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.
A current focus is identifying factors contributing to the development
and expression of injurious behavior in animals. We are characterizing
the behavioral, morphological and neurobiological characteristics of
aggressive and cannibalistic individuals with the aim of understanding
the mechanisms underlying these behaviors. The role of individual and
social learning in the spread of injurious behaviors is also under
investigation. This information is used to develop humane animal
management systems that reduce the risk of animal injury and promote
animal well-being.
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 Bilčk, 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 Spinka, 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., Spinka, 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.
Spinka, 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.
Sustr P., Spinka, 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.)
