Exam - Welfare Issues and Solutions 4 Flashcards
what is a high motivation in calves
high sucking motivation
what increases calve’s sucking motivation
when milk is consumed
what can increased sucking motivation result in
cross sucking when calves are kept in group
what can increase the time that calves spend ingesting their milk
offering the milk in teat-buckets instead of plain buckets
what is an additional benefit of teat buckets
calves perform less cross-sucking after ingesting milk
components of disruption of social order
mixing unfamiliar animals
adoption and teat order
social environment factors of dairy cows
-disruption of parent-offspring relationship
- disruption of social order
- competition for resources
- overstocking/crowding
components of overstocking/crowding in dairy cows
reduces ability to retreat
reduces access to resources
what is weaning the process of
mammals transition from bilk based diet to a solid diet
why is weaning a source of stress
usually done on farms before natural age of weaning:
- separation from the mother
- change of diet
when are dairy calves separated from their mother
at birth - fed milk replacer or whole milk before actual weaning (>50d)
reasons for separating diary calves from their mothers so early
- more milk for producer to sell
- closer supervision of colostrum, milk and feed intake
- reduced risk of vertical disease transmission
benefits of early dam-calf contact
- possible positive affective experiences associated with maternal behaviour
- positive effect of dam rearing on social behaviour
examples of positive effects of dam rearing on social behaviour
higher dominance rank
higher avoidance of aggression when introduced to cow herd as heifer
when is weaning in pigs typically done
3-4 weeks of age
when is natural weaning in pigs
8-19 weeks
what could early weaning result in pigs
belly nosing - link with hunger level and stress
what are additional things that weaning in pigs involve
change in environment
mixing with other pigs
what could alleviate the stress of weaning in pigs
allowing litters to mix before weaning
what can influence social interactions following mixing in dairy calves
familiarity and group size
teat order in piglets
first social order - high consistency by 1 week of age
what can adoption of piglets disturb
teat order - adopted piglets attempts to suck on original teat
what can adoption cause due to disturbed teat order
increased aggression
missed feedings
decreased weight gain
what does the process of domestication reduce in animals
fear of humans
what do farm animals still show
predator-avoidance reactions to humans
what can increase farm animal’s fears of humans
routine procedures that can cause pain and distress
examples of routine procedures that can cause pain and distress
shearing
castration
tail docking
beak trimming
dehorning
vaccination
what can fear of humans be reduced by
targeted breeding programs
environmental enrichment
improves management and stockmanship
3 components that can be influenced from learning with fear of humans
habituation
observational learning/social learning
associative learningh
habituation
exposure to humans in a neutral context
observational learning/social learning
young animals learn to be less fearful of humans when in the presence of tame adult
associative learning
positive and negative human behaviours
3 ways fear of humans can be measured
- reaction to a stationary human
- reaction to a moving or approaching human
- reaction to handling
what does mutual grooming do
helps maintain social relationships
restores harmony after a conflict
reduces stress
what is one of the most cost effective ways to improve animal welfare
improving the human-animal relationship - strong association between reduced fear/stress and improved animal performance
