This volume investigates how large herbivores not only influence the structure and distribution of the vegetation, but also affect nutrient flows and the responses of associated fauna. The mechanisms and processes underlying the herbivores' behavior, distribution, movement and direct impact on the vegetation are discussed in detail. It is shown that an understanding of plant/animal interactions can inform the management of large herbivores to integrate production and conservation in terrestrial systems.

Rabbits are versatile animals, farmed for their meat and fur, as laboratory animals, and also as pets. This well-established book continues to provide an overview of domesticated rabbit production, covering topics such as breeding, husbandry, feeding and health. Now in its fully updated tenth edition, it includes an expanded consideration of important issues such as animal welfare and sustainable methods of production. With chapters relating specifically to meat production, pet rabbits, rabbit shows, and angora wool production, this new edition: - Includes new information on the latest methods of artificial insemination, estrous synchronization, embryo transfer, cloning and molecular genetics; - Tackles globally prevalent health issues such as enteritis complex (EC) rabbit enterocolitis (REC), and viral hemorrhagic disease; - Reviews up-to-the-minute developments such as the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on food production, as well as new projects addressing poverty alleviation and food security. Providing updates on worldwide production trends, figures and new feed additive products, this book is an essential resource for anyone involved in rabbit production - from novice to experienced breeders, veterinarians and industry professionals.

Addressing both theoretical and practical issues in dairy technology, this work offers coverage of the basic knowledge and scientific advances in the production of milk and milk-based products. It examines energy supply and electricity refrigeration, water and waste-water treatment, cleaning and disinfection, hygiene, and occupational safety in dairies.

Training as an RAF pilot in the smoke and bustle of wartime London is a far cry from James Herriot's day job as a country vet in the Yorkshire Dales. And whilst he is keen to serve King and country, James cannot help but miss his life in Darrowby - despite frequent arguments between his colleagues Siegfried and Tristan, bad-tempered cattle, opinionated farmers and the continuing saga of Cedric the flatulent dog. But most of all he misses his wife Helen; pregnant with their first child. The question constantly hanging over them is - will he be going to war? And when will he get to go home? Since they were first published, James Herriot's memoirs have sold millions of copies and entranced generations of animal lovers. Charming, funny and touching, All Things Wise and Wonderful is a heart-warming story of determination, love and companionship from one of Britain's best-loved authors. Contains Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin.

Includes proceedings of a seminar held in Silsoe, UK, 26-28 March 1990.

Everything you need to care for and keep happy, healthy chickens

With directives on diagnosing and treating sick or ailing chickens, as well as general information on how to keep chickens in peak condition, "Chicken Health For Dummies" is your go-to guide on how to best care for and keep chickens.

Inside, you'll get everything you need to know about chicken health and wellness: an encyclopedia full of common and not-so-common diseases, injuries, symptoms, and cures that chicken owners may encounter. "Chicken Health For Dummies" provides chicken owners with one handy, all-encompassing resource. Helps you identify potential hazards and signs of ill health in your chickenShows you how to properly examine chickens to identify and isolate potential health issues before they spread to the rest of the flockAn encyclopedia full of common and uncommon diseases, injuries, symptoms, and cures for chickens

"Chicken Health For Dummies" joins "Raising Chickens For Dummies" and "Building Chickens Coops For Dummies" to round out the For Dummies reference library as a must-have resource for both rural and urban chicken owners.

It has been reported that up to 95% of all flowering plants require the services of other organisms to move pollen from male to female flower parts during the pollination process. These organisms, including bees, are collectively known as pollinators. However, in light of the growing evidence of global declines in pollinator species, the management, ecology and conservation of wild and managed pollinators is a subject of growing importance and research activity. Promoting pollination and pollinators in farming reviews the wealth of research on our current understanding of existing pollination processes and their importance to our global ecosystems. The book considers how pollinators interact with plants, as well as the major threats to pollinator species, including climate change, diseases and pesticide exposure. Through its comprehensive exploration of the current status of pollinators in farming, the book provides its readers with the knowledge required to promote pollination by protecting the world's pollinators species and the ecosystem services they deliver using techniques such as habitat conservation.

This book is a comprehensive guide for veterinary and humanitarian professionals to plan emergency responses for the care and welfare of animals. It covers various topics on disasters, such as principles of disaster management, operation planning, team deployment, etc., from the perspective of saving both livestock and the livelihood of vulnerable communities. The book also discusses the importance of early warning systems, biosecurity, techniques for data collection, one health approach, climate change, and appropriate mitigation strategies. It highlights different principles, approaches, and guidelines related to the rescue, relief, and management of animals during disasters. It also contains topics on the welfare of birds and the rescue and relief of wild animals. This book includes essential veterinary and life-saving supplies required by the relief providing teams during emergencies such as disasters. The book helps administrators understand the key aspects of welfare and management of animals during disasters and enable them to draft policies focusing on humans and animals' rescue & welfare and protection of livelihoods. It is an essential guide for veterinarians, humanitarian workers, field functionaries, farmers, disaster response forces personnel, etc., during various types of disasters and emergencies.

