Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Ethostasis On Farm Animal Behavior: A Theoretical Overview, A. F. Fraser, M. W. Fox

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Ethostasis – the effect of constraining husbandry practices on animal behavior – is described and discussed. The review describes specific husbandry practices that may give rise to behavioral anomalies and how these anomalous behaviors may be of diagnostic value. Ready identification may facilitate correcting problems leading to lower productivity, diseases, and economic losses.

Too Much Of A Good Thing: Protein And A Dog's Diet, Dana Murphy

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Murphy examines messages promoting the benefits of high-protein dog foods and then discusses the health effects of too much protein in a dog’s diet.

Psychological Aspects Of Slaughter: Reactions Of College Students To Killing And Butchering Cattle And Hogs, Harold A. Herzog, Sandy Mcgee

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

This study examined college students' reactions to slaughtering cattle and hogs as part of their jobs on a college work crew. The 27 students were surveyed on attitudes containing items toward slaughtering animals and toward different uses of animals. Nineteen were later interviewed. Some aspects of slaughtering were reported to be more bothersome than others. There was a relationship between the subjects' experience in slaughtering, general attitudes toward various uses of animals, and their responses to several of the items on the questionnaire. The perceived benefits of the slaughtering experience and the justification for killing domestic animals for food are …

The Behavior Of Confined Calves Raised For Veal: Are These Animals Distressed?, M. Kiley-Worthington

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The behavior of twelve calves confined in crates was recorded at 1-minute intervals for 12-hour periods. These recordings were made at fortnightly intervals from approximately 2 to 16 weeks of age. In all, 864 hours of observations were recorded. The activities performed and the amount of time spent doing each are outlined. Circadian rhythms were mainly controlled by feeding time, although there was a difference between diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Individual calves varied in how they adapted to the restricted environment. Individual personality profiles and data on the ontogeny of behavior under these conditions are presented. At ten weeks of …

The Agricide Treadmill And Farm Animal Welfare, Michael W. Fox

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The author cites publications that argue that agriculture in the United States is on a treadmill where farmers continually compete to reduce their food production costs. The consequence has been a reduction in farm animal welfare.

Prostaglandin F2a Induced Nest Building Behavior In The Non-Pregnant Sow, And Some Welfare Considerations, Judith K. Blackshaw

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Nest-building behavior, induced with intramuscular injections of prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a), was studied in non-pregnant sows. Acute effects were also recorded, including salivation, scratching, vomiting, defecation, and ataxia. Sows (Large White x Landrace) were housed in two different environments; six in bare pens and six in pens provided with bedding material. All cases except one (bare pen) nest-building sequences of differing intensities were recorded. Welfare suggestions include questioning the justification of using a drug (PGF2a) in pig husbandry, which has unpleasant acute effects, and the suggestion that the provision of bedding material is not necessary for a nest-building sequence to occur.

Review Of Literature On Use Of T-61 As An Euthanasic Agent, Laaura Dalia Barocio

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The available evidence indicates many questions about T-61 as a satisfactory euthanasia agent. The only controlled study of animal E EG's after T-61 administration showed that this compound could produce rapid unconsciousness. However, the drug was administered via an indwelling catheter which is not generally used in shelters euthanizing 10,000 to 20,000 animals a year. Furthermore, the investigator compared the T-61 results against the results obtained with a weak and marginally lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital.

A Different Approach To Horse Handling, Based On The Jeffery Method, Judith K. Blackshaw, Des Kirk, Sharib E. Cregier

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

A method of horse training is discussed, which is based on an old technique known in Australia as the "Jeffery method." It uses several behavioral principles, including understanding horse behavior, reinforcement for desired behavior, and flight distance principles.

Ethologic And Economic Examination Of Aviary Housing For Commercial Laying Flocks, D. W. Folsch, Chr. Dolf, T. Bleuler, H. Ehrbar

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The authors report that the results of their research indicate that appropriate housing is necessary for intensively kept hens and that the housing has to correspond to the vital needs and natures of the animals.

Letter To Editor: Hsus Counters On Veal Study, John Hoyt

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Concerning the letter on the Livestock Conservation Institute's reaction to the HSUS veal campaign, I wish to clarify one point. The letter suggests that HSUS was unaware of Provimi, Inc.'s announced intention to undertake a study of the Quantock group-pen production system for milk-fed veal. This suggestion is not the case. We were informed of Provimi's important role in facilitating the evaluation of the group-pen system under U.S. conditions. That this company has begun such testing is a welcome sign and one we acknowledge in our campaign materials.

