animal behavior + management + thermoregulation

sexual behavior

lordosis, flehmen response

caregiving/care-soliciting behavior

mothering ability, seeking out offspring

eliminative behavior

defecation/urination under diff conditions, marking territory

ingestive behavior

access to food/water, pica, rumination collars, ad libitum water intake

social behavior

grouping/flocking, harem grouping, pecking order

shelter-seeking behavior

seeking shade for thermoregulation, nesting, avoiding aggression

grooming behavior

licking, picking off parasites, mutual grooming, scratching

agonistic behavior

fight or flight

sympathetic nervous system

rapid response from nervous system dumps adrenaline into blood, increases heart rate and blood volume

parasympathetic nervous system

rest and digest, relaxed state

anthropomorphism

attributing human perceptions onto animals

stereotypical stress behaviors

feather plucking/over grooming, aggression, reduced appetite

long-term stress adaptation

increased cortisol production: breaks down fat and changes levels of dopamine in hypothalamus

DFD (dark, firm, dry) meat

caused by stress during handling/transport, burns up glycogen in muscle, no pH drop after euthanized, no O2 binding to myoglobin causes dark red meat

homeostasis

not using extra energy to maintain core temp

thermoneutral zone

temp range where animal can maintain homeostasis

thermoregulation methods

sweating, panting, basking, shivering, grouping

factors affecting thermoneutral zone

humidity, wind, access to food/water, convection (heat transfer thru air), conduction (surface to surface heat transfer), stocking density

why do cattle have lower thermoneutral zone

microbes in rumen generate heat