Behavior and Welfare as it Relates to Stockmanship

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Behavior and Welfare as it Relates to Stockmanship

• Camie Heleski
• November, 2000

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Behavior

• Being an excellent observer of behavior for the
  species under your care is crucial to being a
  good stockman.
• We will discuss further on Wednesday.

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Introduction to Animal Welfare

• Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare
• Philosophical difference
• We can be utilitarian and still believe animals
  should be reared with good welfare standards
• Some prefer well-being to welfare

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• Some countries tightly regulated
• United Kingdom - 5 Freedoms
• freedom from hunger thirst (by ready access to
  fresh water a diet to maintain full health
  vigor)
• freedom from discomfort - by providing an
  appropriate environment including shelter a
  comfortable resting area
• freedom from pain, injury or disease - by
  prevention or rapid diagnosis treatment

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• Freedom to express normal behavior - by providing
  sufficient space, proper facilities company of
  the animals own kind (probably one of the
  hardest to provide guidelines for can add to
  price of food products - are Americans willing to
  pay for enhanced welfare?
• Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring
  conditions treatment which avoid mental
  suffering

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Another way of saying this

• Those who care for livestock should practice
  caring responsible planning mgt. skilled,
  knowledgeable conscientious stockmanship
  appropriate environmental design considerate
  handling transport and humane slaughter (Broom
  Johnson, 1993)

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Welfare is, to a large extent, a subjective
measure represents a continuum

• The measures may be objective, but weighing them
  into an assessment involves ethical values
• Measures of poor welfare
• Reduced life expectancy
• Reduced ability to grow or breed
• Body damage
• Disease
• immunosuppression

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Measures of poor welfare (cont.)

• Physiological attempts to cope
• Behavioral attempts to cope
• Behavioral pathology
• Extent of suppression of normal behavior
• Extent to which normal physiological processes
  anatomical development are prevented (Broom
  Johnson, 1993)

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Measures of good welfare (harder to assess with
scientific data)

• Variety of normal behaviors shown
• Extent to which strongly preferred behaviors can
  be shown
• Physiological indicators of pleasure
• Behavioral indicators of pleasure
• (Broom Johnson, 1993)

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• An animals systems strive to maintain
  homeostasis our domestic livestock species tend
  to be especially good at this
• Disruption of homeostasis is referred to as
  stress or a stressor
• Often referred to as negative but not all
  stresses are bad
• A completely barren environment may be stress
  free but not be desirable enriched environment
  with minor stressors"

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• Coping - some animals are able to adapt to
  stressors more effectively than other animals
  they have better coping strategies

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Selyes Stress Theory

• Studied rats
• Found that many stressors, especially those which
  the animal had no control over, resulted in
  increased glucocorticoid hormone response,
  suppression of the immune system and
  susceptibility to ulcers

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• In conclusion, a good stockman strives to know
  his/her animals
• Realizes good animal management involves more
  than just making sure they gain weight
• Has excellent observation skills

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Animal Welfare Judging Team