Masters Degrees (Animal Sciences)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Animal Sciences) by browse.metadata.advisor "Bonato, Maud"

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    Improving ostrich welfare by developing positive human-animal interactions
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Muvhali, Pfunzo Tonny; Bonato, Maud; Cloete, Schalk W. P.; Malecki, I. A.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Animal Sciences
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Animal welfare has recently gained significant attention in commercial livestock industries worldwide. Specifically, several studies involving husbandry practices with positive human-animal interactions have shown a favourable link between improved animal welfare and production. However, limited research is currently available on optimal husbandry practices for the ostrich industry, which is still plagued by low fertility, high embryo and chick mortality, as well as variable growth rates. The poor ostrich production performance observed could thus reflect the difficulties of the birds to adapt to the commercial farming systems, and/or a failure of commercial practices to provide the basic requirements for this newly domesticated species. Hence, this study examined the effect of different husbandry practices varying in the intensity of human presence and interactions with ostrich chicks from day-old to 3 months of age on: weight gain, survival, immune competence, short- and long-term stress responses, social behaviour, docility, fear responses, meat quality and skin damage. The reproduction performance when the birds reached sexual maturity also was recorded. The study showed that exposure to additional human contact (as compared to standard husbandry practices where human contact was limited to the provision of food and water), resulted in improved early growth, survival and immune competence, and even more so when chicks were exposed to gentle physical handling interactions. Furthermore, chicks exposed to such human presence and interactions expressed lower short-term stress responses when exposed to a potentially stressful event (i.e. feather harvesting and feather clipping), and lower long-term stress responses (as measured in corticosterone levels in the floss feathers), compared to chicks exposed to limited human presence. These results suggest an improved ability of the former to adapt to routine ostrich farm management practices. Furthermore, while social behaviour, docility and fear responses to humans when the birds reached the juvenile stage did not vary between the different husbandry practices, the birds habituated to human presence at an early age were more likely to associate with a familiar rather than an unfamiliar human. This suggests that ostriches can not only discriminate between people, but also adjust their behaviour accordingly. Husbandry practices did not affect meat pH, meat colour, carcass attributes or skin damage. Females that received additional human presence along with physical gentle handling produced a higher number of eggs in their first year of reproduction as 2-year-olds, compared to females that were exposed to limited human presence. The difference in egg production was not observed during the second year of breeding. Hence, additional human presence combined with gentle physical handling seemed to improve early egg production and adaptation of females to the breeding environment. The results of this study revealed that positive human-chick interactions could potentially alleviate problems associated with ostrich chick rearing, by reducing stress sensitivity while improving production performance. More specifically, this study has highlighted promising ways to overcome major constraints faced by ostrich farmers. A slight change of current management practices, through increasing positive human-animal interactions with these relatively wild animals has shown to be beneficial. However, further studies are required to assess the financial viability of these alternative husbandry systems. This will entail promoting animal welfare by comparing economic costs associated with different levels of animal welfare and the associated production performance in these production systems.
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    Perceptions about commercial ostrich farming: views of consumers, farmers and secondary stakeholders
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) Snyders, Monique; Bonato, Maud; Cloete, Schalk W. P.; Engelbrecht, Anel; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Animal Sciences.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is the premier producer of ostrich products worldwide. The ostrich industry has recently come under scrutiny due to the global increased awareness of the welfare of production animals. This lucrative, niche market industry is not well known in most parts of the world and as a result of the public’s limited exposure to the ostrich industry and its husbandry practices, views and opinions about the industry and the welfare status of ostriches might be inadequate. However, the perceptions and opinions of the general public and specifically ostrich product consumers could increasingly determine the global market for ostrich products. This study aimed to determine the differences in knowledge, opinion and perceptions amongst consumers, farmers and secondary stakeholders in the ostrich industry with respect to ostrich production practices and the resulting welfare impact thereof. Participants were asked to complete a comprehensive survey, which firstly determined demographic factors – as these often influence the way in which a person’s opinion is expressed. Questions related to participants’ knowledge of ostrich farming followed; thereafter how important they perceive the impact of management and production aspects on the welfare of ostriches, and the potential impact of welfare aspects on buying decisions. Farmers and secondary stakeholders in the industry were specifically asked about their preferences regarding husbandry practices implemented on-farm and the perceived welfare impacts thereof. Most answers in the survey were scored on a scale of 1 to 5, from least to most important/likely/knowledgeable or from a highly negative to highly positive impact. The main results of this study highlighted a significant lack of knowledge about the ostrich industry and associated production practices, amongst consumers and specifically women and the youth. Generally, all participants agreed on the importance of basic needs (feed, water, health) for the well-being of ostriches. Significant emphasis was placed on natural rearing and husbandry practices as it appears that consumers, women, vegetarians and highincome participants, prefer production animals to be reared in environments that resemble their natural habitat. Importance was also placed on the level of knowledge and skill of stockmen involved in the industry. It appeared that specifically women and vegetarian participants placed a high value on the general welfare of farmed ostriches, while ostrich farmers emphasised the welfare of animals destined for slaughter in order to maintain product quality. Consumers indicated that there is a need to implement a formal welfare protocol for commercial ostrich production. Farmers preferred artificial rearing and incubation/hatching practices with human assistance (when necessary) and they placed emphasis on the importance of product quality when compared to secondary stakeholders. It was also evident that farmers more readily preferred welfare conscious production practices in contrast to the preference for welfare neutral or even potentially compromising production practices by secondary stakeholders. Farmers showed their preference for frequent visual inspection of birds and seemed to score the importance of the welfare of ostriches for product quality higher than stakeholders. Furthermore the transportation and relocation of birds was identified as a potential welfare problem in the industry. Farmers were also less likely to promote the introduction of ostrich-specific welfare protocols on-farm than stakeholders in the industry. The results of this survey aided in identifying potential welfare problems in the ostrich industry and could form the basis of future work for the development of a welfare protocol for the commercial farming of ostriches. Some considerations for welfare indicators and measures have been developed stemming from the results of this study (Appendix G). Further studies could investigate the effect of different handling and transportation practices on the well-being of commercially farmed ostriches. This study thus emphasizes the need for a formal welfare protocol or “Code of best practices” for the commercial farming industry as this will improve product quality and transparency and will also enable farmers to promote the welfare of ostriches produced for slaughter.