Completely revised, updated and with four new chapters on sustainability, new technologies, precision agriculture and the future of animal welfare. This book is edited by an outstanding world expert on animal welfare, it emphasizes throughout the importance of measuring conditions that compromise welfare, such as lameness, heat stress, body condition, and bruises during transport.The book combines scientific information with practical recommendations for use on commercial operations and reviews practical information on livestock handling, euthanasia, slaughter, pain relief, and assessments of abnormal behavior.

This book explores the importance of good nutrition in ensuring an adequate standard of welfare for farm animals. It is often not realized that farm animals can suffer when they are fed unsuitable diets, which may be because these diets are more economic or the farmer does not know how to rectify poor nutrition. This book reveals how to recognize and deal with feeding problems in farm animals, when the animal’s behaviour is indicating a deficiency, through oral stereotypies for example. Feeding livestock in emergency situations can present special challenges, and the availability of clean and potable water, one of the essential components of life, can also be an unrecognized problem for many farm animals. Feeding farm animals effectively is rarely recognized for the major welfare issue that it is. We may assume that animals in intensive husbandry conditions have adequate feed, yet it is often too concentrated and designed primarily to immediately maximize production from the animals, in the form of growth, milk yield or reproduction. In extensive rangeland conditions adequate feed supply also cannot be assured, potentially leading to undernutrition with serious consequences for the health and even survival of livestock. This book will provide a much-needed review of the relationships between nutrition and the welfare of farm animals.

Environmental Aspects of Housing for Animal Production is concerned with environmental aspects of housing farm animals. The discussions are organized around physical and physiological principles; environmental influences on reproduction; environmental influences on the productivity of farm animals; optimal housing environments for temperate and cool climates; housing environments for hot climates; engineering and control of the house environment; and the constraints of welfare and disease. This text consists of 32 chapters divided into nine sections. The first chapter explores the physiological mechanisms whereby the food- or fiber-producing animals maintain a constant body temperature under climatic extremes and the possible impact that these physiological processes may have on productive systems. This discussion is followed by chapters on the influence of climate on the decision to house livestock; the effect of the environment on animal reproduction; thermal influences on poultry; and the importance of ventilation and temperature control. This text also considers the poultry housing problems in tropical and subtropical climates; insulation of animal houses; and the interaction between feathering and egg production in laying hens. This book will appeal to those working in the field of housing for animal production, both in research and development and at a practical level.

Appropriate housing that promotes excellent health and high welfare for different livestock species is an essential aspect of sustainable animal production. The appropriate design of livestock buildings is a fast changing and ever improving professional endeavour. This book is set out to review the 'current best practice management' in relation to all key design elements of livestock buildings. It is important to manage these buildings correctly to generate environmental conditions that will enhance the health and welfare of livestock, the health of farm workers and people living near farming operations. 'Livestock housing' is written for all those who are involved in managing the health and welfare conditions of housed livestock on commercial farms, including farm workers, animal scientists, veterinarians, agricultural engineers and of course students. Contributions have been solicited from highly respected specialists from around the world. All key areas of housing management are reviewed, including feeding, watering, ventilation and waste management systems. Furthermore, issues such as the control of emissions, role of bedding, maintenance of hygiene, the management of thermal and aerial environment as well as the use of modern technological tools in the service of livestock management are discussed. This book provides a unique forum for leading international experts to convey up-to-date information to professionals involved in modern animal production.