Life Sciences Commons^™

Breeding Ewe Lambs To Lamb First As Yearlings, Nyle J. Matthews

Archived Agriculture Publications

Getting the highest possible production from ewes is a goal of every sheep producer. Sheep respond well to management and will usually pay a producer for the extra times he spends in caring for them. Breeding ewe lambs is a practice that can pay dividends but requires the right management to make it work. Many years ago this practice was deemed unwise because it severely affected the young mothers in many ways. Modern research has spelled out requirements in terms of size and management that make a successful, workable program.

Vocal Perception: Brain Event-Related Potentials In A Chimpanzee, Gary G. Berntson, Sarah T. Boysen, Michael W. Torello

Sentience Collection

We describe the first brain event-related potential (ERP) study of cognitive processes in the chimpanzee. In an extension of our studies on the ontogeny of vocal perception, ERP measures were obtained during the presentation of simple nonsignal stimuli as well as conspecific and human vocalizations. We initially confirmed findings from humans and monkeys of the appearance of a long-latency positivity in the ERP waveform to a rare stimulus in an oddball paradigm. This ERP component is reminiscent of the P3a reported in humans under similar (passive) experimental conditions. We further demonstrated that both conspecific and human vocal stimuli having affective …

Ranch Management Practices In The Sandhills Of Nebraska: Managing Production, Sean A. Coady, Richard T. Clark

Historical Research Bulletins of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station

This report represents the second in a two-part series that summarize a comprehensive survey of Nebraska Sandhills range cattle operations. The focus of this report is on management of the production aspects of the ranch business and provides details on pasture and meadow management, hay production, crops, breeding programs, nutritional programs, and maintaining the health of the herd.

A Standardized G‐Banded Karyotype For The Raccoon (Procyon Lotor) Compared With The Domestic Cat, Roscoe Stanyon, Francesca Bigoni, Johannes Weinberg, John Hadidian

Genetics Collection

We propose a standardized karyotype for the raccoon (Procyon lotor; 2n = 38, FN 74) and compare it with that of the domestic cat (2n = 38, FN 72). Numerous chromosomes (12) have similar and sometimes identical G-banding and 14 chromosome pairs have remained intact. Other chromosomes apparently differ by Robertsonian translocations and inversions. The conservation of these karyotypes is remarkable considering that the divergence of procyonids and felids predates 50 million years B.P. However, the common diploid number of 38 is not a primitive retention, as sometimes hypothesized. Instead, cats and raccoons converged on this chromosome number by a …

Assessing Animal Well-Being: Common Sense, Uncommon Science, David Fraser

Assessment of Animal Welfare Collection

The scientific assessment of the well-being of an animal involves finding indicators of three broad criteria: 1) a high level of biological functioning; 2) freedom from suffering in the sense of prolonged fear, pain, and other negative experiences; and 3) positive experiences such as comfort and contentment. The tools available to assess animal wellbeing include a mixture of common sense and cutting-edge science. Measures of animal productivity can help to assess an animal’s level of biological functioning, but they need to be used with care. Among veterinary approaches, pathology detects breakdown in biological functioning, while epidemiology identifies the circumstances under …

Refinements In Rabbit Husbandry, The Bvaawf/Frame/Rspca/Ufaw Joint Working Group On Refinement

Breeding of Laboratory Research Animals Collection

The aims of this report are to identify the needs of domesticated rabbits and to present information on ways in which the current systems of housing rabbits can be improved for the benefit of all concerned: the animal, the scientist, the animal technician and the breeder.

In recent years an increasing number of establishments have changed from standard caging to group housing systems, despite the traditionally-held view that mature rabbits cannot be housed together. In this report group housing in floor pens is discussed in detail (Section 2), with both the advantages and disadvantages of this system presented. It is …

Counting In Chimpanzees: Nonhuman Principles And Emergent Properties Of Number, Sarah T. Boysen

Numeracy Collection

No abstract provided.