Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-5g6vh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T02:50:56.869Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Animal welfare and sustainable animal production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2016

A. Orihuela
A. Orihuela*
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad1001 Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca Morelos 62210, México
*
†E-mail: aorihuela@uaem.mx
Get access

Abstract

This paper describes the basic principles of animal behavior and how these concepts can be applied to the management and care of farm animal species in a sustainable way. Several examples about how the behavior of animals can be used to increase production and welfare understanding animal needs while solving farm problems, are mentioned. Topics covered include: fostering of orphans, explaining how to substitute dead lambs, or how to add extra lambs to ewes with single births; the breakdown of the cow–calf relationship, covering different forms of weaning, focusing on stress reduction as reproductive efficiency and productivity increases; handling system designs, explaining the basic principles of animal handling and how to leverage this knowledge in the design of facilities for the purpose of moving cattle efficiently, reducing at the same time the risk of injury in humans and animals; the behavior of sick animals, where the physiological processes in order to regain homeostasis through changes in animal behavior are explained, in addition to how those changes in behavior can be used to predict some diseases even before clinical signs appeared, or how these changes might be applied to assess the extent of the pain suffered by a particular individual; and finally, a miscellaneous section covering various behavioral aspects of management of productive animals.

Keywords

behaviormanagementfarmwelfare
Type
Full Paper
Information
Advances in Animal Biosciences , Volume 7 , Special Issue 2: Proceedings of the EAAP-European Federation of Animal Science in association with ALPA , October 2016 , pp. 215 - 217
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acevedo, N, Hernández, C, Orihuela, A, Lidfors, LM and Berg, L 2005. Effect of restricted suckling or temporal weaning on some physiological and behavioural stress parameters in Zebu cattle (Bos indicus). Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Science 18, 1176–1181.Google Scholar
Andrade, O, Orihuela, A, Solano, J and Galina, CS 2001. Some effects of repeated handling and the use of a mask on stress responses in Zebu cattle during restraint. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 71, 175–181.Google Scholar
Flower, FC, de Passillé, AM, Weary, DM, Sanderson, DJ and Rushen, J 2007. Softer, higher-friction flooring improves gait of cows with and without sole ulcers. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 1235–1242.Google Scholar
Flower, FC, Sanderson, KJ and Weary, DM 2005. Hoof pathologies influence kinematic measures of dairy cow gait. Journal of Dairy Science 88, 3166–3173.Google Scholar
Fraser, D, Duncan, IJ, Edwards, SA, Grandin, T, Gregory, NG, Guyonnet, V, Hemsworth, PH, Huertas, SM, Huzzey, JM, Mellor, DJ, Mench, JA, Spinka, M and Whay, HR 2013. General principles for the welfare of animals in production systems: the underlying science and its application. Veterinary Journal 198, 19–27.Google Scholar
Fröberg, S, Gratte, E, Svennersten-Sjaunja, K, Olsson, I, Berg, C, Orihuela, A, Galina, CS, García, B and Lidfors, L 2008. Effect of suckling (restricted suckling) on dairy cows’ udder health and milk let down and their calves’ weight gain feed intake and behavior. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 113, 1–14.Google Scholar
Galeana, L, Orihuela, A, Aguirre, V and Vázquez, R 2007. Mother-young spatial association and its relation with proximity to a fence separating ewes and lambs during enforced weaning in hair sheep (Ovis aries). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 108, 81–88.Google Scholar
Galina, CS, Rubio, I, Basurto, H and Orihuela, A 2001. Consequences of different suckling systems for reproductive activity and productivity of cattle in tropical conditions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 72, 255–262.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 1980. Good cattle-restraining good equipment is essential. Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinician 75, 1291–1296.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 2014. Livestock handling and transport, 3rd edition. CAB International, Wallingford Oxon, UK.Google Scholar
Hernández, C, Orihuela, A, Fröberg, S and Lidfors, LM 2006. Effect of restricted suckling on physiological and behavioural stress parameters in dual-purpose cattle in the tropics. Livestock Science 99, 21–27.Google Scholar
Huzzey, JM, Veira, DM, Weary, DM and von Keyserlingk, MA 2007. Prepartum behavior and dry matter intake identify dairy cows at risk for metritis. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 3220–3233.Google Scholar
Madsen, TN and Kristensen, AR 2005. A model for monitoring the condition of young pigs by their drinking behavior. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 48, 138–154.Google Scholar
Martin, NL, Price, EO, Wallach, SJR and Dally, MR 1987. Fostering lambs by odor transfer: the add-on experiment. Journal of Animal Science 64, 1378–1383.Google Scholar
Orihuela, A and Hernández, C 2007. Cortisol response of restricted suckling or artificially milk-feeding to a short-term emotional stressor in dairy calves and their dams. Animal Welfare 16, 49–52.Google Scholar
Orihuela, A and Solano, J 1994. Relationship between order of entry in slaughterhouse raceway and time to traverse raceway. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 40, 313–317.Google Scholar
Orihuela, A and Vázquez, V 2008. Behavioral strategies in host-parasite relationships. Review. Técnica Pecuaria en México 46, 259–285.Google Scholar
Pérez-León, I, Orihuela, A, Lidfors, L and Aguirre, V 2006. Reducing mother-young separation distress by inducing ewes into oestrus at the day of weaning. Animal Welfare 15, 383–389.Google Scholar
Price, EO, Dunn, GC, Talbot, JA and Dally, MR 1984. Fostering lambs by odor transfer: the substitution experiment. Journal of Animal Science 59, 301–307.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rushen, J, Passillé, AM, von Keyserlingk, MAG and Weary, DM 2008. The welfare of cattle, 1st edition. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Svensson, C and Jensen, MB 2007. Identification of diseased calves by use of data from automatic milk feeders. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 994–997.Google Scholar
Weary, DM, Huzzey, JM and Von Keyserling, K 2009. Using behavior to predict and identify ill health in animals. Journal of Animal Science 87, 770–777.Google Scholar