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8.
ANIMAL PROTECTION
 Better
management of feeding and breeding created the basis for intensive animal
husbandry. Cattle breeding were specialized. One of the main objectives of
cattle breeding has been to increase the body dimensions of animals and achieve
higher milk production - the bigger the animal, the more it eats and the more
milk it gives. The productive capacity of animals depends on their genetic
potential, feeding and surrounding environment. High productivity is possible
only when an animal of good characteristics of the breed is fed properly and its
environment satisfies its physiological needs.
The safety of food for the consumer
is an aspect, which has to be kept in mind continuously. The consumer accepts
only such products, which will not damage his/her health, either directly or
indirectly. The consumer is afraid to be infected with several diseases spread
only by animals: salmonellosis, mad cow disease, Hongkong flu, etc. As people
know very little about the growth hormones given to animals, they are also
worried about the actual effects of these hormones on human health.
The number of people who demand that production be
subordinated to ethical principles is constantly growing. Their main argument is
that domestic animals are living beings that have highly developed emotions and
patterns of behavior, who feel pain and stress, and whose welfare depends
directly on the environmental conditions created by men.
Animal protection, as it is
understood nowadays is a complex of measures by which attempts are made to
guarantee as good conditions as possible for animals, thus protecting indirectly
also the men. Keeping and treating of animals is regulated by several
legislative acts which obligate cattle breeders to guarantee for animals:
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feeding
stuffs and drinking water in the quantity which corresponds to the breed and
age of the animal; |
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proper
care; |
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room
or building which has the area and equipment suited for the given breed,
which provides the necessary microclimate and as much exercise as this
particular breed needs. |
As a rule these welfare
requirements are met when the animals:
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are
not hungry and thirsty; |
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are
not injured or sick; |
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are
not afraid or stressed; |
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can
behave in a way typical of their breed. |
8.1. Signs which show the decline in animal welfare
The level of animal welfare can
easily be estimated by comparing the everyday production indicators either
visually or in laboratory.
Animals react to the decline in
welfare (emergence of stress) with an immediate decline in productivity. In
long-term perspective also the lifetime and reproductive capability of animals
will diminish. Unfortunately, the general rules is that the better the breed and
the higher the productivity of an animal, the higher is its sensitivity to any
harmful factor.
Signs of stress which can be observed
visually are as follows: limping, swollen joints, long hoofs of bovine animals,
apathy, very slow and cautious tread (slippery floors), cows refuse to enter the
milking stall (the animal is afraid of electric shock), raw skin on knees, lying
in dung passages, the whole cow herd is mooing (animals are hungry), general
nervousness.
The sign of stress, which can be
found in laboratory studies, is the increase of the content of adrenaline in
blood.
8.2. Animal welfare and the conditions of keeping the
animals
The main choice in dairy farming is
between tied and free stall animals. The animal welfare can be guaranteed in
both cases. Still, the growing trend all over the world is free stall keeping,
as in this case the labour productivity is significantly higher (milking in the
milking stalls, mechanised feeding, etc.).
Animal welfare deteriorates
significantly when:
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hoofs
are not taken care of. The conditions of the hoofs of cattle must be watched
continuously. Long hoofs are very painful for the animals because some parts
of the foot must endure load, which is greater than normally. At least twice
a year the hoofs must be cut. Sometimes the hoofs do not wear thin as much
as necessary (it concerns especially the animals kept on deep litter) and it
may be indispensable to cut them more often than only twice a year; |
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pens
are too short. Because of the development of breeding and because feeding is
now much better the animals are nowadays much bigger than they used to be.
