The Application of Animal Behavior and the Humane Care of Farm Animals

Abstract

Humane care is best defined as maintaining husbandry procedures in keeping with the traits which are species-specific to the animal farmed. It must be evaluated in relation to the ethogram of the species, and not to anthropomorphic human feelings about animal care. If humane care is pursued, some compatability may be found between what the animal behavior scientists say to the production systems people, and what is being broadly stated by better informed humane pressure groups. Behavior information should be published because, although it may not appear to be of direct application for immediate economic gain, such rapid changes are being made in what is economically viable, that the relative worth of these data for the system in the immediate future cannot be judged. Farming systems should be designed for stock and behaviour understanding will also assist in the preventative field, anticipating troubles before they arise and minimising distressful situations which if allowed to continue, may permit sub-clinical disease to become clinical. The use of behavior information for public relations should be given greater consideration. There is a growing need for humane care of farm animals to illustrate positively the stance of the animal scientist towards the best treatment of farm animals, to affirm the rural man's heritage and to provide a positive platform with which the balanced “humane” protest can be associated and against which the emotive protest can be assessed.