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
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
Mulesing, welfare issues, New Zealand minimal standards, blowfly, alternatives By Dr Clive Dalton BackgroundThe American breeders who put the wrinkles on the Merino more than 100 years ago to grow more wool could have had little idea about what suffering they would cause the sheep, or the public issue it has turned out to be. … Read more
Your dog deserves the best! It’s a sad fact, that there are many working dogs that don’t have adequate housing. For a dog to live a long productive life, good clean, dry, well-ventilated and draught-free housing with a comfortable bed is a basic requirement. Housing should also be free of parasites and disease. There’s a … Read more
SHEEP BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 3 Handling: Sheep-human problems: Welfare issues By Dr Clive Dalton Are sheep intelligent? Sheep handling tips Catching and holding sheep When you find the right angle, the sheep will relax and you can take your hands off and hold it only with your legs and especially your knees. It’s the position … 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
Increasing interest in organic farmingThere is an increasing interest in organic farming around the world as consumers become more concerned about food safety and with the over-use of chemicals in farming. Farming using “organic principles” is seen by an increasing number of people as a solution to these concerns. Below are some general principles General … Read more
Castration, tail docking, age, methods, welfare issues By Dr Clive Dalton These procedures have been carried out for centuries, castration to reduce the number of males on the farm, and docking tails to avoid the growth of dags that attract blowflies. So the term “docking” for both these operations, done at the same time. Both … Read more