Articles tagged with 'Farm animal husbandry'

‘Free range’, ‘outdoor bred’, ‘organic’ and ‘sow-stall free’ are terms that are applied to animal-based food products, such as meat or eggs. They refer to the way in which animals are farmed and housed.

Hens’ use of the outdoor range area in free-range housing systems is dependent on multiple factors.

Chickens are sociable, quirky and inquisitive creatures. Descended from jungle fowl, they still possess instincts strongly aligned with seeking shelter in vegetation and roosting up high at night to keep away from predators.

Goats, particularly young goats, are inquisitive and playful and their housing system must be able to satisfy natural behaviours that are important to them. Goats are susceptible to stress but good management can minimise the factors which may cause stress.

Swill is any animal food that contains animal matter such as meat, meat products or meat by-products. It is illegal in Australia to feed swill to pigs. In Queensland, it is illegal to feed swill to any livestock including pigs, poultry and ruminants.

Beef cattle are reared outdoors in all Australian states and territories. Southern areas with good pasture have herds with a high density of stock and northern areas, with less feed, have herds with a low density of stock.

Severe feather pecking is an injurious behaviour performed by birds, where they will vigorously peck at and pull out the feathers of other birds. Outbreaks of severe feather pecking can occur in all types of poultry production systems and in both large-scale commercial flocks and small backyard flocks.