Intro To Animal Handling / Husbandry Flashcards
What system uses a scale of 0-2 to rate horse discomfort and tension?
Horse Grimace Scale system
What is an animal flight zone?
The area surrounding animal which when intruded, causes alarm and escape behaviour
Where are blind spots on large animals?
Back end (tail)
What is an animals point of balance?
Point on animal which handler can pass to move animal in opposite direction
Where is an animals point of balance usually located?
Shoulder
What is animal husbandry?
The breeding, rearing and care of domestic animals
What is biosecurity?
Preventing the transfer of pathogens between two locations
What are fomites?
Objects/materials which are likely to carry infection
Why are routine management procedures done?
Convenience
Handling
What is stock density?
The density of animals in an enclosure
Why are piglet teeth clipped?
To stop chewing mothers tweets
To stop tail biting
Why are sheep tails docked?
To prevent accumulation of faecal matter and infection
What are stereotypic behaviours?
Unusual animal behaviour
May or may not be harmful
What fraction of animals are obese?
1/4 cats
1/3 dogs
What 4 ways are used to assess the husbandry system?
Analyse records
Evaluation of resources
Animal assessments
People assessments
What is a sub clinical disease?
A disease which has few or no recognisable symptoms
Asymptomatic
What is biosecurity?
Preventing the transfer of pathogens between locations
What are routine management procedures?
Procedures done for convenience and handling
E.g. castration, spaying, tail docking
What are stereotypical behaviours?
Unusual animal behaviours which may or may not be harmful
What is the stack effect? What does it remove? How does this work?
Ventilation for buildings to replenish oxygen and remove CO2, NH3, moisture and pathogens
Pressure causes air drawn in through in inlets and out through outlets
Animals heat up air to cause convection currents
What is Yorkshire space boarding? How efficient?
Gaps between boards
Not that efficient as air is concentrated in one area
How can you assess ventilation?
Smoke test
Smells of urine/ammonia
Drafts
Animal behaviour
What is somatic cell count?
The number of WBCs in cows milk
What are the 4 methods of heat transfer?
Convection, conduction, radiation, evaporation
What is sensible/insensible heat loss?
Sensible - increases temperature of surrounding air
Insensible - doesn’t increase temp of surrounding air
What does endothermic mean?
Heat generated within the body
What does ectothermic mean?
Core body T influenced by surroundings
What is homeothermic?
Core body temperature remains roughly constant
What is poikilothermic?
Body temperature varies dramatically
Where is the core body temperature measured?
Brain
Thorax
Abdomen
What is the thermoneutral zone?
Range of temperatures where animal does not need to do anything to maintain body T
Efficient for growth and production
If drastically outside of the thermonetural zone, body mechanisms stop working. What is this called?
Hypo/hyperthermia
What is the upper/lower critical temperatures?
One above or below this, an animal must do something to keep body T in thermoneutral zone
Under LCT - cold stress. Above UCT - heat stress
Which animals are prone to heat stress and why?
Lactating cows
Metabolically demanding
Hey produced as byproduct
Describe the LCT and TNZ of neonates and explain why this is
High LCT
Narrow TNZ
less body tissue and muscle
Why are neonates more likely to get hypothermia?
Born in fluid Unsure how to seek shelter High energy demand as growing Weak immune systems No brown fat (pigs) Large surface area - proportion of head
How do neonates cope with their high LCT?
Drink colostrum
Increase metabolic rate and therefore heat production
Brown fat
What do animals do when too hot?
Pant Vasodilate Go to shade Lick fur Increase SA Malt Decrease food activity Piloerection
What do animals do when too cold?
Vasoconstrict Shiver (simultaneous contraction of antagonistic muscles) Huddling Brown fat Increase food and activity Antifreeze protein in blood
What are the consequences of poor husbandry
Zoonoses, disease, malnutrition, lack of 5 freedoms, low productivity, financial loss, environmental damage, prosecution
Why do we need food?
maintain and build cells, metabolism , growth, reproduction, location, physiological processes, muscle contraction
What are the 6 classes of food?
Carbohydrates Lipids Protein Water Vitamins Inorganic elements
What has agriculture expansion led to?
Decreased habitats, biodiversity
Gases, carbon emission (1/3 of worlds greenhouse gases)
What has agriculture intensification lead to?
Increased pesticides
Immigration
Eutrophication
How are greenhouse gases emitted by agriculture?
Deforestation
Methane from livestock
Nitrous oxides from fertilisers
Rice cultivation
What are the body weight targets for puberty and mating?
50% puberty
65% mating
What are the 3 types of moncultures?
Grass mono cultures - cattle/sheep grazing
Arable crop monocultures - crops, no grazing animals
Mixed farming - arable and grazing
What is stratification?
Using different breed characteristics for different climates and husbandry types
What are the output costs of farming?
Animal sales, replacements, premiums
What are the variable costs of farming?
feeding, bedding, forage, vets, fertilisers, transport
What are fixed costs of farming?
Rent/interest, utilities, staff
What is the equation for gross margin of farming?
Output - variable cost
What shape is the growth curve of life?
Sigmoid also
What is yield feeding?
Feeding animal more during peak milk yield
What is lead feeding?
Feeding an animal more prior to increased milk yield
What is hyperplasia?
Increased size of organ tissue due to increased cell production and therefore more cells
What is hypertrophy?
Increased volume of tissues/organs due to increased size of cell components
What are positive and negative energy balances?
\+ = energy required < energy provided. Leads to anabolism - = energy required > energy provided. Leads to catabolism
What is gross energy?
The energy of a food sample when dried and measure by a calorimeter
What is digestible energy?
Gross energy - energy lost via faeces
What is metabolisable energy?
Gross energy - (energy lost from faeces and urine)
What is net energy?
Gross energy - (energy lost from heat, faeces and urine)
Why is digestible energy inaccurate?
Assumes all nutrients are absorbed and that all faeces are waste products only
What is basal metabolic rate?
The energy needed to keep an animal alive with no movement
What is fasting metabolic rate?
The energy needed to keep an animal alive and moving
What is maintenance metabolic rate?
The energy needed for an animal to maintain a constant body mass
Why do younger animals have a higher metabolic rate?
They are more active
What are precocial species? How long is their gestation? How many offspring?
Species which can open their eyes, move and control their body T straight after birth
Long gestation
1 offspring
What are altricial species? How long is their gestation? How many offspring are there?
Species which rely on mother when born- cannot open eyes, move or control body temperatures
Short gestation
Large litter
What is the order of tissue growth in an embryo?
CNS
Bone
Muscle
Fat
