Research on gut microbiome function in animals reveals bidirectional relationships between microbiome composition, stress, behavior, and welfare that have management implications.
Gut microbiome research is revealing complex relationships between welfare conditions and biological health markers that extend beyond simple stress-illness pathways. Animals raised in welfare-positive conditions with diverse diets, social stimulation, and low stress exposure develop microbiome profiles associated with behavioral resilience and positive affect. This emerging science suggests that welfare improvement may have cascading health benefits mediated through microbiome pathways, and that microbiome assessment could become a non-invasive welfare monitoring tool. The field is young but rapidly generating welfare-relevant insights.