Lecture 3 Animal Welfare - PDF

Lecture 3 Intro to animal care and welfare including European and indigenous vs. Canadian perspectives on care. Today we will Introduce welfare practices for beef, sheep and goat Define and compare European vs. Canadian welfare standards Define indigenous concept of animal personhood and the...

Lecture 3 Intro to animal care and welfare including European and indigenous vs. Canadian perspectives on care. Today we will Introduce welfare practices for beef, sheep and goat Define and compare European vs. Canadian welfare standards Define indigenous concept of animal personhood and the idea of animals as ancestors By the end of today you should be able to Compare and contrast animal welfare principles Application of animal welfare principles to develop safe animal handling and housing procedures General welfare practices needed for all species Housing and environment Nutrition Healthcare Behaviour and healthcare Welfare standards Regular monitoring Training and education Housing and environment Shelter: need protection from rain and extreme conditions (cold, hot, wind). Animals are susceptible to damp conditions, need a dry and well-ventilated environment Fencing: appropriate fencing is required for protection from predators, and to prevent animals from escaping (e.g, goat) Space: enough space must be provided to avoid stress and injury. Overcrowding can lead to health issues and aggressive behaviour Goats require room to climb and move around, they enjoy environment made for climbing Nutrition Diet: having a balanced diet is essential, should include forage like grass or hay, grains, and minerals. Body score must be monitored to adjust diet Nutritional needs vary depending on the stage and age of the animal Water: fresh drinkable water must be available at all times. Health care Routine checkups: regular veterinary checkups for vaccinations, parasite control, and health monitoring Hygiene: maintain a cleaned living condition to prevent the spread of diseases, this includes regularly cleaning the feeding and water equipment Hoof care: regular trimming is essential, prevents infections that might be contagious like footrot and prevents lameness Parasite control: deworming program is essential, monitor for signs of parasites Vaccinations: vaccinations schedule must be set in place Behaviour and welfare Flocking: animals are social and should be kept in a group They are intelligent, need stimulation to prevent boredom (goats) Isolation may cause stress and behavioural problems Handling: use low stress handling techniques to avoid causing fear or injury, ensure proper handling training for handlers European welfare standards For this course, you need to know the “five freedoms”: 1. Freedom from hunger and thirst: ensuring access to fresh water and a diet suitable for the animals age, breed, and production 2. Freedom from discomfort: providing an appropriate living environment, including shelter and comfortable bedding 3. Freedom from pain, injury, and disease: implementing measures to prevent illness and injury and providing prompt veterinary care 4. Freedom to express normal behaviour: allowing animals to engage in natural behaviours such as social interactions and movement 5. Freedom from fear and distress: ensuring that animals are not subjected to unnecessary stress and are handled calmly and humanly Canadian welfare standards Is a combination of federal, provincial, and territorial regulations: https://www.nfacc.ca/poultry-code-of-practice The Indigenous concept of animal personhood This is a very complex matter, and it is hard to define The concept of personhood reflects a deep and respectful relationship between humans and animals This perspective involved treating animals as sentient being with their own identities, rights, and roles within the natural world It reflets value in life in all forms Indigenous concept of animals as kin In the indigenous culture, animals are often viewed as relatives or kin This perspective gives a sense of respect and obligation towards animals, recognizing that animals have their own lives and roles within the ecosystem Cold stress Healthy mature sheep in full fleece and in good body condition with access to feed, water and a proper shelter can cope well in cold conditions. Freshly shorn ewes, newborn lambs, or compromised sheep at any age are more susceptible to hypothermia and need more protection. Sheep in a cold condition: Face away from the prevailing winds Seek shelter from the wind Huddle together Shift positions within the group Shiver  Wind combined with cold, wet conditions can compromise the welfare of sheep. Cold, wet and windy conditions reduce the insulation value of the fleece. Sheep can experience wind chill. Wind chill can have a severe impact on the effective temperature experienced by sheep and cause hypothermia. Action: Relocate sheep to a sheltered area or shed Provide more feed (energy) Provide extra bedding Manage timing of shearing events to minimize risk of hypothermia (delay shearing if a bad weather is forecasted). Air circulation, dust levels, CO2, temperature, relative air humidity, ammonia concentrations (less than 25ppm) must be kept within the standard range. Social Environment Sheep are social animals. Show flock behaviour as protection against predation. The strong social bond that forms between a dam and her lambs can remain intact until separation. Subgroups can form within the flock and two or more sheep can also form a social bond and become distressed if separated. Sheep can recognize the faces of numerous other sheep and interpret the emotional relevance of these facial features. Fighting to establish a social hierarchy occurs more in single-sex, single-age groups than in mixed-sex groups of varying ages. Providing visual contact with other sheep is essential to avoid isolation stress.  Lighting Sheep are seasonal animals and sensitive to photoperiod. An appropriate period of rest from artificial lighting (e.g. 6 hours) should be provided, but they must not be kept in permanent darkness. Sheep prefer moving from darker to lighter areas. Shadows can startle sheep and make moving them more difficult.  Nutrition and Feed Management Farm husbandry and management influence body condition so condition scoring are being used for on-farm assessment and management of sheep welfare. Both emaciation (a BCS of less than 2 out of 5) and obesity (BCS of 4 or greater out of 5) can compromise the health and welfare of the individual sheep and the flock. Ewe condition has a major effect on lamb development and survival. Obesity is a particular welfare concern for pregnant ewes, which may experience reduced appetites and be at risk for developing pregnancy toxemia. Be aware that body condition scores are most applicable to mature sheep and may be of little use for lambs under 6 months of age. Feeding space required depends on Type of feed, feeding frequency, presence of horned animals, animal size and group size. Questions? References https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07256868.2019.1704229#:~:text= Brighten%20states%20that%20'Canadian%20Aboriginal,conscious%2C%20sentie nt%20beings%20who%20possess https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S146290112200380X