- Email: [email protected]
Livestock Health and Housing
194
Finally, I cannot agree with the way the concept of play is treated by the authors. They invariably put the word in inverted commas, indicating their belief that there is no objective criterion by which playful movements could be reliably distinguished from the same movements performed in dead earnest. However, I have pointed out such criteria (1965). I do not ask that these be universally accepted without question, but when they are rejected some grounds must be given. Since the authors did not do so, I suggest they delete the inverted commas and admit that at least the higher vertebrates can play in the full sense of the word. P. LEYHAUSEN
(Wuppertal-Elberfeld,
Federal Republic of Germany)
REFERENCES Gottschaldt, K.M. and Young, D.W., 1977a. Properties of different functional types of neurones in the cat’s rostra1 trigeminal nuclei responding to sinus hair stimulation. J. Physiol., 272: 57-84. Gottschaldt, K.M. and Young, D.W., 197713. Quantitative aspects of response in trigeminal relay neurones and interneurones following mechanical stimulation of sinus hairs and skin in the cat. J. Physiol., 272: 85-103. Leyhausen, P., 1965. ijber die Funktion der Relativen Stimmungshierarchie (Dargestellt am Beispiel der phylogenetischen und ontogenetischen Entwicklung des Beutefangs von Raubtieren). Z. Tierpsychol., 22: 412-494. Leyhausen, P., 1973. Verhaltensstudien an Katzen (3rd edn). Paul Parey, Berlin.
LIVESTOCK
Livestock Health and Housing, David Sainsbury and Peter Sainsbury. Balliere Tindall, London, 2nd Edition, 388 pp, f10.50, Paperback, ISBN O-7020-0617-3. The aim of this book as set out in the preface is “to help those who are concerned with the housing of farm animals and who are determined to provide the best possible environmental conditions”. This new and revised edition does this by providing chapters on specific topics such as microclimates, disinfection, manure disposal, ventilation and other general topics, as well as looking at the housing design and construction most suited for each farm species. Written against the background of weather conditions in the United Kingdom, there may well be problems in extrapolating comments from this work to conditions in the U.S.A., and especially for those working in the tropics. Local climatic knowledge will need to be blended with the information in
195
this book for the best results. In general, the practical comments on building and the hints and charts which the book contains will be useful to many readers outside the U.K. Applied Ethologists would show a keen interest in the first chapter, which but will find it preoccupied with is entitled “The Animal’s Requirements”, aspects of growing intensification and disease with priority being given to animal physiology and health. Beginning with a statement that “for health the smaller the better”, a case is made for small efficient units which can be de-populated from time to time, isolated if need be, and where group-size can be kept within sensible proportions. Housing types, sites and appearance are then discussed, and the vital role of the stockman is emphasized. This rounds off the material on the animal’s requirements. With a further revision, the work of Applied Ethologists, such as the elegant studies of Wander (1976) or Mortensen (1978) on the space requirements needed by stalled cattle during lying, standing and eating, the Babraham work on heat and light requirements of pigs and sheep (Baldwin, 1979) or the work of McBride (1975) and his co-workers using barriers in large poultry houses to limit fowl hysteria and more generally allow an orderly life for hens, might deserve a mention. The book contains a small discussion of the “get-away” cage for poultry, and the remark that “in the “get-away” environment it is felt that there may be less likelihood of a welfare problem and better production, thus compensating for the extra cost of these cages”. The slowly growing number of ethological studies on housing