Husbandry system and housing Flashcards
What is the definition of husbandry?
The breeding, rearing and daily care of domestic animals
What are the consequences of poor husbandry on animals?
Hunger, disease, distress, abnormal behaviour, discomfort
What are the consequences of poor husbandry on people?
Zoonotic disease, emotional toil, costs, production losses
What are the main role of vets in animal husbandry?
- support owners as they implement changes
- ensure veterinary medicines are not used to compensate poor husbandry
- lead mankind on issues of animal husbandry
What needs assessing?
- legal requirements
- handling
- food and water
- biosecurity
- housing
- hygiene
- breeds and reproduction
How would you assess a husbandry system?
- Analysis of records
- Evaluation of resources
- Animal assessments
- People assessments
What is categorised as a clinical case and a sub-clinical case?
Clinical = animals that are outwardly showing signs of disease Sub-clinical = animals that appear normal but are diseased
What are the impacts on the environment due to expansion of farming?
- habitats
- biodiversity
- carbon storage
- soil conditions
- green house gases
- water degradation
- pollution
What is agriculture the biggest contributor to?
Climate change
When is global food security achieved?
When all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary need and food preference
How can global food security be achieved?
- Increase total agriculture production
- Increase total food supply
- Improve distribution and access to food
- Increase resilience of whole food system
How can we reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture?
- Stop expanding agriculture
- Close yield gaps
- Increase production on existing agricultural lands
- Increase agricultural resource efficiency
- Shift diets and reduce food waste
What are the 4 ways that heat is controlled in an animal?
- Radiation (black coats radiate and absorb more heat)
- Conduction (heat flow from animal to ground)
- Convection - from the animal to the air
- Evaporation of water
What is humidity?
% saturation of air by water vapour
Of the 4 ways that heat is lost from an animal, which way is insensible?
Evaporation
What is the name given to the group of animals that keep their core body temp constant?
Homeothermic endoderms
What is the name of the group of animals designed to allow their core body temp to vary?
Poikilothermic ectotherms
What is the thermal neutral zone?
Where no adjustments are needed to maintain core body temp
- utilisation of feed for growth and production is optimal as no food energy is needed to maintain core temp
How is the LCT and TNZ different in young animals and why?
Higher LCT and narrower TNZ
- differences in body size and shape
- poor tissue and surface insulation
- wet birth coat
How can an animal reduce its temperature if it’s too hot?
- Maximise body SA
- seek air movement and shade
- evaporative cooling e.g. pant, sweat
- wallowing
- decrease tissue insulation
How can an animal increase its temperature if it’s too cold?
- shiver
- huddle
- seek shelter
- increase tissue insulation e.g. lying down
- withdrawing extremities
- counter current heat exchange
- dry bedding
What factors make a neonate more susceptible to hypothermia?
- high SA:vol ration
- lack of muscle and inability to shiver
- poor thermal insulation e.g. fat, coat, feathers
- inability to move away from cold areas
- some e.g. piglets have no brown fat
How do neonates survive exposure to cold when wet?
- increasing metabolic rate
- some can activate brown adipose fat tissue and derive heat from non-shivering thermogenesis
- early colostrum intake
What are the benefits of a natural, outside environment?
- freedom of movement and social grouping
- less restriction
- pasture comfortable underfoot and lying
- able to exhibit natural behaviour
What are the benefits of an indoor environment?
- increase productivity
- control over environment e.g. temp, feeding, breeding
- conservation
- easier to manage and observe e.g. treatment
- protection from adverse weather
- production from predators
- enables increased stocking densities
Housing requirements and modifications depend on?
- species, breed
- age
- production stage
- geographical area
- cost
What is the role of ventilation?
- replenish depleted oxygen
- prevent build up of excreted gases
- prevent accumulation of moisture and dust
- remove pathogens
What are the consequences of excessive ventilation?
- environmental chilling
- stress
- increased disease susceptibility
What factors affect ventilation>
- air inlet and outlet areas
- height difference between inlets and outlets
- inside and outside temp differences
- heat generated by animals
When are expressions of dominance more common?
- mixing groups
- large groups
- competing for a limited resource
- dead ends within housing
