C: Animal Management

Question 1

Horses (common housing)

Answer 1

• Space for exercise
• Access to paddock + shelter (espec for less hardy breeds)
• Communal barns, loose boxes, stalls

Question 2

Sheep/ cows (common housing)

Answer 2

• Extensive/ mixed systems
• Housed indoors for winter/ calving/ medical treatment/ save space
• Large open barns

Question 3

Pigs- complex (common housing)

Answer 3

• Breeding sows: indoors/outdoors, small groups, access to paddock
• Farrowing: farrowing crates or individual pens
• Grower/ finisher: mostly indoors, groups

Question 4

Poultry- complex (common housing)

Answer 4

• Primarily loose housing in large groups (4-32K)
• Colony cages for laying hens (not common)
• Access to range (60% only for layers)

Question 5

Types of housing (3)

Answer 5

• Climatic: naturally ventilated, warmed with body heat, for hardy animals (sheep/cow), cheap
• Controlled environment: Highly automated, heavily stocked, well insulated
• Micro environment: small modules, heavily stocked, naturally ventilated, insulated, body heat

Question 6

How is heat lost (4)

Answer 6

Convection (body heat to surrounding), radiation (heat leaving animal), conduction (touching cold objects), evaporation/ respiration

Question 7

Thermoneutral zone (TNZ)

Answer 7

external temperature that has negligible effect on metabolic rate (ideal)
- Narrow TMZ, maintained through feed: pigs and poultry
- Broad TMZ, maintained through coat/behaviour: ruminants

Question 8

Insulation methods to fight heat loss

Answer 8

• Conduction: Use materials that trap air (which has low thermal conductivity (inclu. rockwool, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam)
• Radiation: reflective materials
• Convection: controlled ventilation

Question 9

Supplementary heating options

Answer 9

Heated air ducts, space heaters, brooders

Question 10

Ventilation purposes

Answer 10

temp regulation, humidity and air hygiene

Question 11

Stack effect

Answer 11

Body heat moves up, ventilation pushes away

Question 12

Ridge outlet design (and changes through seasons)

Answer 12

Natural ventilation through inlets and heat escape through top
- Winter, passive heat out
- Winter with wind, slow overturn of ventilation to slow stack effect
- Summer: Big inlets to speed stack effect

Question 13

Types of mechanical ventilation (4)

Answer 13

• pressure (fan air out, -p draw air in, cold + warm mix before reaching animals), + pressure (fan air in, +p air out), side ventilation, tunnel ventilation.

Question 14

Air speed for young animals

Answer 14

Max = 30 cm/sec

Question 15

Temperature lift

Answer 15

Lower critical temp- outside temp.
- Used to maintain TNZ

Question 16

Humidity

Answer 16

% saturation of air with water vapour

Question 17

Common air pollutants

Answer 17

noxious gases, organic dust particles, microorganisms, toxins, allergens

Question 18

Gaseous pollutants

Answer 18

Ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, CO2, methane, CO, H2S

Question 19

Lighting intensity species adjustments

Answer 19

• Measured in Lux
• Adjusted based on specific species (and how they evolved)
• pigs/poultry = low, cows = high

Question 20

Photoperiodicity impact

Answer 20

• Higher daylength stimulates reproduction (horses, cows, pigs), and milk/egg production
• Lower daylength stimulates reproduction (sheep and deer)
• All need dark period
• at least 200 Lux for mammals and 10 Lux for birds to have effect

Question 21

Light wavelength (+ rods and cones)

Answer 21

Some depend on UV
- Rods: sensitive to light receptors, wide wavelength range
- Cones: less sensitive, restrict wavelength

• Humans = red, green, blue
• Most mammals = dichromatic (blue + green)
• Birds = tetrachromatic

Question 22

Lighting factors (4)

Answer 22

Light intensity, photoperiodicity, light wavelength and flicker frequency

Question 23

Flicker frequency

Answer 23

Many animals have higher flicker frequency than humans

Question 24

Types of flooring (7)

Answer 24

• Solid/ slatted concrete (cheap, uncomfortable)
• Concrete slatted floors (Better drainage, less heat loss, can’t fully clean/ use bedding)
• Metal T-shaped slates (less abrasive, easier to clean, more slippery)
• Expanded woven mesh (medium stock, easily broken)
• Plastic slats (Light animals, better thermal/cleaning, expensive)
• Wooden slats (very light animals, cheap, can’t fully clean)
• Rubber (good comfort, easy clean, not long lasting, expensive)

Question 25

Bedding types (4)

Answer 25

• Straw (cheap if local, chopping increases absorbency, can release dust/ fungus spores)
• Sand (dairy cow cubicles, waste drains, tricky to dispose)
• Wood shaving (more absorptive, expensive, more hygienic)
• Hemp fibre (super absorbent, no fungal spores, EXPENSIVEEEE)