Letter To Editor: Producers Respond To Hsus Veal Campaign, Neal Black

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

An advertising campaign by The Humane Society of the United States against veal consumption is a slap in the face of the livestock industry, which has attempted to explore the concerns of animal welfarists about confinement production of livestock and respond to them.

Is There Really A Market For Milk-Fed Veal?, Dana H. Murphy

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

In a two-part "Focus" article in this issue, we relate, first, the origins and subsequent growth of the milk-fed veal industry in Europe and in the U.S. and, second, some recent research findings on several current and potential production systems for raising veal, in light of both economic and humane considerations. At the moment, it seems as if the group-pen system, a far more humane method than the confinement crate, has won the day in the U.K. and may become a major production system in the U.S. But one critical question remains: How many people really want milk-fed veal?

Veal Re-Vealed: The Veal Industry, Peter C. Lovenheim

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Veal is meat that comes from the male offspring of dairy cows. These animals are not grown to maturity for beef because dairy breeds have been developed primarily for their milk-producing capability and not for the quality of their meat. Therefore, these animals are slaughtered as calves and marketed as "veal."

Veal-Revealed: The Controversy And New Developments, Dana Murphy

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Veal is meat that comes from the male offspring of dairy cows. These animals are not grown to maturity for beef because dairy breeds have been developed primarily for their milk-producing capability and not for the quality of their meat. Therefore, these animals are slaughtered as calves and marketed as "veal." In May 1981, the HSUS sent a letter to all veal industry companies raising concerns about current veal-rearing practices. Industry spokespersons defended the current system but have also been exploring changes in calf-rearing practices.

No Need To Be Boxed In: Group Pens And Grain For Veal Calves, Michael S. Mosner

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The author’s family has been in the wholesale veal business for 30 years. The basis of this business has been various breeds of female beef calves that are slaughtered at less than 500 lb. These calves are allowed to suck from cows and graze until they are ready for market. However, beef calves tend to vary in quality and quantity depending on the time of the year they are purchased and raised. Generally, calves become scarce in the spring, when feeders are buying calves to put out on pasture. The author comments on the future of the veal industry.

Meetings And Announcements

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Report of the second European conference on farm animals in 1982 – “Between Production and Protection.” Comments on a workshop on the effectiveness of the German Animal Welfare Act of 1972 organized by the Academy for Continuing Veterinary Education and a report of the tenth vertebrate pest conference held in Monterey, California, in 1982.

The Economics Of Farm Animal Welfare, A. J. K. Webster

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The number of ways one can be nice or nasty to animals is legion. This article will consider only one very specific aspect of farm animal welfare, namely, those systems of intensive animal production in which the system itself, irrespective of the quality of the stockmanship within the system appears to restrict the normal behavior of farm animals to an unacceptable degree. The systems that were considered by the House of Commons Select Committee on Agriculture (1981) include egg production from hens in battery cages, production of veal from calves deprived of solid food and isolated in wooden crates, and …

The Psychology Of Euthanizing Animals – The Emotional Components, Charles E. Owens, Ricky Davis, Bill Smith

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The emotional effects of euthanizing unwanted animals on professional animal control personnel are examined using written statements and oral discussions of twenty-six euthanasia technicians at a workshop during a national session

of the Animal Control Academy (Tuscaloosa, AL]. Emotional conflicts arise in significant part from the dilemma that the same public responsible for the problem of unwanted animals also has a markedly negative perception of euthanasia,

and by extension, of those who perform euthanasia. During discussions, the euthanasia technicians revealed various strategies for coping with feelings of isolation, alienation, and sorrow. These included intellectualization, avoidance of unnecessary contact with the …

Breeding And Use Of Nonhuman Primates In The Usa, Joe R. Held

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Several species of nonhuman primates, each possessing specific characteristics of particular value, are used by the United States biomedical community in various health-related activities. These animals are man's closest relatives and are indispensable in understanding and controlling human health problems. The destruction of primate habitats and embargoes on the export of primates from source countries have decreased the supply of these animals. The inadequate and erratic supply of these resources threatens the continuation of many ongoing and new activities contributing to improving human health. In the U.S., a program has been developed to meet the health needs of primates:

1) …

A Strategy For Dog-Owner Education, Ian Dunbar

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The author comments on the large number of animals being euthanized in shelters and suggests that dog owners undertake an education program before acquiring a dog as a pet. The author acknowledges to difficulties involved in such a change and recommends procedures to address them.

