midterm intro to animal science

what are the five freedoms and what are their limitations?

1. freedom from thirst

2. freedom from discomfort + exposure

3. freedom from pain, injury, + disease

4. freedom from fear and distress

5. freedom to express normal behavior

6. (freedoms can conflict) ex. free from disease can result in stress from handling from treatment)

what are the 3 circles of animal welfare and what is an example of an animals condition that would fall under each of the 3 circles?

1. mind (access to things that make them feel good, so like enrichment toys)

2. nature (access to natural living, so if they are a social animal, then they would live together with a herd or pack)

3. body (access to good health and access to vet care, so like free from disease, etc.)

in the five domains framework of animal welfare, what are the input domains, and the output domain?

input: nutrition, physical environment, health, behavioral interaction

output: mental/affective state

when we evaluate welfare we can assess animal based measures, resource-based measures, and protocol-based measures of welfare. what is an example of each type of measure and which of these is the only direct way to assess the welfare of an animal?

animal-based measures: body condition + health assessments

resource-based measures: access to feed and water, air quality

protocol-based measures : zero tolerance policy for animal abuse

direct: animal-based measures

primary difference in taurine and indicine cattle

taurine are for colder climates and inducine cattle is for warmer climates. also taurines are more specialized for their specific action, where inducine are more general

describe production cycle in beef cattle

breeding, 9 months gestation period, calving for 6-8 months, then weaning, then going to a stocker or feedlot for 5 to 18 months, then harvest at 13-26 months of age

how can we use animals behavior and senses to inform low stress handling

remember the animals perspective, are bad at shadows, moving objects, reflective objects, so move animals towards brighter areas, and check floor slip resistance

describe flight zone and how we use it to use cattle

the further you move into the flight zone, the more the animal wants to move, animal will move away from where you are

most common dairy cow breed in the us

whole steins because they produce like a ton of milk

why would a farmer want to have different breeds of dairy cow to milk

to balance milk volume so like milk for butter v. cheese, farm efficiency and different breeds are adapted to different enviroments

life cycle of dairy animal

calf (weaning -8 weeks), then you are a heifer where you are bred (12-14 months) , and then you gestate for 9 months, then you are a cow where your first calving takes places at -2 years old, you milk for 10 months, and then you have a dry period of 2 months

three types of sheep production and a breed that is specialized to each type

1. meat production (dorpers)

2. wool production (merino)

3. dairy production (east Friesian)

lifecycle of sheep

from the ewe, you tup in your mother for 147 days, then you are birthed and are lambing for 12 to 20 weeks until you are weaned and flushed, you are then bred and continue the cycle or you are selected to go to slaughter

management practices that can improve sheep welfare

many practices are related to fly strike, a lot of solutions to fly strike are very painful, so other alternatives that prioritizing the sheep’s welfare is crutching (shaving wool around breech routinely, breeding for fly-strike resistant sheep, or fly prevention

four pillars of the poultry industry

genetics, nutrition, diseases, management

describe how each pillars has impacted broiler and layer birds

genetics: chickens are bred for desired traits so that their morality is better and they have a shorter time to grow chicken

nutrition: nutrition is very important because chicken’s grow fast + they have the feed conversion ratio (1.7 lbs estimated feed to gain 1 pound of body mass which is good because less food is less money)

management: begins with proper care of handling eggs at one hatchery + goal is to have high hatch ability. eggs need to have the right temp, position, humidity, turning of eggs, oxygens, etc to do this.

diseases: avian influenza type a virus (sudden death in bird and won’t infect humans, but can be transmitted) signs: lack of energy, head/legs swelling, diarrhea, etc. bird flu gets transmitted through direct contact with bad feed or water

good characteristics of broilers

fast meat production (market weight in 6 to 8 weeks), high breast-meat yield

good characteristics of layers

long-term egg output, agile body, lighter,

why do nutrients vary in horses

because horses have varying physiological states (maintenance, pregnancy, lactation, growth, and work)

factors that influence feed consumption

palatability, dental care, processing, availability, fatigue, illness, stress, parasite overload

two feeding tips

1. feed hay before grain (less grain is better because its more natural)

2. don’t feed more than 4 to 5 pounds of grain at any one meal because too much starch can cause issues

describe ways to manage manure

usually there is 40 to 50 pounds of manure a day, so its important to be environmentally conscious. you can look for changes in manure smell or color consistency. you can pile or dumpster compost

describe selective deworming and how it is used

when you examine feces to determine egg count, you find out if they have a high egg count and if they do, you deworm them. this helps reduce cost and resistance and you have better control of the worms

describe methods of biosecurity

barn stalls, aisles, and other surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected, remove all organic materials like manure and dirt, wash with detergent, rinse, then apply disinfectants, wearing rubber gloves, disinfect trailers used to transport sick animals, take rectal temps of all horses twice a day when there is an outbreak

production cycle for swine

when you are farrowed, you are nursed and then weaned and then you are piglet until you reach market weight, then you have sexual maturity, mating, and then conception, with the gestation length being 3 months 3 weeks 3 days, then you either get bred again or you go to slaughter

yorkshire

(feed efficiency, prolificacy, durable, foundation for many cross breeds)

chester white

mothering ability, prolific, adaptability

landrace

most prolific breed, long carcass, length, adaptable to confinement, feed efficiency

duroc

growth rate, durability, feed efficiency, mothering ability

hampshire

muscular, lean, feed efficiency reproduction traits

how can we use swine behavior to inform low stress management

we can use flight zone to move animals, when moving animals allow them to stop and look/smell around, this will make it low stress, pigs also like a well-lit area

farrowing stall

used to reduce crushing with fenders, low stress environment, providing separate functional areas in a pen, supervision and allows for more freedom of movement and natural interactions between dam and offspring and opportunity for nesting behavior

gestration stall

used for gestating pigs, they can lay or stand up, but social interaction is very limited and are not able to perform natural actions and absence of bedding is a risk for foot health