CATTLE BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 2 Cattle as ruminants: Grazing & milking: Feed intakeBy Dr Clive Dalton Cattle daily routine Pictures of stomachs Milking effects on grazing routine Feed intake. Getting dairy cows to eat more
RABBIT BEHAVIOUR PART 4 Fibre harvesting: GroomingBy Dr Clive Dalton Fibre harvesting Grooming
RABBIT BEHAVIOUR PART 3 Weaning: Feeding: Housing: Health & welfareBy Dr Clive Dalton Weaning Feeding Coprophagia(eating faeces) Housing Minimal floor areas needed for caged rabbits. The main problem in buildings is environmental control to deal with the cold in winter, high temperatures and humidity in summer. Cold in New Zealand is a minor problem except for … Read more
Sheep, husbandry, behaviour, training a sheep, pet lamb, rearing & training By Dr Clive Dalton Training sheepAs discussed earlier, sheep can learn quickly and there are a few tricks you can use to teach them. One of these is to teach a sheep to be a leader ( a Judas) sheep which can be used to … Read more
RABBIT BEHAVIOUR PART 2 Reproduction: Sexing: Mating: Pregnancy: Birth: FosteringBy Dr Clive Dalton Sexing. Sexual maturity (puberty). Week 1 Mate, shear, dose, cut nails.Week 3 Put next boxes in dam’s cageWeek 4 Kits bornWeek 5 Kits removed from dam, sexed and shorn.Week 12 Shear the doe and re-mate her. Oestrus (heat) Mating Pregnancy Preparation for birth … Read more
RABBIT BEHAVIOUR PART 1 Image: Breeds: Handling: EuthanasiaBy Dr Clive Dalton The rabbit’s image Why keep rabbits? Breeds and typesIn New Zealand all breeds have been imported, but we do not have the full range seen in Europe or USA. Below are the main ones. Meat rabbits Fibre rabbits Exhibition rabbits Handling Nails TeethRabbits have teeth … Read more
CATTLE BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 1 Origins: Senses: Communication By Dr Clive Dalton Origins and domestication Cattle evolved into about 260 different breeds, types and varieties in different parts of world such as the Buffalo in North America and the Yak in China. Wild ancestors of today’s cattle e.g. the Auroch, were hunted for meat. Early … Read more
Goats & man: Senses: Social behaviourBy Dr Clive Dalton Goats are not like sheep Products from goats: Goat senses Sight Hearing Smell Social behaviour Climbing and digging
SHEEP BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 1 Origins: Senses: Social behaviour: FeedingBy Dr Clive Dalton Origins Uses for sheep: Modern sheep problemsWorld sheep populations tend to be on the decrease for a number of reasons such as: Sheep senses Sight Smell Hearing Social order Feeding
CAT BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 1 Origins: Domestication: Social structure: Territory By Dr Clive Dalton Origins Modern cats Social structure Cats and territory
DONKEY BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 3 Beast of burden: Guards: Feeding: Feet: Coat: ReproductionBy Dr Clive Dalton Beast of burden Donkey ambulanceTB (Barney) Muckle working as an agricultural engineer in Kenya invented a ‘donkey ambulance’ to rescue people had to be taken to hospital from places with rough terrain and in the bush where vehicles could … Read more
Sheep, husbandry, lambing, birth problems, ewe & lamb behaviour at birth, birth site, lamb stealing by ewes, normal birth signs, helping ewes to lamb, helping newborn to feed. By Dr Clive Dalton Ewe behaviour prior to lambing The birth site Shepherds from the dawn of time have known that ewes like to choose a quiet … Read more
CAT BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 2 Cat’s senses: Communication: Social behaviour By Dr Clive Dalton Vision Hearing Smell Taste Touch (Kinaesthetics) Memory and learning Communication – sound Pure calls Complex calls Communication – body language Cats use a large amount of non-verbal communication such as: Communication – pheromones Balance and activity Play Grooming Purpose of grooming: … Read more
What is a horse? Horses are large and can do a lot of damage to humans. It’s surprising that horses don’t realise this and apply their physical advantage more often. New Zealand ACC statistics confirm the high accident rate caused by horses! Horses bite, kick with both front and back feet, and crush, and they … Read more
Feral horses in New ZealandSocial behaviour Kaimanawa Wild Horses. Photo copyright Wendy Brewer.Feral herds are the best place to study basic horse behaviour, because there are sufficient numbers of animals and a big enough territory to appreciate the role an individual horse has in the herd hierarchy. So many problems of individual horses isolated from … Read more
Horse origins Uses The horse still provides a range of services for humans: Horse senses Sight Hearing Smell Taste Touch Memory Swimming Problems with teeth
By Dr Clive Dalton FeedingFeeding behaviour Nutrition Feed intakeA goat doesn’t eat knowing its nutritional needs. Seeking out fibrous plants or salt may prove this statement wrong, but generally they are mainly interested in feeds that are palatable and to continue eating until they are satiated. At certain times such as when they are suckling … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Handling goats Behaviour Catching & holding goats Yards Good things about yards Shelter/Shade & housing Danger times for goats Birth. Post shearing
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR AND WELFARE: PART 2 The 3 Rs; The 5 Freedoms: Law: Normal behaviour: Animal rights: Stress & distress By Dr Clive Dalton The three R’s The Animal Welfare Act 1999 The five freedoms: What is “normal” behaviour? General needs for normal behaviour: Speciesism Genetics and Environment – nature versus nurture Anthropomorphism Animals Rights … Read more