Testing Slideshare

Husbandry

Environment

• Assessing surroundings help assess the care of the animals

• Water sources should be clean with fresh water

• Unclean water spreads disease and many animals will not drink it leading to chronic dehydration and impaction

• Goats are especially sensitive to water quality

Clean

• Barns may appear dirty to people who are not used to large animal facilities

• Time and cost prohibit daily cleaning• Uneaten hay can be used as bedding, being

put down in layers to cover manure while urine sinks to the bottom

• These barns are cleaned out every 2-4 weeks depending on the number of animals

Clean cont’d

• Neonates and young animals require more frequent cleaning of every 2-3 days to prevent disease

• Layers of hay may pile up to high that animals can escape enclosures by jumping over

• After cleaning, farmers put down a layer of lime to help kill bacteria and prevent mold, followed by wood chips and then the hay

Dry

• Wet barns are breeding grounds for all kinds of pathogens, esp. coccidia

• Coccidia loves moisture, warmth and darkness (cleaning more frequently in neonates helps prevent this disease in that population)

• Wet, damp barns lead to pneumonias and all kinds of respiratory problems

• Urine causes burning eyes, runny noses, coughing and irritated mucous membranes

Drafts

• Cause huddling, crowding• Dust is blown around causing eye and

respiratory problems• Animals get chilled and sick• Sheep seem to be more resistant to drafts

Ventilation

• Poor ventilation is a major cause of respiratory disease in barn animals

• Stagnant air causes respiratory disease in dairy animals

• A herd of cows produces a lot of heat and humidity

• Exhaust fans that blow from young to old are installed at either end of the barn to remove heat and humidity

Bedding

• An important decision to control disease while adhering to cost considerations

Straw

• Relatively cheap but stays wet from urine• Needs to be replaced frequently• Some animals will eat it and can lead to

impaction• Used mostly with swine and horses

Old Hay

• Worse than straw• Usually is full of mold which leads to

respiratory problems if inhaled and digestive problems if eaten

• Layers cover manure while urine soaks through

Wood Shavings

• Best but expensive, in the long run it reduces disease

• Pine chips are good for young stock and non milking animals

• Soft pine chips can grow Klebsiella and E.coli that can enter the teat>>> mastitis

• Dairy animals should have hard wood shavings like oak or maple over lime

Corn Husks

• Similar to straw in how it is used• Can lead to digestive problems if eaten• Not very absorptive, stays wet

Commonly used bedding by species

Dairy Cattle- Concrete- Rubber mats- Sand- Straw/chopped hay- Shavings, sawdust ( green wood may contain

bacteria that can lead to mastitis)- Slotted floors

Beef cattle, sheep and goats- Concrete- Straw- Sawdust- Sand- Wood chips

Horses- Wood chips- Clay- Concrete- Rubber mats- Wood shavings- Sawdust, wood pellets, newspaper pellets- Sawdust and straw

Hogs- Concrete - Slotted floors- Rubber mats- Wood chips for pets

Fencing

• Must contain large animals• Some fencing is safe and effective for one

species and not for another• Animals may learn to open gates• Large animals that are loose are a danger to

themselves and others

Wood

• Expensive but attractive• Horse farms have wood with electric wire to

prevent chewing the wood (goats also)• Maintenance is expensive, treated wood is

toxic• Many farms have switched to plastic fencing

for lower maintenance costs and durability

Electric

• Inexpensive and easy to install and move• Power boxes and electricity are stronger than

solar• Electric provides a constant current while solar

pulses• Will usually hold species in, utilized in many

zoos• Test current daily as animals will sense when

power is off

Wire Panels

• Good for goats, sheep, calves and swine• Can be expensive but easily moved and

installed• Come in heavy guaged wire• Should not use with horses as they can get

their feet caught

Barbed Wire

• Seen around dairy farms, dangerous• Rusted wire can cause tetanus• Never use around horses• Many animals get severe lacerations with

barbed wire

Feeders

Water- Many farms have automatic waterers with

heating elements- Make sure they are in working order and clean- Make sure electricity is not shocking animals

when they are using the waterers

Bowls- Rubber bowls used for horses or small groups

of large animals- Animals will step in them and get it dirty

leading to spoilage of feed

Troughs- Good for feeding multiple animals- Feed stays cleaner- Goats will jump in troughs and soil feed- Need to clean frequently because mold will

grow on wet feed leading to GI upsets if ingested

Hay Racks- Keeps hay clean but animals can get caught in

them- Horses should not be fed where the head is

elevated. Keeping their heads low allows fluids to run out of their lungs and not accumulate leading to respiratory problems

Structures

• Depend on species, environment and economics

Sheds- 3 sided or lean tos are good for all species- Keeps them out of the wind and bad weather- Good ventilation and no moisture build up- Reduces parasites as well

Barns- Stanchion- Free stall- Tie stallCalf hutchesCreep feeders

Housing Goals

• Increase productivity/yield• Natural habitat expensive but difficult to

maintain• Bring feed to animals not animals to feed• Minimize losses- Predators- Disease and parasite control- Lightning, blizzard, drought

Construction

Materials-cost, availability, durability, maintenanceFacility design- Land, water availability- Industry goals- Environmental considerations- Animals socialization needs, maximize gains

and minimize losses

Housing Examples

• Feedlot• Dairy stanchions• Swine confinement units• Horse stables- Loose box- Tie stall

Socialization

• Herd animals are social animals• Excessive animal density can be as serious as lack

of socialization• Both can lead to vices- Cribbing- Wind sucking- Weaving and stall walking- Self mutilation- Human injury and other animal injury

Sanitation

• Insect and vermin control• Noxious/toxic gases- Lead to respiratory tract

inflammation/susceptibility to disease- Methane, ammonia, carbon sulfide

Parasite control- Slotted floors- Spreading manure on pastures can seed

environment with intestinal parasites ova and larvae

- Reduce crowding- Use of 3 sided sheds

Environmental impact- Ground water- Air quality- noise

Biocontainment

Sterilization- eliminate or kill microbesDisinfection- inhibition or prevention of growth of

microbes on inanimate objectsAntisepsis- inhibition or prevention of growth of

microbes on living tissuesSanitation- reduction of the number of microbes to a

safe levelPathogen control- must remove organic debris first,

cleansers ineffective on feces, urine, pus, mucus etc

Fixed Surfaces

Barns, stalls, fences, pastures, pens- Pressure washer- Rotate facilities to reduce spread of disease

Mobile surfaces

• Buckets, feed tubs, shovels, pitchforks, water hoses/nozzles, milking equipment

• Veterinary equipment, dental floats, stomach tubes, endoscopes

• Human hands, clothes, feet• Vehicles• Use sanitary precautions to prevent spread of

disease

Animals

• Identification/isolation of sick animals• Identification of pathogens• Prompt removal of carcasses

Drug residues

Implications in human consumption/exposure- Antibiotic resistance- Allergic reactions- Neoplasia (growth hormones)- toxicosis

Implications in performance animals

• Alters performance• Sources1. Feed additives- Antibiotics- Hormones/growth promoters

2. Drug administration- Drug withdrawal times for meat/milk- Non FDA approved medications- Off label use- Compounded medications

3. Environmental contamination- Pesticides- Heavy metals- Toxic waste- Pasture contamination with extraneous plants- Substance abuse by caretakers- Human foodstuffs, chocolate, caffeine, poppyseeds- Feed mill contamination, bulk milk contamination