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
