Housing Husbandry And Welfare Of Dairy Cattle

This book covers all aspects of research into the welfare of dairy, veal and beef cattle, covering behavior, nutrition and feeding, housing and management, stockmanship, and stress physiology, as well as transport and slaughter. It also offers a detailed and critical analysis of the main indicators of animal welfare and covers the main threats to animal welfare in modern cattle production systems.

Contains a selection of White Papers, commissioned to better inform the exploration of cattle welfare. These are prepared by notable experts in their field, to help provide factual context around selected topics that impact cattle welfare and production systems. Covers all aspects of cattle use in an accessible style, making this a must have volume for anyone interested in cattle welfare or cattle medicine. Provides an in-depth picture of the distinctive beef and dairy cattle welfare practices and issues, covering topics such as behavior, breeding and genetic manipulation, nutrition and feeding, housing and management, health and disease, and transport and slaughter. Written by acknowledged leaders in animal science, veterinary science, philosophy and animal welfare, presenting a truly multidisciplinary perspective on cattle welfare. Includes a section on understanding and managing animal welfare in both beef and dairy cattle, discussing how cattle perceive the world, animal handling and pain mitigation, and how to assure that the cows have a reasonably good life. The Welfare of Cattle offers an accurate, detailed account of the ethical and welfare concerns related to the human use of cattle. There is currently no significant book dealing with the welfare of cows, animals often seen as archetypal paradigms of 'farm animals'. Covering both beef and dairy cattle, the expert authors provide in-depth information on the husbandry roots of traditional agriculture, the replacement of this system of stewardship by an industrial model, and the resulting welfare challenges associated with industrial agriculture: feedlots, highly industrialized dairies, and slaughterhouses killing huge numbers of animals who have been transported great distances. This important book explores in detail the ways in which people who are providing care for cattle can take their first step, or their next step, toward enhancing the welfare of these animals. An extra chapter (online only) is available in the 'Downloads' tab on the left: Dairy Nutrition, by Michael Gamroth

This issue of Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice, Guest Edited by Dr. Nigel B. Cook, in collaboration with Consulting Editor Dr. Robert Smith, focuses on Housing to Optimize Comfort, Health and Productivity of Dairy Cattle. Article topics include: The housing dilemma: natural living vs. animal protection; Calf barn design and management; Lying time and its importance to the dairy cow: impact of stocking density and time budget stresses; Feeding behavior, feed space and bunk design, and management for adult dairy cattle; Maximizing comfort in tiestall housing; Free stall design and bedding management; Maternal behavior and design of the maternity pen; Housing the cow in transition to optimize early lactation performance; Ventilation systems for adult dairy cattle; Cooling systems for dairy cows; Designing dairy herds with automated milking systems; and Low stress handling areas for dairy cow barns.