could be assessed more adequately in the next edition to fill out the present information in Chapter 1 of the work. For what it is, a good background to, and handbook for, designers and builders of animal quarters, the book is most helpful. For answering the type of questions that McBride (1976) raises as to whether a space is cruel, comfortable or boring, or whether cruelty can be equated with living quarters, this book provides a sketchy beginning. It does help to frame up some of the areas of concern we must have for the animal in the environment. These concerns have a higher priority for those who have to deal with the health and housing of livestock now than even a decade ago. It is always interesting to watch the time and care being given by humans to examining the range of prefabricated housing designs before they select one which precisely fits the needs they think they have, although from a construction, ventilation, insulation point of view all the plans would meet modem standards. There is now a new focus on some of the needs housed animals have, such as body comfort needs (van Putten, 1978), and these have to be considered by those responsible for animal health and housing in the 1980’s. For these practical people this book is a pointer to what is not yet known but needs to be known. R. KILGOUR
(Hamilton, New Zealand)
196
REFERENCES Baldwin, B.A., 1979. Operant studies on the behavior of pigs and sheep in relation to the physical environment. J. Anim. Sci., 49: 1125-1134. McBride, G., 1975. Behaviour and the design of the animal-husbandry interface, Proc. 3rd Comb. Conf. Aust. Chicken Meat Fed., Aust. Stockfeed Manuf. Assoc., Adelaide, pp. 91-96. McBride, G., 1976. Improving the welfare of livestock. Proc. 53rd Annu. Conf. Aust. Vet. Assoc., pp. 7-9. Mortensen, B., 1978. Stanchion barn systems for dairy cows; an ethological evaluation. Proc. 1st World Congr. Ethol. Appl. Zootech., Madrid, E-III-la, pp. 181-194. Van Putten,G., 1978. Comfort behaviour in pigs: information for their well-being. In: D.W. Folsch (Editor), The Ethology and Ethics of Farm Animal Production. Birkhauser Verlag, Base1 and Stuttgart, pp. 70-76. Wander, J.F., 1976. Haltungs- und verfahrenstechnisch-orienterte Verhaltens forschung. Zuchtungskunde, 48: 477-489.
Announcement AUSTRALIAN
SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
A list of titles (and authors) of papers presented at the 9th Annual Conference of the A.S.S.A.B. held at Richmond, N.S.W., 15-17 May 1981, can be found in the Elsevier Journal “Behavioural Processes” (Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 299).
Finally, I cannot agree with the way the concept of play is treated by the authors. They invariably put the word in inverted commas, indicating their belief that there is no objective criterion by which playful movements could be reliably distinguished from the same movements performed in dead earnest. However, I have pointed out such criteria (1965). I do not ask that these be universally accepted without question, but when they are rejected some grounds must be given. Since the authors did not do so, I suggest they delete the inverted commas and admit that at least the higher vertebrates can play in the full sense of the word. P. LEYHAUSEN
(Wuppertal-Elberfeld,
Federal Republic of Germany)
REFERENCES Gottschaldt, K.M. and Young, D.W., 1977a. Properties of different functional types of neurones in the cat’s rostra1 trigeminal nuclei responding to sinus hair stimulation. J. Physiol., 272: 57-84. Gottschaldt, K.M. and Young, D.W., 197713. Quantitative aspects of response in trigeminal relay neurones and interneurones following mechanical stimulation of sinus hairs and skin in the cat. J. Physiol., 272: 85-103. Leyhausen, P., 1965. ijber die Funktion der Relativen Stimmungshierarchie (Dargestellt am Beispiel der phylogenetischen und ontogenetischen Entwicklung des Beutefangs von Raubtieren). Z. Tierpsychol., 22: 412-494. Leyhausen, P., 1973. Verhaltensstudien an Katzen (3rd edn). Paul Parey, Berlin.
