| CODE | RFS2600 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Livestock Housing and Management | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 9 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Rural Sciences and Food Systems | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit deals with animal welfare, with emphasis on farm animals housing and environment management, in particular the management of animal waste. Housing: Basic concepts of environmental physiology and their application to animal housing and management will be introduced. The study-unit will review the physics of heat flow, light and air quality as they relate to animal biology and health. Other aspects, such as the physical environment, that impact on animal health and well-being will be discussed. Waste management: An introduction to aspects of handling, storage and treatment of farm yard and food industry wastes. Design criteria will be elaborated and related to characteristics of wastes. Physical, chemical and biological treatment systems will be considered. Study-unit Aims - To enable students to develop a basic understanding of animals' physiological responses to the environment and how these responses influence health, productivity and well-being. - To show you how an animal’s heat and moisture production rates can be calculated and to help you to practice applying those calculations to ventilation systems. - To provide an opportunity for you to develop science-based recommendations for animal housing and management. - To present scope and problems associated with animal nutrient management; current regulations and laws on environmental protection. - To present principles covering waste management technology and current livestock nutrient management systems. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) relate the physiological needs of an animal to the standards required to achieve acceptable animal welfare; 2) describe the chemical and biological characteristics of wastes from livestock upkeep 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) design proper animal production structures in line with animal needs and welfare standards; 2) everyday management and control of treatment facilities. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings Christopher D. Moyes, Patricia M. Schulte. Principles of animal physiology. 2nd ed. Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, 2008. 754 p. 9780321501554. (Main Library). Thomas G. Field, Robert E. Taylor. Scientific farm animal production : an introduction to animal science. 9th ed. Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2008. 763 p. 0-13-244736-3. (Main Library). Environmental Management in Animal Agriculture, Curtis Livestock Housing, Wathes and Charles Animal Health 2nd Edition David Sainsbury The Biology of Animal Stress, Moberg and Mench Farm Animal Well-being: Stress, Animal Behavior, Environmental Design, Ewing, Lay, von Borell Physiology of Domestic Animals, Sjaastad, Hove and Sand Waste management (preliminary): Water treatment Handbook, Degremont Wastewater Engineering, Metcalf & Eddy,Inc |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: AGR2602 or equivalent study-units Co-requisite Study-units: RFS2200 or equivalent study-units |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldwork, Lectures and Tutorials | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | George Attard |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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