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Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Operations and Supply Chain Management

Benchmarking Cow Comfort On North American Freestall Dairies: Lameness, Leg Injuries, Lying Time, Facility Design, And Management For High-Producing Holstein Dairy Cows, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. K. Barrientos, K. Ito, E. Galo, Daniel M. Weary Dec 2012

Benchmarking Cow Comfort On North American Freestall Dairies: Lameness, Leg Injuries, Lying Time, Facility Design, And Management For High-Producing Holstein Dairy Cows, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. K. Barrientos, K. Ito, E. Galo, Daniel M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

In this paper, we describe a novel approach to corporate involvement in on-farm assessment, driven by the desire to provide a service for dairy producers and to create a vehicle for engagement on issues of dairy cow welfare. This program provides producers with feedback on animal-based (including gait score, leg injuries, and lying time) and facility-based (including freestall design, bedding practices, feed bunk design and management, and stocking density) measures that can be used to better address their management goals. The aim of this paper is to describe variation in the prevalence of lameness and leg injuries, lying behavior, facility …


Association Between Stall Surface And Some Animal Welfare Measurements In Freestall Dairy Herds Using Recycled Manure Solids For Bedding, A. W. Husfeldt, M. I. Endres Oct 2012

Association Between Stall Surface And Some Animal Welfare Measurements In Freestall Dairy Herds Using Recycled Manure Solids For Bedding, A. W. Husfeldt, M. I. Endres

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between stall surface and some animal welfare measurements in upper Midwest US dairy operations using recycled manure solids as bedding material. The study included 34 dairy operations with herd sizes ranging from 130 to 3,700 lactating cows. Forty-five percent of the herds had mattresses and 55% had deep-bedded stalls. Farms were visited once between July and October 2009. At the time of visit, at least 50% of the cows in each lactating pen were scored for locomotion, hygiene, and hock lesions. On-farm herd records were collected for the …


Welfare Issues With Tail Docking Of Cows In The Dairy Industry Oct 2012

Welfare Issues With Tail Docking Of Cows In The Dairy Industry

Agribusiness Reports

Banned in several European countries, as well as three US states, and opposed and criticized by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, experts, scientists, and representatives of industry, tail docking of cows in the dairy industry—the partial amputation of up to two-thirds of the tail, typically performed without anesthetic—is still permitted in most of the United States. Scientific studies have shown the practice to cause serious welfare problems for animals, including distress, pain, and increased fly attacks.


The Welfare Of Animals In The Veal Industry Jul 2012

The Welfare Of Animals In The Veal Industry

Agribusiness Reports

Intensive confinement of calves raised for veal has long raised pointed concerns regarding the animals’ welfare. Traditional production practices include individually isolating calves in narrow wooden stalls or pens, which severely restrict movement, feeding the animals an all-liquid diet deliberately low in iron, and prematurely weaning the animals. Stressful conditions lead to a high incidence of stereotypic behavior and illness. Scientific reviews of the welfare of intensively confined calves raised for veal have concluded that the young animals suffer when reared in conventional systems.


The Welfare Of Intensively Confined Animals In Battery Cages, Gestation Crates, And Veal Crates Jul 2012

The Welfare Of Intensively Confined Animals In Battery Cages, Gestation Crates, And Veal Crates

Agribusiness Reports

Within U.S. animal agriculture, the majority of egg-laying hens, pregnant sows, and calves raised for veal are reared in battery cages, gestation crates, and veal crates, respectively. The intensive confinement of these production systems severely impairs the animals’ welfare, as they are unable to exercise, fully extend their limbs, or engage in many important natural behaviors. As a result of the severe restriction within these barren confinement systems, animals can experience significant and prolonged physical and psychological assaults. Indeed, extensive scientific evidence shows that intensively confined farm animals are frustrated, distressed, and suffering.