In older cow houses where tied keeping was practised the dimensions of pens
must be compared with those of the animals, and when necessary the pens must
be enlarged. In cow houses with resting pens where a significant number of
animals tend to lie in the dung passage or are standing with their hind legs
in this passage (see photo) it is the sign that the pens are too short and
the appliance which makes the animals to go to a certain place for excreting
is situated in a wrong place; |
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animals
are dirty. In most cases it shows that the pens are too long or that not
enough litter is used. Tied animals and animals kept in resting-feeding pens
are dirtier than animals kept on deep litter and in resting pens. The coat
of the cattle kept in warm cow houses ought to be clipped regularly to keep
the animals cleaner; |
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tied
animals cannot get enough exercise in winter. The result is that hoofs do
not wear down, the animals develop joint diseases and other problems
connected with feet. In the interest of animal welfare, it is recommended to
give the animals each day at least one hour of exercise. For this purpose in
most cases special exercise fields are made near the cow houses or milking
will be transferred to milking stall. The last case means essentially that
the animals are kept in resting-feeding pens; |
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animal
places are hard and cold. Standing up and lying down has rubbed the hair off
from the knees of the animals, at the same time the animal cannot get enough
rest in this uncomfortable place. Covering the cement floors with a
sufficient amount of litter or straw mats will significantly diminish the
frequency of occurrence of mastitis; |
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the
passages are slippery, wet and narrow. This is one of the biggest problems
in tied keeping. Slipping on the wet floor causes in the best cases only
light injuries to the feet of the animals, in the worst cases it may cause
breaking of bones (this concerns both men and animals). If the floors are
constantly wet, it causes various hoof diseases. To diminish these diseases,
it is advisable to spread some litter also in the dung passages (it depends
on the method of manure removal - the use of slurry removal systems makes it
impossible). At the same time there must be not too much litter in the
passages because the animals may start to prefer the passages to their
places; |
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calves
are kept as tied animals. The animal protection regulations prohibit keeping
calves younger than 6 months as tied animals. Calves up to 2 months are kept
in individual pens. Older calves are kept in common pens; |
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the
microclimate of a cattle shed is not proper. In winter all the ventilation
openings are often closed. The result is that air humidity and the
concentration of harmful gas increases. The animals start to sweat, the
bacteria multiply rapidly, and water vapour subsiding on the building
constructions damages them. The aim of ventilation is to remove the water
vapour discharged from the animals and the harmful gases emitted in the
livestock housing. Ventilation must also help to maintain the temperature
and humidity in the building within the required limits. The concentration
of harmful gases in livestock housing must not exceed the following values:
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ammonia
(NH3) - 20 ppm (1 ppm = 1 cm3/1m3); |
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carbon
dioxide (CO2) - 3000 ppm; |
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hydrogen
sulfide (H2S) - 0,5 ppm; |
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carbon
monoxide (CO) - 10 ppm; |
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organic
dust - 5 mg/m3. |
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Low
temperature is not dangerous for bovine animals. In cowsheds where tied
keeping is practised, the internal temperature may occasionally fall to
+2...+3OC (water pipes must be isolated so that there will not be
danger of freezing). If animals are protected against precipitation and
winds, and if water pipes and automatic water bowls are protected against
freezing, then low temperature will not harm the animals even if the cow
houses have no weatherboarding. If the animals are kept in cowsheds all year
round, there may be problems with cooling them enough in summer; |
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feeding
competition arises. This happens with free stall animals. The competition is
especially strong in batch feeding when bigger and more aggressive animals
may leave those who are not so aggressive completely without fodder
(especially combined fodder). When a cowshed is planned, enough room must be
foreseen for every feeding place. Feeding competition can be diminished also
when feeding place borders are self-locking or are made from tilted pipes.
To give combined fodder to individual animals a method of selective feeding
may be used. Feeding competition can be diminished significantly when
animals are fed according to their appetite and the fodder components are
pre-mixed according to the feeding batches (so-called mixer feeding); |
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clean
water is not available all the time. Bovine animals must have a sufficient
quantity of clean drinking water all the day; |
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new
animals are terrorised. Animals behave according certain rules. To avoid
persecution and injuries, new animals are brought to the herd only on
pasture. During the housing period new animals are at first placed
separately, at a distance from the main group. It gives the animals enough
time to get used to each other. Pregnant heifers are usually brought to the
main herd using this method; |
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hornless
and horned animals are kept together. When free stall keeping is used the
bovine animals should be hornless or at least mixing of hornless and horned
animals must be avoided. During transition time and in bigger herds the
hornless and horned animals are kept in separate groups; |
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workers
are cruel to animals, shout at them and beat them. In the name of animal
welfare the farm management should give up using the services of such
people; |
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there
are other factors which cause deterioration of animal welfare. For example,
big noise, exhaust gases from tractors, small electric shocks from metal
constructions (difference of potentials), wild birds who have flown into the
shed and many other factors. |
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