You need to know how to think like the animal
Animal agriculture is coming under increasing scrutiny and pressure is building on livestock producers to not only take good care of their animals but to be able to verify that care as well. Dr. Janice Swanson is a co-researcher at Michigan State University; she says new technologies are being utilized to more accurately measure animal comfort and contentment. “There is always that question about how do we know whether or not something is affecting the welfare of an animal?”
Swanson says there is no direct way to know if an animal is truly comfortable but there are indirect ways to get an idea. “Those structures in the brain that typically cause emotions in an animal, at least in most mammals, are very similar in mammals, very similar structures exist in the human brain.” So, what they know about those structures can be used to get a better handle on how an animal expresses things like fear, stress and pain.
Swanson says one of the biggest sources of fear and stress in animals is poor handling. She notes that cows and many animals are preying animals and therefore they are constantly on the alert for danger. Sudden motions, especially towards them will activate their self-defense mechanisms which often tell the animal to escape the danger quickly. She says animals can quickly identify rough handlers and will react to those individuals. Quick, jerky motions, jumping up and down, waving your arms, yelling will all trigger a fear complex in the animal.
In the same manner, dairy producers have spent a lot of time and money to improve cow comfort and Swanson says there are good ways to measure the cow’s response to that as well.
Swanson says the key is to understand the animal you are working with, know their tendencies; know how they respond to certain situations and how they will move in reaction to those. “You really need to know how to think like the animal because these animals are totally incapable of thinking like you.”
Swanson will present her information at one of the preconference Specialty Sessions Tuesday morning at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin annual Business Conference in Madison.
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If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth – beings who considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other animals – would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over other animals? ~George Bernard Shaw
Why do all you “groups” keep trying to tell dairy farmers something we already know? Would you put your baby to bed without a blanket in the cold? We have been taking care of dairy animals without your “help” for a couple of hundred years, at least!!!! We aren’t as “ignorant” as all of you would have the citizens of the US believe.! Pick on the people who misuse their children; pcik on those who abuse or neglect thier small animals, pick on other areas but don’t pick on dairy farmers any more. We are working under herendous stress these days with the price of milk even going down more as I write this. We care about our animals greatly as they are not only our animals, they are our livelihood!! Get on another subject and let us do our job or come, put on your boots, shut your mouths, get down in the pit with us and MILK, feed, bed, birth Mom cows, etc., get all cow pie, blood, mud, sweatly, at all hours 7 days week (sorry, but it’s not 9 to 5 in fnacy clothes, sweetheart) and share the tears, too of us in the ever losing dairy industry at half the income we need to survive, then you might be able to come out and write a satisfactory REAL article about dairy animals and we that are “married” to our farms not just our families. Respect us for all farmers are the back bone of America and all you “activists ” a breaking the bone fast. Then you can all eat your food from who know where and get your milk and dairy products from milk from bison and water buffalos (to name a few) in foreign countries. I still eat my own beef and drink my own milk and rest at night knowing MY COWS ARE CARED FOR and I know our family is doing the best job they can do in todays times. Think before you speak, and before you act! Act on giving us a fair price for our milk and our work and CREDIT we know what we’re doing, because we do. Respectfully, do you?