ALES204 Review

I learned about the new ways that people communicate using technologies and also how to more professionally and effectively write papers and present myself through emails and interviews.

Twitter:
At first I was not thrilled to use Twitter. I didn't see the point, but after using it to follow some very important professionals and organization in my field of study I've found it very useful to get a quick heads up on new research and news that I would be interested in. I'm not sure how much I might be posting since I don't have many followers but maybe as I start to do research of my own I can post more relevant information for others to read.

LinkedIn:
I know this will become a valuable tool for me as I start working in the agriculture industry. Even the speakers at the "alternative careers in animal science" suggested using it so I created my own account. To go along with this the lessons on how to act and speak professionally where invaluable. I also learned new things about writing professional emails that I hadn't thought of like that maybe I shouldn't just jump into the point but that I should build some rapport and let the person know who I am first.

Lab:
The hands on experience I gained through labs gave me great practice with public speaking and professional interactions, which are so important in today's world on top of being tech savy. I found an interesting study online about the reasons people get nervous about public speaking and found that fear of blanking out was the biggest fear. I guess I've always felt confident at public speaking because I feel I can run with something if I do get a bit lost or off topic. I think taking drama improv classes also helped with this and I would suggest them to everyone since they really help you react quickly and smoothly so no one will ever know you didn't know what you were suppose to say.

Overall it's been a wonderful semester and this class has been very valuable. I wanted to end this post with some pictures from my other classes and adventures this semester in agriculture. Happy Holidays Everyone!

Some pictures from this semester:

Calves at the DRTC

Looking at cows for the ANSC472 farm report

My dogs in the mountains

Horse back riding in the mountains

The PreVet Executive Team

The chickens I raised:

Day 2

Day 20

Day 40

Links to 5 blogs I commented on:

Comment #1

Comment #2

Comment #3

Comment #4

Comment #5

I was really impressed at the insight and different viewpoints of my peers and loved reading about their experiences in the class.

Blind Chickens?

Animal welfare in agriculture is constantly under scrutiny. Many choices that are made to increase the overall welfare of animals are condemned for violating one of the 5 freedoms, normally people are most up in arms about violating the freedom to exhibit natural behaviors that is sometimes referred to the freedom of movement. An example is gestation stalls: stalls that limit the movement of a mother sow to only being able to stand up and lie down but allow her piglets to get away from their mother and dramatically decreases the number of piglets that die from being crushed.

Aggression in chickens like layers is a major problem in the table egg industry. This issues is found in birds kept in battery cage systems and in aviary systems, so the amount of space they're given doesn't solve the problem. One solution that has been proposed is genetically blind chickens. These birds have a highly reduced aggression to other birds because they can't see them. Laying hens are also normally very flighty or anxious and not having sight also decreases their stress levels when humans are around.

These birds seem to be an obvious choice to increase animal welfare overall with no adverse effects on production since visual light cues are not needed for photostimulation since there are photo-receptors in the penial gland in the birds brains. Though this seems like a good idea there is a debate about whether or not "taking away" the birds sight is ethical. Many people claim that if blindness in humans isn't considered a cruelty why would blindness in chickens be?

So should consumer opinion of scientific analysis of welfare be the deciding factor? Other advances like the ones Laura Duncan talks about in her blog regarding Temple Grandin and her animal handling facility designs are great ways to improve animal welfare in agriculture.