2.7 Demonstrate understanding of interactions between livestock behaviour and NZ commercial management practices
INTRODUCTION
Behaviour has evolved by natural selection and a knowledge and understanding. It has always been a practical matter shepherds and herdsmen. It is a sequence of movements with appetitive and consummatory elements, and involves understanding not only what an animal does but how, when, where and why the behaviour occurs.
In recent years the teaching of animal behaviour has become important to veterinary and agriculture students for several reasons:
1. By understanding an animal’s behaviour, facilities and management strategies can be designed with consideration for the behavioural needs of the animals. Features of a farmed animal’s environment that merit attention include intensive housing systems, holding pens, loading and unloading ramps, transport vehicles and provision for special operations such as slaughtering, shearing and dipping.
2. An understanding of behaviour allows the management and movement of stock to be achieved without causing undue stress to the animals.
3. When an animal or group of animals is showing inappropriate or changed behaviour, it becomes obvious that an upset in the homeostasis of the animals has occurred.
A change of behaviour is usually the first indication that the health and welfare of an animal are at risk, so it should be the aim of those responsible for animals to quickly detect problems and correct them.
Behaviour has evolved by natural selection and a knowledge and understanding. It has always been a practical matter shepherds and herdsmen. It is a sequence of movements with appetitive and consummatory elements, and involves understanding not only what an animal does but how, when, where and why the behaviour occurs.
In recent years the teaching of animal behaviour has become important to veterinary and agriculture students for several reasons:
1. By understanding an animal’s behaviour, facilities and management strategies can be designed with consideration for the behavioural needs of the animals. Features of a farmed animal’s environment that merit attention include intensive housing systems, holding pens, loading and unloading ramps, transport vehicles and provision for special operations such as slaughtering, shearing and dipping.
2. An understanding of behaviour allows the management and movement of stock to be achieved without causing undue stress to the animals.
3. When an animal or group of animals is showing inappropriate or changed behaviour, it becomes obvious that an upset in the homeostasis of the animals has occurred.
A change of behaviour is usually the first indication that the health and welfare of an animal are at risk, so it should be the aim of those responsible for animals to quickly detect problems and correct them.
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