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Investigating the impact of husbandry and management practices on the interaction of animal well-being and product quality in beef, swine, and dairy production systems

dc.contributor.authorVogel, Kurt D., author
dc.contributor.authorGrandin, Temple, advisor
dc.contributor.authorBelk, Keith E., committee member
dc.contributor.authorEngle, Terry E., committee member
dc.contributor.authorRollin, Bernard E., committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T05:50:26Z
dc.date.available2012-06-01T08:10:42Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractThe impact of husbandry and management practices were investigated in a beef feedlot, a small slaughter facility, and a dairy. In the first experiment, the impact of â-adrenergic agonist supplementation and implant strategy on the physiological, metabolic, and behavioral responses of feedlot steers was evaluated. Due to the ineffectiveness of head-only electrical stunning of pigs in small slaughter establishments, a two-stage stunning method was proposed where head-only stunning for 3 s was immediately followed by application of the same stunning wand to the cardiac region of the animal for 3 s while lying in lateral recumbancy. A paired-comparison study was conducted on 89 pigs in a small slaughter facility to compare the head-only method applied for 6 s to the head/heart method. Head/heart stunning eliminated rhythmic breathing, natural blinking, eye tracking to moving objects, and righting reflex, which were all observed in head-only stunned pigs. Blood lactate was not different (P > 0.05) between stunning methods (head only: 8.8 ± .7 mmol/l, head/heart: 7.8 ± .7 mmol/l). Stun to bleed time did not differ (P > 0.05) (head only: 32 ± 1 s, head/heart: 33 ± 1 s). No heartbeat was observed with the head/heart method. Longissimus thoracis pH, color, and drip loss were not different (P > 0.05) between stunning methods. This study determined that the head/heart electrical stunning method reduced the incidence of signs of return to sensibility without significant effects on meat quality, plant operation speed, or blood lactate concentration. As concern toward the care afforded to animals on U.S. dairy farms increases, benchmark data and means of assessing the welfare status of the dairy industry are necessary to dovetail with existing National Animal Health Monitoring System and National Cattlemens' Beef Association National Non-fed Beef Quality Audits. The 3rd study was developed to explore the framework of a potential study to dovetail with these two programs and identify variables of relevance to such an analysis. A single Northern Colorado Dairy Herd enrolled in the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) Dairy Herd Retirement program was selected for this pilot study. Overall, data suggested that risk factors for herd health issues exist based on lactation number, days in milk, daily milk production, and previous lactation 305 d milk. Our analysis showed that muscling and finish scores are potentially valuable tools for assessing body condition score in cows post mortem. Body condition score was different between daily production levels (low: 3.08, medium: 2.70, high: 2.51) (P < 0.05). The mean percentage of broken tails in the herd was 44.1% and the occurrence of tail breaks increased as cows became more lame (P < 0.05) and as lactation number increased (P < 0.05). Overall, this study demonstrated the importance of including welfare-relevant variables in assessing on-farm animal welfare that are not strictly restricted to production. The results of these studies indicate the importance of management in maintaining acceptable animal welfare in livestock production and processing facilities.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierVogel_colostate_0053A_10392.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/52137
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectbeef
dc.subjectswine
dc.subjectstunning
dc.subjectgrowth promotants
dc.subjectdairy
dc.subjectwelfare
dc.titleInvestigating the impact of husbandry and management practices on the interaction of animal well-being and product quality in beef, swine, and dairy production systems
dc.typeText
dcterms.embargo.expires2012-06-01
dcterms.embargo.terms2012-06-01
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineAnimal Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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