Chapter 5 - Handling and Transportation Flashcards
Define transport.
When animals are moved by vehicles or vessel from one place to another.
What advantage do brief periods of handling, beginning at the youngest age possible, confer?
Ease of handling or birds and increase feed efficiency, body weight, and antibody responses to red blood cell antigens.
Why are calm animals advantageous for research?
More accurate research results that are less confounded by handling stress, as handling and restraint stress sig. alters physiological measurements.
What is the difference in handling and housing conditions between agricultural and biomedical research animals?
For research results to be applicable to commercial agriculture, animals have to be handled and housed in conditions similar to those on commercial farms, and may not be accustomed to close human contact. In biomedical research, animals are housed in small indoor pens dissimilar to commercial conditions and animals have conditioned and trained animals to cooperate with procedures.
How large are the flight zone of cattle and other livestock?
Extensively raised: 50 m
Intensively raise: 2-8 m
How can an approximation of the flight zone be made?
By approaching the animal and noting at what distance the animal moves away.
When should an electric prod be used? When should they not be used?
Should only be picked up and used in a specific situation where it is needed and then put away. Use when other, non-electrical driving aids aren’t working, to get a downed animal into the truck on the side of the highway, help free trapped animals. Do not apply to sensitive areas or weak/ill/emaciated animals, newborn animals, or non-ambulatory animals.
Describe hearing of grazing animals. How is cattle and horse hearing different from humans? Where is human hearing more sensitive? Where is cattle hearing more sensitive? As a result, what should be avoided?
Sensitive. Cattle and horses more sensitive to high-pitched sounds. Human ear most sensitive at 1000-3000 Hz, cattle most sensitive to 8000 Hz. Handlers should not yell or shout, as it may be as aversive as an electric prod.
Wide angle of vision do cattle, sheep, and horses have? When do they have depth perception?
Wide-angle vision and can see all around themselves without turning their head. Grazing animals have depth perception when standing still with heads down, probably poor when head is up and moving. May be why they stop and put their heads down when they see a shadow on the floor.
What type of vision do grazing animals have? What colors are the retinas of cattle, sheep, goats, and horses most sensitive to?
Dichromats. Cattle, sheep, and goats most sensitive to yellowish-green (552-555 nm) and bluish-purple (444-455) light. Horses most sensitive at 428-539 nm. Absence of retina receptor for red may explain why livestock are sensitive to sharp contrasts of light and dark such as shadows or shiny reflections on handling equipment.
Describe poultry vision. What lighting may make poultry more docile?
Excellent vision. Blue lighting makes poultry more docile.
What are two characteristics of flooring for all species?
Nonslip flooring and good drainage.
What MUST surfaces that contact the animal be?
Smooth and free or sharp edges that could injure animals.
How often should managers inspect facilities to ensure cleanliness? What should be considered when designing new facilities?
Regularly. Ease of cleaning
During handling and restraint of animals, care should be excised to prevent what? How should animals be handled? What factors greatly facilitate efficient movement of animals?
Prevent injury to animals or personnel. Animals should be handled quietly but firmly. Properly designed and maintained facilities operated by trained personnel facilitate movement of animals.
Can electrical immobilization be used as a form of restraint?
Never, highly aversive to cattle and sheep.
What type of flooring should be provided to prevent behavioral agitation during restraint? What types of movement should be avoided? What tone of voice should be used?
Nonslip. Avoid sudden jerky movement of people or equipment. Smoother movements keep animals calmer. Calm, confident tone of voice.
When an animal is raised off the ground during restraint, what helps it remain calmer? What type of pressure has a calming effect? What are examples? What is the optimal pressure?
If body is fully supported. Pressure over a wide area of the body. Panepinto sling and cattle squeeze chutes. Not too loose and not too tight. Needs to be held tight enough to feel restraint, but not so tight that it feels pain. Extensive pressure causes struggling.
How does blocking vision impact behavioral agitation during restraint?
Using a blindfold from a completely opaque material will often keep cattle and horses with a large flight zone calmer. Solid sides on cattle chutes or a fully enclosed dark box have a calming effect.
Describe restraint in extensively raised beef cattle.
Large flight zones, easily agitated. Use squeeze chutes, roping, nose tongs in conjunction, not as a sole method.
Electro-immobilization not acceptable
Describe restraint in dairy cattle
Head stanchions. Young dairy heifers may need squeeze chutes, acclimate to people. Dairy bulls more dangerous than beef bulls because beef bulls are raised in social groups. Recommend to cull animals that show aggression or move to facility that can handle them.
Describe restraint in horses
Halters and lead ropes with quick release. Lead shank, cross ties. Twitch on upper lip for short term restraint. Equine stocks/chutes, advanced restraint (foot hobbles, leg straps), chemical restraint.
Describe restraint in swine
Snare for larger pigs. Panepinto sling for smaller pigs (up to 350 lb). Panels, boards, cattle paddles, and flags for moving animals.
Describe restraint in sheep and goats.
Strong flocking behavior with anxiety in isolation. Can break into smaller groups to avoid piling and death. Squeeze tilt table, head stanchion, manual restraint. Can also use panepinto sling.
