaviour 137, 705-726.

Newberry, R.C. 1999.  Exploratory behaviour of young domestic fowl.  Applied Animal Behaviour Science 63, 311-321.

Newberry, R.C., Webster, A.B., Lewis, N.J. and Van Arnam, C. 1999.  Management of spent hens.  Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 2, 13-29.

Bilcik, B., Keeling, L.J. and Newberry, R.C. 1998.  Effect of group size on tonic immobility in laying hens.  Behavioural Processes 43, 53-59.

Newberry, R.C. and Shackleton, D.M. 1997.  Use of cover by domestic fowl: a Venetian blind effect?  Animal Behaviour 54, 387-395.

Estevez, I., Newberry, R.C. and Arias de Reyna, L. 1997.  Broiler chickens: a tolerant social system?  Etologia 5, 19-29.

Newberry, R.C. 1995. Environmental enrichment: increasing the biological relevance of captive environments.  Applied Animal Behaviour Science 44, 229-244.

Newberry, R.C. and Blair, R. 1993.  Behavioral responses of broiler chickens to handling: effects of dietary tryptophan and two lighting regimens. Poultry Science 72, 1237-1244.

Newberry, R.C. 1992.  Influence of increasing photoperiod and toe clipping on breast buttons of turkeys. Poultry Science 71, 1471-1479.

Newberry, R.C. and Hall, J.W. 1990.  Use of pen space by broiler chickens: effects of age and pen size.  Applied Animal Behaviour Science 25, 125-136.

Gardiner, E.E., Newberry, R.C. and Keng, J-Y. 1990.  Avian vitreous humour concentrations of inosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid, uracil and uridine as influenced by age and sex: their relevance as indicators of ante-mortem hypoxia.  Forensic Science International 47, 123-127.

Newberry, R.C., Wood-Gush, D.G.M. and Hall, J.W. 1988.  Playful behaviour of piglets.  Behavioural Processes 17, 205-216.

Newberry, R.C., Gardiner, E.E. and Hunt, J.R. 1987.  Behavior of chickens prior to death from sudden death syndrome. Poultry Science 66, 1446-1450.

Newberry, R.C., Hunt, J.R. and Gardiner, E.E. 1986.  Light intensity effects on performance, activity, leg disorders and sudden death syndrome of roaster chickens.  Poultry Science 65, 2232-2238.

Newberry, R.C. and Wood-Gush, D.G.M.  1986.  Social relationships of piglets in a semi- natural environment.  Animal Behaviour 34, 1311-1318.

Newberry, R.C. and Wood-Gush, D.G.M. 1985.  The suckling behaviour of domestic pigs in a semi-natural environment.  Behaviour 95, 11-25.

PubMed Publications (Note: PubMed Search may produce additional "Newberry" authors.)

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