Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

Animal Housing & WelfareLearning Outcomes:4.3.2 (a) Discuss management practices for:

optimal animal health & welfare Handling & housing farm animals

4.3.3 (a) Discuss the factors to be taken into consideration when considering the welfare of farm animals

4.3.3 (b) describe farmyard layout (sketch) in which they identify & discuss potential hazards on the farm & how they are managed

Best layout practice encompassing health & safety

Cross Cutting Themes:Health & Safety, technology, breeding & genetics, sustainability, environment, nutrition, food production, policy & sustainability

Learning Intentions:Students will be able to:

Keywords:Welfare, wellbeing, behaviour, physiology, scanning, crush, quality assurance, sustainable, health, security, hygiene, bellowing, aggressive, unpredictable, carbon foot print, docile, artificial insemination, farmyard layout,

Numeracy:Adequate space, correct amount of feed, BCS, ADG, farm deaths

Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

Animal Welfare, Housing & HandlingAnimal Welfare, housing & handling is a huge part of every animal enterprise. Irish farmers consider animal welfare to be of the utmost importance which reflects in produce competing in the higher price markets worldwide. Also, the safe handling of animals & correct housing conditions is also considered to be of utmost importance.

Read the following abstract from B. Early (Teagasc) & then think about & answer the questions that follow:

(Farm animal Welfare Council – www.fawac.ie)

Achieve best animal welfare practice: Fresh water & correct

amount of water Correct environment –

housing & temperature & space

Healthy – diagnosing & treating sick animals

Express normal behaviour Stress & fear free

Important environmental requirements:

Comfort – space & temp Security – food, prevent injury, from stress Hygiene – reduce disease risk Behaviour – allow animals to exhibit

natural behaviour – mating etc. & experience normal sights & sounds of farm activity

Ways to assess animal welfare:

Environmental Housing – adequate feeding &

lying space Husbandry & management –

specific ages for dehorning,

Role of the Farmer:

Adequate training – course / learning from experienced stock person

Get students to do this before

moving on

Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

castration etc. Training for stockperson.

Animal Measures animal’s response to

production system – fertility indices, replacement rate, mortality rate, ADG, BCS

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/beef/Managing-Welfare.pdf

Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

Housing & Handling Animals

Handling Cattle – How Safe are You?

Good Handling Facilities & Equipment Clean & tidy farm yard Fences & gates – stock proof Winter housing – adequate space & shelter for size, number & class of animals Adequate bull housing – strong, close off to allow for bedding etc. Good calving facilities – well lit, well bedded with proper restraining facilities for

farmer / veterinary attention Loading & unloading – care should be taken when opening / closing ramp &

cattle don’t escape at side during loading Milking parlours – well designed for easy

movement of cows. All machines must be earthed & kick rail installed at correct height in parlour

Proper crush & collecting yard – strong & safe for all during dosing / vet attention

New technology – automatic drafting systems in milking parlours – farmers type into computer the cow number to be held & on exiting the parlour the unit automatically drafts her into a drafting yard

Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bre7MBvsq0c

Warning Signs

It is very important to watch animals for signs of unease & distress & be alert to the dangers.

Watch out for:

Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

Animal Housing should be:

Clean – clean slats / clean dry bedding Good ventilation & draft free Adequate lying & feeding space Plenty of light Safe & allow easy movement of animals All soiled water must be diverted into slurry tank to avoid pollution of rivers

Bord Bia Quality

Assurance: Developed in response to demands from marketplace Demand for proof that Irish meat products are produced on sustainable farms

incorporating environmental, social & economic aspects. EU survey – Irish meat industry is sustainable – 5th lowest carbon footprint for beef in

EU

Related Articles:https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Information_Sheets/Safe_Handling_of_Cattle_on_Farms_Information_Sheet.pdf

https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Your_Industry/Agriculture_Forestry/Livestock/

Animal Welfare, Housing & Handling

https://www.bordbia.ie/industry/farmers/quality/pages/beefqualityassurancescheme.aspx

Task:1. After reading the above information, can you identify & describe the dangers

that could occur when handling other farm animals (sheep / pigs / horses)

2. Can you sketch a diagram of a farm yard layout showing how you would best handle

animals & ensure optimum safety? You must include the location of the crush,

collecting yard, slats / straw bedding, access to field, loading area.

3. In the above information, it states that it is a good idea to put one animal in crush at

a time, especially when scanning etc. Can you give 3 reasons why this is the case?

4. Animal welfare is important on every farm. You went onto the farm & you were

asked to take out 3 heifers from a slatted pen of 10 heifers to load them into a trailer

to bring to a factory. They are your heifers, so they are used to you but the lorry

driver collecting the animals is unfamiliar to the heifers. How would you separate the

heifers in a safe manner & load them onto the lorry? Describe in detail how you

would carryout the process, you may include diagrams to support your answer.

What safety precautions would you take?

5. Calving can be a very dangerous time of the year on the farm – why is this the case?

As a farmer of suckler cows, what precautions could you take to stay safe?

6. What are the warning signs that animals are starting to get stressed & could possibly

attack?

7. When handling animals, name 4 things you should always do & 4 things you should

never do. Give reasons for each of your answers.

8. Research the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme – why is it important in the Irish

meat industry.