2 results
Farmer attitudes to injurious pecking in laying hens and to potential control strategies
- LJ Palczynski, H Buller, SL Lambton, CA Weeks
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- Journal:
- Animal Welfare / Volume 25 / Issue 1 / February 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2023, pp. 29-38
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Farmers’ recognition of health and welfare problems, and their responses to related intervention programmes, such as those to reduce injurious pecking in hens, directly influence the welfare of animals in their care. Changing those responses can be achieved through a re-positioning of social drivers as well as from individual behaviour. This study begins by considering how certain levels of plumage damage become normalised while others might be considered unacceptable. Drawing upon in-depth farmer interviews, the study investigates how management practices for addressing the issue of injurious pecking are developed and enacted, looking at the relative influence of intrinsic and extrinsic individual behavioural factors. Twelve farmers with varied uptake of evidence-based management strategies designed to reduce levels of injurious pecking were interviewed. Although farmers ranked images of flocks with various levels of plumage damage in a similar order to scientists, their perception of levels of injurious pecking in their own flocks varied, and was not consistently associated with the actual levels measured. Most farmers recognised both financial and welfare implications of injurious pecking and expressed pride in having a good-looking flock. The popular management strategies were those designed to redirect pecking to other objects, whereas a substantial barrier to uptake was the perception of creating other problems: for example, mislaid eggs if early access to litter and range were adopted. To achieve uptake of knowledge that improves animal welfare on-farm, it may be necessary both to shift the norms perceived as acceptable, and to overcome barriers to change that include lack of time and understanding, by providing impartial advice and facilitation of ownership of the issues.
Giving calves ‘the best start’: Perceptions of colostrum management on dairy farms in England
- LJ Palczynski, ECL Bleach, ML Brennan, PA Robinson
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- Journal:
- Animal Welfare / Volume 29 / Issue 1 / February 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2023, pp. 45-58
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Good colostrum management can confer protective immunity to newborn calves, making calves less susceptible to infectious disease, and fundamentally improving both their short- and long-term health, welfare and productivity. Industry recommendations commonly refer to ‘The Three ‘Q's’ of colostrum management: the need for calves to receive sufficient ‘Quantity’ of high ‘Quality’ colostrum ‘Quickly’ after birth; some also include ‘sQueaky clean’ and ‘Quantification of passive transfer’. However, research to date suggests that the failure of passive transfer of colostral antibodies is common on commercial dairy farms, contributing to sub-optimal calf health and mortality. This paper explores why this may be the case by investigating stakeholder perceptions of colostrum management and how these perceptions might affect the practice of ensuring adequate colostrum administration to newborn calves. Calf rearing and youngstock management practices on English dairy farms were investigated using 40 in-depth semi-structured interviews: 26 with dairy farmers and 14 with advisors (including veterinarians, feed and pharmaceutical company representatives). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically coded for analysis. ‘The Three ‘Q's’ were found to act as useful reminders about the goals of colostrum management, and a case can be made for further publicising the inclusion of ‘sQueaky clean’ and ‘Quantification of passive transfer’ as there remains a lack of focus on colostrum hygiene and measurement of successful antibody transfer. Knowledge of the ‘Q's’ did not guarantee implementation, and time and labour constraints alongside farmer misconceptions must be addressed when offering professional advice on improving calf health. Further research to encourage on-farm collection and analysis of monitoring data including rates of passive transfer is particularly needed. Advisors must not overlook the importance of colostrum management when assessing farm practices and ensure that they promote evidence-based recommendations if dairy calf morbidity and mortality is to be reduced.