Animal Husbandry and Welfare
Husbandry fundamentals
Husbandry questions test practical management: housing, ventilation, stocking density, feeding systems, breeding management, and handling. Know the needs of major species - dairy, beef, pigs, poultry, sheep, horses, and companion animals - and how environment affects productivity and health.
Welfare frameworks
- Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger/thirst, discomfort, pain/injury/disease, fear/distress, and freedom to express normal behaviour.
- Welfare assessment: body condition score, lameness scoring, behavioural indicators, mortality/morbidity records.
- Stress and behaviour: stereotypic behaviour, fear responses, handling stress.
Traps
- Confusing welfare (animal's state) with ethics (human judgement) - related but distinct.
- Assuming high production automatically means poor welfare, or vice versa.
- Ignoring stocking density and ventilation as welfare and disease drivers.
- Forgetting species-specific behavioural needs (e.g., rooting in pigs, dust-bathing in poultry).
Worked rule of thumb
When asked what best improves welfare, choose the answer that addresses the underlying need (e.g., providing enrichment to reduce stereotypy) rather than merely treating the symptom. If the stem describes a barren environment, think environmental enrichment and space.
Study approach
For each species, list housing, feeding, breeding, and welfare indicators. Practise matching clinical signs to management failures.