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    Assessing the welfare of pasture-based dairy cows of New Zealand and transhumance chauris of Nepal : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Runenga Porehuroa, University of New Zealand, School of Veterinary Science, Manawatu
    (Massey University, 2024-06-14) Sapkota, Sujan
    There is no industry-recognized welfare assessment protocol for pasture-based dairy cows of New Zealand. Also, the welfare assessment in yak/chauri raised under the transhumance system is at the preliminary stage. So, there is a strong necessity of a pastured-based welfare assessment protocol for pasture-based dairy cows in New Zealand and transhumance yak/chauri in Nepal. The aim of the research studies presented in this thesis were to develop a practical and time-limited welfare assessment protocol suitable to pasture-based dairy farms, and transhumance yak chauri focused on a single visit around milking. During the process, 84 different welfare measures were collected from six protocols and 4 welfare studies which were screened and trialed in two pasture-based farms to finalise 32 welfare measures including 5 additional measures specific to New Zealand. These measures were tested on 23 different dairy farms from the Waikato and Manawatu. All the measures were feasible except for the measure related to water availability and behavior. Testing of the repeatability and reliability should be performed for all the selected measures on more number of farms before taking this protocol for commercial use. Also, we further did subsampling-based locomotion scoring on five different pasture-based dairy farms to know if they could predict herd level prevalence. The findings were that there was a significant association between the order in which cows were milked and their susceptibility to lameness. However, the percentage of lame cows within the sub-sampled group was not uniform and was significantly influenced by the farm and the timing of the visit. For our yak/chauri protocol, 31 potential welfare measures were submitted to 120 Nepalese experts for evaluation identifying 13 measures, plus a new one (hematology) was deemed useful. The resulting protocol was tested in five chauri herds in northern Nepal, encompassing animal-based evaluations, mastitis and parasite sampling, and hematology. The protocol was found to be feasible and offers a valuable starting point for yak/chauri welfare assessment.
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    Applying welfare science to cetacean strandings : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Boys, Rebecca M
    Animal welfare science can provide critical knowledge to inform ethical wildlife management and human intervention efforts. Despite live stranding events being recognised by the International Whaling Commission as a major welfare concern for free-ranging cetaceans, little research has to date, been conducted on stranded cetacean welfare. Live cetacean stranding events offer a quintessential exemplar of wildlife management, where assessment or integration of welfare has been limited in the decision-making process. This thesis contributes new understanding of how welfare science can be applied to cetacean stranding events to inform decision-making processes. Here, the first welfare-centric data regarding live stranded cetaceans is presented. Specifically, this research presents novel contributions to science via: (1) conceptualisation of stranded cetacean welfare and survival likelihood; (2) recognition of key knowledge gaps and concerns that must be addressed to ensure optimal welfare and survival likelihood outcomes; (3) identification of potential valuable and practical indicators for assessing stranded cetacean welfare and survival likelihood; (4) evidenced feasibility of welfare indicator application to live cetacean stranding events; (5) incorporation of indicators to undertake holistic welfare assessments; (6) identification of potential welfare implications of strandings management, including efficacy of euthanasia; and (7) provision of key recommendations and requirements to ensure humane end-of-life outcomes for non-viable stranded cetaceans. This thesis documents inextricable links between animal welfare and survival likelihood of stranded cetaceans and demonstrates a clear need for integration of welfare science alongside conservation biology at live stranding events. Systematic, standardised data collection and welfare-centric assessment of stranded cetaceans can, if applied scientifically, inform intervention decisions, to ensure consistent guidance and improve strandings management to safeguard humane outcomes for affected cetaceans. Collectively, this research provides a significant contribution to the current scientific understanding of stranded cetacean welfare, by providing key knowledge required for the development of a welfare assessment framework that can support decision-making at stranding events.