Effect Of Pen Size, Group Size, And Stocking Density On Activity In Freestall-Housed Dairy Cows, E. Telezhenko, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. Talebi, Daniel M. Weary Jun 2012

Effect Of Pen Size, Group Size, And Stocking Density On Activity In Freestall-Housed Dairy Cows, E. Telezhenko, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. Talebi, Daniel M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The purpose was to determine the effects of the physical dimensions of the pen and group size and stocking density on cow activity. Cows (randomly assigned to 4 groups of 6 animals each) were tested in pens with 24 or 12 lying places and in groups with 12 or 6 cows. All groups were tested in each of the 4 treatments with treatment order allocated using a 4 × 4 Latin square. The distance moved and the number of movements were calculated using 5-min scan sampling of video recordings over a 48-h period. Time spent lying down, number of lying …


Food Safety Risks Associated With U.S. Horse Slaughter Apr 2012

Food Safety Risks Associated With U.S. Horse Slaughter

Agribusiness Reports

Meat originating from U.S. horses may contain residues from substances banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union for use in animals intended for consumption. Phenylbutazone, for example, is commonly administered to U.S. horses and has been associated with life-threatening reactions in humans. Requiring a thorough drug history for each U.S. horse intended for human consumption may help circumvent human health risks.


The Welfare Of Animals In The Foie Gras Industry Mar 2012

The Welfare Of Animals In The Foie Gras Industry

Agribusiness Reports

The production of pâté de foie gras involves force-feeding ducks and geese by placing a long tube down the birds’ esophagi and pumping an unnatural quantity of food directly into their stomachs. Force-feeding induces hepatic lipidosis and causes the birds’ livers to become diseased and enlarged. Substantial scientific evidence suggests that force-feeding can cause pain and injury from feeding tube insertion, fear and stress during capture and handling, gait abnormality due to distended livers, pathologies in liver function, and increased mortality. Force-feeding birds to produce foie gras is detrimental to their welfare.


Extended Grazing: A Detailed Analysis Of Irish Dairy Farms, D. Läpple, T. Hennessy, M. O'Donovan Jan 2012

Extended Grazing: A Detailed Analysis Of Irish Dairy Farms, D. Läpple, T. Hennessy, M. O'Donovan

Farm Animal Husbandry Collection

Profitability and factors affecting grazing season length were econometrically analyzed using a representative sample of Irish dairy farms. The objective of this study was to explore what potential exists on Irish dairy farms to extend the grazing season and to quantify the possible economic benefits that result from lengthening the grazing season. Regression results indicate that location factors affect the length of the grazing season, but even when physical factors are controlled, farmer characteristics, such as education, also affect the grazing season length. The results of a panel data analysis show that significant cost reductions can be achieved by extending …


Research On Pre-Slaughter Stress And Meat Quality: A Review Of Challenges Faced Under Practical Conditions, A. Y. Chulayo, O. Tada, V. Muchenje Jan 2012

Research On Pre-Slaughter Stress And Meat Quality: A Review Of Challenges Faced Under Practical Conditions, A. Y. Chulayo, O. Tada, V. Muchenje

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Transportation and handling of animals are important components in meat production systems. Animals destined for slaughter are stressed by factors such as loading, transportation, restraint, handling, and novelty of the slaughter environment, adverse weather conditions, hunger, thirst and fatigue. When an animal is stressed in the pre-slaughter environment, there is a rapid release of enzymes, cortisols and catecholamines which may lead to depletion of glycogen, high meat ultimate pH (pHu) and dark cuts. Pre-slaughter stress also affects the physiology of the animal resulting in an increase in creatine kinase (CK) activity, glucose, lactate and other blood metabolites. Pre-slaughter stress and …


The Welfare Of Calves In The Beef Industry Jan 2012

The Welfare Of Calves In The Beef Industry

Agribusiness Reports

Calves raised for beef often begin life unconfined, on rangeland where they are free to express their natural behavior. However, the welfare of calves can be compromised by certain specific management practices, typical on many ranching operations. These include castration of male calves, dehorning, and branding, all of which are usually performed without anesthesia or analgesia, pain relief of any kind. Welfare is also a concern during weaning, handling, auction, and transport, common stressful events that occur before calves are moved to feedlots. Techniques to minimize pain and distress should be used or further developed in order to address the …