Date of Award
2014
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Awarded
Master of Science (MS)
Program
Animal Sciences
Department
Animal Sciences
College
Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources
Faculty Advisor
Wagner, Sarah
Description
The primary objective of the experiments described in this thesis was to use quantitative behavioral measures of livestock to evaluate animal welfare. In one study, the effects of a therapeutic drug in lame dairy cows were evaluated for alleviating pain associated with lameness and hoof trimming. Lameness pain was measured using lying and standing times as well as locomotion scoring. No effect on lameness indicators or milk production was found for hoof trimming or drug administration. In the second study, behaviors associated with maternal nutritional plane during gestation were measured in lambs. Lambs born to nutritionally restricted dams behaved differently from those born to adequately-fed dams after a pen change, implying a difference in adaptation to a stressful event. Continuing to find quantitative behavioral measures for pain and adaptation to stressors will aid in future work to improve livestock welfare.
Recommended Citation
Chapel, Nichole Marie, "The Use of Behavioral Measures to Quantify Welfare in Dairy Cows and Lambs" (2014). Animal Sciences. 38.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/animal-sci/38
Rights
NDSU policy 190.6.2
Rights Link
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Handle Identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/10365/27347