Environmental Farm Management Exam #2

Disease

• Physical/mental condition where a normal function is harmed

Illness

• subjective sensation of experiencing a disease rate

Sickness

• the state of being ill

Health

• absence of illness/injury

Why animal Healthy Matters

• health is a key part of animal welfare but not sole determinant

Animal Health =

• studies focus on disease itself

• welfare perspective focus on how animal experiences the consequences of disease

Inflammation

• a defense mechanism to infection & tissue injury

Chronic Inflammation

• due to persistent & unresolved acute inflammation or chronic process

• characterized by simultaneous destruction & healing of tissue

• can spread to other parts of body & cause inflammation

Sickness Behavior

• fever

• depression

• lethargy

• inappetence

• thirst

Sickness Behavior - Isolation

• could benefit due to reducing spread of disease

Care of Sick/Injured Animals

• require additional care & resources

Immunity & Vaccinations

pathogens enters body causes

• inflammation

• activation of cell medicated immunity

• antigen in pathogens → B-lymphocytes produce antibodies

Vaccines is to avoid animal suffering through prevention

Lameness

• impaired movement or deviation from normal gait

• welfare concern across all species

• can increase sensitivity to pain & reduce feed intake

Experimental vs Commercial Setting

• great focus on developing measures for experimental setting

Key Differences

• animals kept in larger groups

• minimal or no direct contact w/ animals

• limited time for observation

Resource-Based Indicators

• describe environment & management protocols

• easy to assess

• identify risk factors that can threaten welfare

• “think structure”

Animal-Based Indicators

• describes state of animal

• measures how the animal is actually fairing in environment

• difficult to incorporate on-farm assessments

• look at animal itself

• behaviors can be used as an animal based indicator

What should we “Measure”

• use both indicators to assess welfare state of animal

Assessment Strategies MUST meet →

Valid

• accurate

Reliable

• precise

Robust

• applicable to different situations

Practical

• time/labor adequate

Applying New Measures

1. Measure

2. Analyze Risk Factors

3. Inform

4. Support Management decisions to create improvements in welfare

Housing of Farm Animals - General Purpose

1. Protection + Confinement

2. Regulation of Temperature + Air

3. Access to Feed + Water

Stocking Density

• # of animals per area

• total space / # of individuals = Stocking Density

Protection + Confinement

• limit access to space

Regulation of Temp + Air

Ventilation

• movement of air

• measured by cubic feet per minute

C → F

• C = F - 32 / 1.8

Access to Feed + Water

• balanced diet

• water

Feed Conversion Ratio

• measures efficiency convert feed into body mass

• FCR = feed consumption (lbs or kg) / weight gain (lbs or kg)

• Lower FCR = more efficient

• Higher FCR = less efficient

Mortality

• % mortality = percent of animals that died or were euthanized

• % mortality = (# of animals dead&euthanized / total start # animals) * 100

Environmental Enrichment

• improve or enhance the environment of the animals

Goals of Environment Enrichments

• increase behavioral diversity

• decrease frequency of abnormal behaviors

• increase range of # of normal behavior patters

• increase utilization of environment

• increase ability to cope w/ challenges

• increase biological functioning

Stressor

• external/internal factor that disrupts animals homeostasis & elicit stress response

Stress

• biological response of an animal when exposed to a stressor

Strain

• magnitude of physiological behavioral effect that stressor caused

Homeostasis response to stressor

• fight or flight : response

• involves nervous system & endocrine system

Autonomic Nervous System (involuntary)

• sympathetic nervous system (SNS)

• releases norepinephrine (noradrenaline)

• end goal: increase blood flow to organs + muscles needed for response

Endocrine System

• HPA (Hypothalamic - Pituitary - Adrenal) Axis

1. Stressor Detected

2. Secrets CRH (Corticotropin - releasing hormone)

3. CRH stimulates anterior pituitary gland to release ATCH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)

4. ATCH travels to adrenal gland

5. Adrenal cortex releases glucocorticoid

6. Cortisol acts on body functions

Visual Representation

Consequences of Chronic Stress

• development + growth

• immune

• digestive

• reproductive

Atypical Behavior

• behavior that are exaggerated in frequency and/or intensity of normal eliciting stimuli

Causes of Atypical Behavior

• environmental deprivation

• social isolation or over crowding

• forced exposure to humans

• nutritional deficiencies

• hormonal imbalance

• early weaning or brain damage

Treatment & Management Approaches

• environmental enrichment

• behavioral modification

Behavioral Modification

• systematic methods used to reduce or eliminate atypical behavior

• focuses on changing associations, reinforcement patterns or responses to stimuli

Behavior Modification Techniques

• punishment

• counterconditioning

• flooding

• progressive desensitization

• pharmacological

Livestock Climate Impact Truth

• livestock methane part of carbon cycle

• CO2 form fossil fuels is bigger threat

• livestock & agriculture can reduce emissions w/ technology

• incentive - based climate policy is effective + scalable

• farmers are essential to climate progress

Composting Livestock Waste

• composting is a managed biological oxidation process that converts heterogenous organic matter into homogenous homus like material

Key Elements

• carbon - energy

• Nitrogen - protein

• water - function of microbes

• oxygen - aerobic decomposition

Process of Composting Livestock Waste

• Windrow Management

  • manure placed in long piles

  • particles should be < 2in

• Temperature

  • heat up above 120F

  • between 131-170F for 15 days

• Oxygen & Turning

  • must remain aerobic CO2 >5% in

• Moisture

  • 60% moisture

C/N Ratio

20 C : 1 N

too low → excess N causes ammonia odor

too high → excess C causes slow decomposition

Finished Compost Characteristics

• dark brown to black color

• Homogenous appearance

Economic / Environmental Perspective

• manure should be viewed as a viable resource

Metrics for Stock Density

• ft² = ft ft ; in² = in in

• 1ft = 12in

• 1 m = 100 cm

• 1 m = 3.28 ft

Conversion for FCR

• 1 kg = 2.20

• 1 kg = 1000g

homeostasis

• maintain balanced internal environment despite external changes

5 criteria to assessing animal welfare

• nutrition

• environment

• health

• behavioral interactions (social

• mental state

sympathetic nervous system

• fast

• increases heart rate

• dilate blood vessels

Isabelle abnormal behaviors

• tongue rolling

• non nutritive oral manipulation

• Jerseys perform more because

  • more time spent chewing while grazing

  • more feed per unit of body weight

  • genetic influence

benefits to composting

• reduces weight

• substitute to fertilizer

greenhouse gas with highest potency

methane

greenhouse gas get destroyed by

• methane

feed additives to reduce methane

• bovaer

• rumen modifiers (less impact)