Behavior And Weight Loss Of Feeder Calves In A Railcar Modified For Feeding And Watering In Transit, T. H. Friend, M. R. Irwin, A. J. Sharp, B. H. Ashby, G. B. Thompson, W. A. Bailey

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The behavior of Angus and Hereford calves was studied in a double deck 26m x 2.6m "jumbo" railcar equipped with feed and water. A 4,180-liter water tank positioned in the center of each deck divided the car into four compartments. Fifty heads were loaded into the lower and upper forward compartments (252kg/m² floor space], each containing 675kg of hay in racks. The two rear compartments served as quarters for equipment and researchers. Two video cameras were mounted in the upper forward compartment containing calves. The behavior of the calves was monitored, with portions video-taped during rail transport from Memphis, …

Letter To Editor: Livestock Abuse In Trucks And Sale Yards, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Grandin adds comments on her observations of livestock abuse occurring in transport trucks and sale yards.

One Answer To The Confinement Pig Problem, Arthur Hehring

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

A new design for an intensive hog finishing operation is presented. The "maze deconfinement" system consists of 4-walled concrete pens arranged in a T-maze within a confinement building designed to utilize solar energy. In addition to low cost and efficient energy use, the system has the following advantages: higher feed conversion rate; less fighting among and injuries to hogs; some freedom for hogs to exercise and explore; decreased labor. The system has been used on the author's farm since the end of 1976.

The Buller-Steer Syndrome, Richarad Ulbrich

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Bulling among steers is an abnormal behavioral trait and is a common health and economic problem in feedlot operations. Factors associated with the buller-steer syndrome are hormonal implantation, seasonality and environmental conditions, stress, overcrowding, and social interaction between individuals. Research has examined relationships between these and other factors and buller occurrence. Boredom of feedlot cattle may contribute more to buller occurrence and other undesirable behavior than we might suspect. Research is needed to determine the feasibility of enriching the environment of penned livestock in general, the goal of which would be, in theory, eliminating undesirable behavior and increasing performance.

Productivity And Farm Animal Welfare, Michael W. Fox

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

In the search for and debate over objective indices of farm animal welfare, productivity Is regarded by many animal scientists and others in the livestock industry as the most reliable measure of an animal's overall well-being and adaptability. On the surface, this would seem so, as productivity, in terms of growth rate, milk yield, feed conversion, and egg production, can be easily quantified. However, there are flaws in this assumption.

Abnormal Behavior As An Indication Of Immaterial Suffering, Hans Hinrich Sambraus

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

I do not believe I am the only one who has occasionally been satisfied to take three steps forward and two steps back. Despite the setback, "progress" of one step has been made. At present, the animal welfare task seems to me to be preserving that small bit of progress. In the animal welfare laws of various countries that have come into force in the last few years, terms like "appropriate conditions" and "species-specific activity requirements" have appeared. (These are the three steps forward.) Only the ethologist can determine what they mean in specific cases. But many ethologists who have …

Stress: What Is It And How Can It Be Quantified?, T. H. Friend

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

An animal may be considered to be in a state of stress if abnormal behavior or extreme adjustments in its behavior or physiology are necessary in order to cope with adverse aspects of its environment. Methods used to determine if an animal is stressed can be either behavioral or physiological. Behavioral methods may be highly erroneous due to their subjective nature since alterations in behavior do not necessarily prove that an animal is stressed. There is no single measure of stress that can be used in all situations at this time. Every measure must be critically evaluated to ensure that …

Ethology And Laboratory Animal Welfare, James A. Cohen

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

No abstract provided.

Problems With Kosher Slaughter, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Ritual slaughter to produce kosher meat is rooted in the teachings and writings of the Talmud. However, the preslaughter handling features of modern systems, particularly the shackling and hoisting of large steers, contravene the basic message of humaneness included in the teachings. The throat-cutting of a live, conscious animal is relatively pain-free, provided that certain precautions are followed, but U.S. kosher plants need to install newly developed conveyor-restrainer systems to eliminate the abuses of shackling and hoisting. Conveyor-restrainer systems for large and small animals are discussed.

The Psychological Relations Hip Between Dairy Cows And Dairy Cowmen And Its Implications For Animal Welfare, Martin F. Seabrook

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

No abstract provided.