LIVESTOCK
Livestock Health and Housing, David Sainsbury and Peter Sainsbury. Balliere Tindall, London, 2nd Edition, 388 pp, f10.50, Paperback, ISBN O-7020-0617-3. The aim of this book as set out in the preface is “to help those who are concerned with the housing of farm animals and who are determined to provide the best possible environmental conditions”. This new and revised edition does this by providing chapters on specific topics such as microclimates, disinfection, manure disposal, ventilation and other general topics, as well as looking at the housing design and construction most suited for each farm species. Written against the background of weather conditions in the United Kingdom, there may well be problems in extrapolating comments from this work to conditions in the U.S.A., and especially for those working in the tropics. Local climatic knowledge will need to be blended with the information in
195
this book for the best results. In general, the practical comments on building and the hints and charts which the book contains will be useful to many readers outside the U.K. Applied Ethologists would show a keen interest in the first chapter, which but will find it preoccupied with is entitled “The Animal’s Requirements”, aspects of growing intensification and disease with priority being given to animal physiology and health. Beginning with a statement that “for health the smaller the better”, a case is made for small efficient units which can be de-populated from time to time, isolated if need be, and where group-size can be kept within sensible proportions. Housing types, sites and appearance are then discussed, and the vital role of the stockman is emphasized. This rounds off the material on the animal’s requirements. With a further revision, the work of Applied Ethologists, such as the elegant studies of Wander (1976) or Mortensen (1978) on the space requirements needed by stalled cattle during lying, standing and eating, the Babraham work on heat and light requirements of pigs and sheep (Baldwin, 1979) or the work of McBride (1975) and his co-workers using barriers in large poultry houses to limit fowl hysteria and more generally allow an orderly life for hens, might deserve a mention. The book contains a small discussion of the “get-away” cage for poultry, and the remark that “in the “get-away” environment it is felt that there may be less likelihood of a welfare problem and better production, thus compensating for the extra cost of these cages”. The slowly growing number of ethological studies on housing could be assessed more adequately in the next edition to fill out the present information in Chapter 1 of the work. For what it is, a good background to, and handbook for, designers and builders of animal quarters, the book is most helpful. For answering the type of questions that McBride (1976) raises as to whether a space is cruel, comfortable or boring, or whether cruelty can be equated with living quarters, this book provides a sketchy beginning. It does help to frame up some of the areas of concern we must have for the animal in the environment. These concerns have a higher priority for those who have to deal with the health and housing of livestock now than even a decade ago. It is always interesting to watch the time and care being given by humans to examining the range of prefabricated housing designs before they select one which precisely fits the needs they think they have, although from a construction, ventilation, insulation point of view all the plans would meet modem standards. There is now a new focus on some of the needs housed animals have, such as body comfort needs (van Putten, 1978), and these have to be considered by those responsible for animal health and housing in the 1980’s. For these practical people this book is a pointer to what is not yet known but needs to be known. R. KILGOUR
(Hamilton, New Zealand)
196
REFERENCES Baldwin, B.A., 1979. Operant studies on the behavior of pigs and sheep in relation to the physical environment. J. Anim. Sci., 49: 1125-1134. McBride, G., 1975. Behaviour and the design of the animal-husbandry interface, Proc. 3rd Comb. Conf. Aust. Chicken Meat Fed., Aust. Stockfeed Manuf. Assoc., Adelaide, pp. 91-96. McBride, G., 1976. Improving the welfare of livestock. Proc. 53rd Annu. Conf. Aust. Vet. Assoc., pp. 7-9. Mortensen, B., 1978. Stanchion barn systems for dairy cows; an ethological evaluation. Proc. 1st World Congr. Ethol. Appl. Zootech., Madrid, E-III-la, pp. 181-194. Van Putten,G., 1978. Comfort behaviour in pigs: information for their well-being. In: D.W. Folsch (Editor), The Ethology and Ethics of Farm Animal Production. Birkhauser Verlag, Base1 and Stuttgart, pp. 70-76. Wander, J.F., 1976. Haltungs- und verfahrenstechnisch-orienterte Verhaltens forschung. Zuchtungskunde, 48: 477-489.
Announcement AUSTRALIAN
SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
A list of titles (and authors) of papers presented at the 9th Annual Conference of the A.S.S.A.B. held at Richmond, N.S.W., 15-17 May 1981, can be found in the Elsevier Journal “Behavioural Processes” (Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 299).