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    Improving the measurement of live weight and body condition score in sheep : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science, Massey University, Turitea, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Semakula, Jimmy
    Liveweight (LW) and body condition score (BCS) are important performance indicators in sheep management, providing a basis for decision making. Therefore, accurate measurement of these traits is imperative. The overall aims of this thesis were to 1) Determine the factors affecting the rate of LW loss of fasting sheep, 2) derive equations to predict LW and LW change over a short time period (1 to 8 hours), 3) evaluate the factors affecting the relationship between ewe LW and BCS, and 4) derive equations for predicting ewe BCS. In the LW studies, lambs were offered three herbage availability levels (Low, Medium and High) in autumn or winter. Similarly, mixed-aged ewes at different physiological states were offered two herbage levels (Low or High). These studies were conducted in two stages: A) calibration stage and B) validation stage. Equations to predict without delay LW were developed at the calibration stage and validated on data collected from independent ewes from different farms. The rate of ewe LW loss was influenced by herbage type and availability, and season. Further, in pregnant ewes, liveweight loss was influenced by the stage of pregnancy, but not pregnancy-rank. Applying correction equations improved the prediction accuracy of without delay LW estimates up to 55% and 69% in ewe lambs and mixed aged ewes compared with using the delayed weights, respectively. For the BCS studies, LW and BCS data of ewes were collected at regular times of the annual production cycle until they were six years of age. Using a ewe’s LW and BCS records to predict their current BCS using a linear model gave moderately accurate estimates. A different dataset, which included foetal- and fleece weight-adjusted LW and height at withers was then used. It was found that equations combining LW, LW change and previous BCS explained more variability in current BCS and were more accurate than LW-alone based models but the addition of adjusted LW and height at withers gave no further benefit to the BCS prediction models. Applying machine learning classification algorithms such as extreme gradient boosted trees and Random forest on a 3-point BCS scale achieved very good BCS prediction accuracies (> 85%). These combined findings provide useful prediction equations that could be incorporated into weighing systems, which along with EID would improve sheep production by aiding management decision making.
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    Genetic parameters of body condition score (BCS) and effects of BCS and BCS change on ewe performance : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2020) Vialoux, Isabel
    Body condition score (BCS) is an important management technique that can be easily learnt and implemented on farm to determine the body condition of ewes. The industry recommended BCS is 3.0 to 3.5 at mating to ensure optimal production. Currently the average industry BCS is less than 3.0 and recent research suggests that the change in BCS may be more important for determining the subsequent production of the ewe. The objectives of this thesis were to examine the relationships between BCS and production through exploring the effects of genetic and phenotypic BCS and BCS change on productive performance. Records of BCS were obtained from Focus Genetics and New Zealand Merino flocks to determine the effect of BCS change on phenotypic production and estimate the genetic parameters of BCS. There was no increase in production for ewes above a BCS of 3.5, therefore, BCS of 3.0 to 3.5 should remain the target BCS for phenotypic production. Ewes that decreased phenotypic BCS between lambing and weaning were associated with greater production indicating these ewes had utilised their stored body fat to achieve high milk yields. The estimated heritabilities of BCS change were low indicating limitations in the ability to alter the shape of BCS profiles by selection. Heritability, genetic and phenotypic parameter estimations of BCS and production traits were performed on 9,585 dual-purpose ewes and 2,007 Merino ewes. The heritability of BCS in New Zealand dual-purpose sheep was found to be moderately heritable (0.16-0.30) and had a high genetic correlation between BCS measurements across the production year. The best time to record BCS for genetic selection was confirmed to be mating. Live weight and BCS are highly genetically correlated, therefore, it may be relevant to explore the inclusion of BCS in the selection criterion to ensure that BCS does not exceed the optimal range of 3.0 to 3.5. The results of this thesis indicate that observing BCS is a valuable tool and it would be possible to change the genetic potential for BCS with genetic selection. This information can be used to develop selection criteria for BCS.
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    Automated body condition scoring of dairy cattle : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) O'Connor, Aaron
    This research demonstrates the development and implementation of an automatic body condition scoring system for dairy cattle that can operate in a real-world environment. Body condition scoring is a subjective method used for measuring changes in energy reserves in many animals, including dairy cattle. These energy reserves can be measured by analysing specific regions on the cow to estimate the amount of fat the animal is carrying. This information allows for greater management of the herd by adjusting the feeding strategies to ensure that each cow is at an optimal condition score. Maintaining an optimal condition throughout the year has implications for milk yield, reproductive performance, animal welfare, and overall farm profits. Current condition scoring methods are manual and are highly subjective, time consuming, expensive, and require a high level of training and competency. These limitations have created a demand for an accurate and objective scoring system. This research presents an automated system that utilises a single camera to be placed above the path of the cow at the entrance or exit to a milking platform or weigh scale. When the cow passes in view of the camera, the features are automatically extracted and converted to a conditions score. Tests have shown that the system successfully predicted the condition score within half a point of the true score for 83% of the 710 cows scored, and 96% within one point.