Small ruminant production, particularly that of sheep and goats, has steadily increased over the years, with goat production alone doubling during the past three decades. Increased public attention to the impact of livestock management methods on animal well-being warrants rigorous research and dissemination of findings to address this issue. Small Ruminant Welfare, Production, and Sustainability focuses on advances in assessing and improving small ruminant well-being and the implications for the sheep and goat sectors worldwide. A variety of assessment systems for small-ruminant wellbeing are considered, including behavior, health, physiology, immunology, productivity, product quality, neural networks, thermal imaging, facial recognition, and artificial intelligence. Current methods and novel management practices are examined as they relate to both animal welfare and improvement of production systems.
Small Ruminant Welfare, Production, and Sustainability is a welcome addition to the current body of work the current body of work on small ruminant management systems and welfare. Researchers in the fields of animal science, agricultural science, neuroscience, ethics and veterinary medicine, as well as stakeholders in the small ruminant industry and policymakers will benefit from this multidisciplinary resource.
1. Section 1: Introduction - p. 1 2. Welfare issues related to small ruminant production and sustainability: an overview - p. 3 3. Section 2: Advances in the assessment of animal welfare - p. 41 4. Novel technologies for monitoring small ruminant welfare - p. 43 5. Understanding emotions and social behavior in small ruminants to improve welfare - p. 61 6. Behavior and welfare of sheep and goats on pasture - p. 91 7. Assessment of positive welfare in small ruminants - p. 123 8. Omics approach for assessing welfare in sheep and goats: a focus on metabolomics - p. 149 9. Genetic influence on behavior and welfare of sheep - p. 191 10. Behaviors associated with pain in goats - p. 215 11. Section 3: Management methods to improve animal welfare - p. 229 12. Prevention and management of common health problems in small ruminants - p. 231 13. Novel technologies for management of internal parasites to enhance small ruminant health, welfare, and productivity - p. 253 14. Dietary strategies to improve health and well-being in small ruminants - p. 275 15. Learning and cognition in goats - p. 291 16. Human–small ruminant relationships - p. 311 17. Section 4: Animal welfare and meat quality and safety - p. 331 18. Impact of animal stress on sheep and goat meat quality - p. 333 19. Preharvest stress and food safety risks in sheep and goats - p. 377 20. Section 5: Small ruminant production: climate change and sustainability - p. 395 21. Management of sheep and goats for a negative carbon footprint in extensive production systems - p. 397 22. Small ruminants and greenhouse gas emissions - p. 419 23. Future of animal welfare research in relation to sustainability of sheep and goat operations: Australian context - p. 445 24. Index - p. 463
Small ruminant production, particularly that of sheep and goats, has steadily increased over the years, with goat production alone doubling during the past three decades. Increased public attention to the impact of livestock management methods on animal well-being warrants rigorous research and dissemination of findings to address this issue. Small Ruminant Welfare, Production, and Sustainability focuses on advances in assessing and improving small ruminant well-being and the implications for the sheep and goat sectors worldwide. A variety of assessment systems for small-ruminant wellbeing are considered, including behavior, health, physiology, immunology, productivity, product quality, neural networks, thermal imaging, facial recognition, and artificial intelligence. Current methods and novel management practices are examined as they relate to both animal welfare and improvement of production systems.
Small Ruminant Welfare, Production, and Sustainability is a welcome addition to the current body of work the current body of work on small ruminant management systems and welfare. Researchers in the fields of animal science, agricultural science, neuroscience, ethics and veterinary medicine, as well as stakeholders in the small ruminant industry and policymakers will benefit from this multidisciplinary resource.
1. Section 1: Introduction - p. 1 2. Welfare issues related to small ruminant production and sustainability: an overview - p. 3 3. Section 2: Advances in the assessment of animal welfare - p. 41 4. Novel technologies for monitoring small ruminant welfare - p. 43 5. Understanding emotions and social behavior in small ruminants to improve welfare - p. 61 6. Behavior and welfare of sheep and goats on pasture - p. 91 7. Assessment of positive welfare in small ruminants - p. 123 8. Omics approach for assessing welfare in sheep and goats: a focus on metabolomics - p. 149 9. Genetic influence on behavior and welfare of sheep - p. 191 10. Behaviors associated with pain in goats - p. 215 11. Section 3: Management methods to improve animal welfare - p. 229 12. Prevention and management of common health problems in small ruminants - p. 231 13. Novel technologies for management of internal parasites to enhance small ruminant health, welfare, and productivity - p. 253 14. Dietary strategies to improve health and well-being in small ruminants - p. 275 15. Learning and cognition in goats - p. 291 16. Human–small ruminant relationships - p. 311 17. Section 4: Animal welfare and meat quality and safety - p. 331 18. Impact of animal stress on sheep and goat meat quality - p. 333 19. Preharvest stress and food safety risks in sheep and goats - p. 377 20. Section 5: Small ruminant production: climate change and sustainability - p. 395 21. Management of sheep and goats for a negative carbon footprint in extensive production systems - p. 397 22. Small ruminants and greenhouse gas emissions - p. 419 23. Future of animal welfare research in relation to sustainability of sheep and goat operations: Australian context - p. 445 24. Index - p. 463
