Significant professional situations in regard to animal welfare


The significant professional situations (SPS) represent the key situations which, when mastered, are sufficient to give an account of all the competences mobilized in the work. We will focus on professional situations that question the consideration of animal welfare. We have listed the significant professional situations in the context of dairy cattle, dairy goat and meat sheep herding. The situations are analysed from the point of view of the farmer and the researchers.

Breed
SPS according to stockbreeders
SPS according to the research (Awin, welfare quality, ...)
Dairy cows
  • 1. train the flock to follow the breeder and interact with dogs
  • 2. train the flock to enter and leave the milking room
  • 3. feed the animals (how many animals may feed each time, if the feed is ad libitum or not, if there are drinking spots in enough number,...)
4. how to ensure that there is no competition for food in free stalls
  • 5. How, where and when the animals lay down and relax
6. The rest of the cows in the beds: competition for beds, types of bedding, materials (presence of litter); how cows are lying down on their beds
7. Breeding facilities (illumination, ventilation, temperature, enrichment of the environment, size of the confinement, possibility to express natural behavior...)
8. confinement/pasture;
9. evaluate hoof health (evaluate mobility)
10. evaluate the interaction between the animals of the flock and also the animals with the breeder (fear, play...)
11. behavior of the farmer (speaking to animals, interactions with animals, given a name to each animal), the “distraction” times
12. Animal behavior in the milking parlor:
- types of milking parlor
- milking times
- handling in the milking
- robotised automation
13. Care to calves (to allow manipulation); conditions of life of the calf (alone, with other calves)
14. partition mother and calf
15. immobilizing the animal for trimming, care and artificial insemination
16. Dehorning or shortening the horns or not
17. farrowing and caesarean
18. level of innovative animal breeding (Selection of the flock)
19. treatment with homeopathy/phytotherapy
20. management for the slaughterhouse/mobile slaughterhouse
21. getting animals in the truck before going to the slaughterhouse
22. evaluating the welfare of the animal through sensors
23. noise in the environment of the animal and behavior
24. possibility of protecting oneself from bad weather or direct and prolonged exposure to the sun
25. caesarean surgery in the Belgian White Blue Breed
26. lameness score/prevalence
27. measure “escape” distance
28. nutrition of animals with an impact reflected in productive and reproductive value
29. welfare: injuries, animal motricity.
Production, performance, profitability, stereotypes
30. welfare:
  • • physical health: mastitis...
  • • pain management
  • • mental health
  • 31. production, performance, profitability
Meat sheep
  • 1. train the flock to follow the breeder and interaction with dogs
2. feeding the animals (how many animals may feed each time, if the feed is ad libitum or not, if there are drinking spots in sufficient number...)
3. how, where and when the animals lay down and relax
4. breeding facilities (illumination, ventilation, temperature, enrichment of the environment...)
5. evaluate hoof health (evaluate the mobility)
6. evaluate the interaction between the animals of the flock and also the animals with the breeder (fearing, playing...), “distraction” times
7. behavior of sheep in grazing situations and behavior in stabling
8. lambing management
9. shearing management
10. castration
11. cutting the tail
12. level of innovative animal breeding (selection of the flock)
13. behavior of the sheep with the dogs, donkey
14. disturbance/management of the hierarchy
15. farrowing
16. immobilizing the animal for trimming, care
17. To cure with homeopathy/phytotherapy
18. Management for the slaughterhouse/mobile slaughterhouse
19. To get animals in the lorry before to go the slaughterhouse
20. evaluate the welfare of the animal through sensors
21. Noise in the environment of the animal and behaviors
22. Possibility of protecting oneself from bad weather
23. The observation and indicators of welfare
23. access to water while in pasture 24. lying synchronicity and coat cleanliness
assessment of the ability of sheep to lie simultaneously
25. panting, and elevated respiration rate, for heat stress, and housed sheep in full fleece.
26. assessment of aggression and dis-placements
27. physical and mental health: stress situations… compare reproductive rates
28. mental health: acceptance and rejection of lambs, and management of the rejected lambs...
29. Prolificacy
Dairy Goat
1. train the flock to follow the breeder 2. train the flock to enter and leave the milking room
3. feeding the animals (how many animals may feed each time, if the feed is ad libitum or not, if there are sufficient drinking spots...)
4. how, where and when the animals lay down and relax
5. breeding facilities (illumination, ventilation, temperature, enrichment of the environment, where goats can climb...)
6. evaluate the hoof health (evaluate the mobility)
7. evaluate the interaction between the animals of the flock and also the animals with the breeder (fear, playing...), “distraction times”
8. evaluate the welfare of the animal through sensors
9. confinement/pasture
10. farrowing
11. disturbance/management of the hierarchy
12. dehorning or shortening the horn
13. behavior of sheep in grazing situations and behavior in stabling
14. level of innovative animal breeding (Selection of the flock)
15. animal behavior in the milking parlor:
  • • types of milking parlor
  • • handling during milking
  • • robotised automation
16. treatment with homeopathy/phytotherapy
17. management of the goatlings
18. partition of mother and goatlings
19. Management for the slaughterhouse/mobile slaughterhouse
20. getting animals in the truck before going to the slaughterhouse
21. noise in the environment of the animal and behavior
22. BCC body condition score (very thin and very fat animals)
- observe how groups are created, if they are organized according to production; reproduction (kids with their mothers)
23. queuing at feeding; queuing at drinking
24. animals walking on their knees, goats are not trimmed, kneeling in the pen and very severe lameness
25. presence of abscesses
26. oblivion goats - goats are very social, so it is interesting to see - understand if keepers can detect them
27. improper disbudding
28. latency to the first contact test
29. environmental enrichment for goats