Course description for 2023/24
Livestock Environment and Welfare
HUS1000
Course description for 2023/24
Livestock Environment and Welfare
HUS1000
The course gives an introduction to animal welfare, basic ethology, physical environment and housing of various domestic animals.
This course covers the following main themes:
- ethology focusing on the behavioural needs of domestic animals, motivation, learning, social behavior and behavioural problems
- animal welfare as a term and subject area from both a biological, ethological, ethical and moral perspective
- gases, dust, light and sound in livestock animal rooms
- animals adjustment to varying thermic environments
- designing livestock rooms, design solutions, grouping design and space requirements for different livestock animals
- laws, regulations and recommendations for livestock keeping and animal welfare rights
The subject is reserved for the study programme Animal Welfare or Animal Sciences - Welfare and Production. Other students can get admitted if there are places available. Contact student advisor.
Students must meet current admission requirements for the associated study program.
Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to:
Knowledge:
- has thorough knowledge of stocking conditions, space requirements and environment of livestock animals
- has knowledge of the natural behavior needs and social relations of livestock animals
- has basic knowledge in animal welfare, both in general and specifically related to livestock
- has thorough knowledge of livestock animals' environment, including the gas, dust, bacteria, light and sound content of air as well as thermic conditions
- has knowledge of key research and development work in the field
- has knowledge of regulations and recommendations for the keeping of livestock and animal welfare
Skills:
- can conduct behavioural studies to study animals' time budgets and preferences
- can analyse and make simple calculations on issues related to the animal welfare of livestock
- can apply relevant measuring equipment to map indoor climate in livestock animal buildings
- can interpret and assess measurement results and draw reasoned conclusions
General competence:
- has insight in livestocks' requirements to its environment and in how factors affecting and deciding the social and physical environment for the animals can be registered and assessed
- can exchange views on how place allocation, indoor climate and the rest of the environment affects livestocks' production, health and welfare
- has knowledge of and developed the ability to reflect upon and assess issues where welfare of livestock is a key component
- Is able to propose preemptive measures to prevent animal welfare issues for livestock
- can communicate professional literature that is of relevance to the livestock's environment and contribute to professional discussions in the field
- has the knowledge and skills required to communicate about issues and potential solutions in the field in a clear and comprehensible way
Paid semester fee and syllabus literature. It is also required that students have a laptop at their disposal.
Compulsory
Lectures and exercises. Group exercises. The exercises take place on nearby farms and at Mære agricultural school, in addition to the regular teaching facilities.
Evaluated annually by students through course surveys. These evaluations are included in the university’s quality assurance system.
Compound assessment, letter grade
- Compulsory work, comprises 0/100 of the grade, grading scale approved/ not approved. Must be passed prior to submission of the written examination.
- Written examination, 4 hours, comprises 100/100 of the grade, letter grade.
Pen, ruler and up to 2 bilingual dictionaries.
Generating an answer using ChatGPT or similar artificial intelligence and submitting it wholly or partially as one's own answer is considered cheating.
No prior knowledge is required beyond the admission requirement.
Overlap refers to a similarity between courses with the same content. Therefore, you will receive the following reduction in credits if you have taken the courses listed below:
HUS111 - Farm Animal Environment - 7.5 credits
HUS111 - Farm Animal Environment - 7.5 credits
HUS141 - Animal Health and Welfare - 2.5 credits
HUS1006 - Animal welfare and ethology - 7.5 credits