WITH A FOREWORD BY PATRICK BARKHAM And an essay by Welsh hill farmer, Dafydd Morris-Jones 'One of the great no-holds-barred life-adventures in the wilds of the British landscape.' ADAM NICOLSON Written on the eve of the Second World War, this memoir tells the remarkable story of how 21-year-old Thomas Firbank decided on impulse to purchase a 2,400-acre hill farm in the rugged, inhospitable mountains of Snowdonia, and how he and his wife struggled to build it back into prosperity. The book became an international bestseller, selling over half-a-million copies worldwide and pioneered the genre of 'good life' rural escape literature. This new edition is introduced with a foreword by the award-winning nature writer, Patrick Barkham, and includes an afterword by contemporary Welsh sheep farmer, Dafydd Morris-Jones. I Bought a Mountain is a thrilling human tale of tragedy and triumph, as well as a portrait of a lost era when farming was a communal endeavour, offering precious insights into conservation and sustainability relevant for today.

This book presents basic principles and discusses the state-of-the-art methods of sperm sexing in livestock. It reviews the challenges and critical opinions on the conventional sperm sexing methods and characteristic features of spermatozoa of farm animals which could help to develop novel methods of sperm sexing. The book also presents principles and applications of flow cytometry for sperm separation. The chapters of the book elucidate methods and difficulties in developing sperm sexing methods. Notably, it covers recent research on immunological and nanotechnology-based sperm sexing methods. The book also provides information on the development of semen extenders. Towards the end, the book examines ethical and commercial aspects of sperm sexing. It is an ideal reference book for students, researchers and professionals working towards improving livestock production.

Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds, Second Edition provides the most updated and comprehensive review on the evolution of behavior in tropical landbirds. The book reviews gaps in our knowledge that were identified twenty years ago when the first edition was published, highlights recent discoveries that have filled those gaps, and identifies new areas in urgent need of study. It covers key topics, including timing of breeding, movement ecology, life history traits, slow vs. fast pace of life, mating systems, mate choice, territoriality, communication, biotic interactions, and conservation. Written by international experts on the behavior of tropical birds, the book explores why the tropics is a unique natural laboratory to study the evolution of bird behavior and why temperate zone species are so different. A recent surge of studies on tropical birds has helped to reduce the temperate zone bias that arose because most avian model species in behavioral ecology were adapted to northern temperate climates. This is an important resource for researchers, ecologists and conservationists who want to understand the rich and complex evolutionary history of avian behavior.

Dealing with the dynamics of identification and conflict, this book uses theoretical orientations ranging from political ecology to rational choice theory, interpretive approaches, Marxism and multiscalar analysis. Case studies set in Africa, Europe and Central Asia are grouped in three sections devoted to pastoralism, identity and migration. What connects all of these anthropological explorations is a close focus on processes of identification and conflict at the level of particular actors in relation to the behaviour of large aggregates of people and to systemic conditions.

"You’ll be in awe of the work of the American rancher and wildlife alike." — Fox News "... Krantz delivers a true sense of not only the size and scope of Art and Catherine Nicholas’ Wagonhound Ranch, but also the deep sense of stewardship the Nicholas family and their crew bring to ranching every day." — Western Horseman "...Anouk’s photographs tell a visual story of the rancher and his relationship with the land." — The Eye of Photography "A stunning photographic collection that celebrates the reality of ranch life." — Big Sky Journal Wagonhound is a historic working ranch spanning over 300,000 acres in Wyoming, where the elevation ranges from 5,000 feet to 9,000 feet; where talented, strong, and steady quarter horses supplied by the ranch-owned remuda are required to help the cowboys manage the herds in a spectacularly rugged terrain. Catherine and Art Nicholas, who took the reins of the historic ranch in 1999, take the stewardship of the land very seriously — their vision has been to honour tradition, preserve the land, which is steeped in history, and return it to a pristine condition. In Ranchland: Wagonhound, Anouk Krantz’s beautiful photography reveals the daily and seasonal rhythms of the ranch and the daily lives of its men and women cowboys, whose long hard days — starting in the dark and finishing in the dark — involve everything from cattle driving to branding to training the best quarter horses in the country and more. Set in a stunning large-format book, these photographs and the stories offer an inspiring new perspective into today's cowboy/ranching culture and land stewardship of the American West. 

Reissue of this immortal, hilarious, and heartwarming classic about working a chicken farm in the Northwest.

The third edition of The Laboratory Rat features updated information on a variety of topics, including rats as research models for basic and translational research in areas such as genomics, alcoholism, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, neuroscience, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, regenerative medicine, and infectious disease. New information related to the husbandry and veterinary care of rats is provided including topics related to nutrition, reproduction, anesthesia and surgery, infectious and noninfectious disease, and the care of surgical and other fragile models. It is a premier source of information on the laboratory rat, this book will be of interest to veterinary and medical students, senior graduate students, postdocs and researchers who utilize animals in biomedical research.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on alternatives to antibiotics in pig production. The first chapter provides a brief overview of antibiotic use in pig production and addresses the consequent development of antibiotic resistance. The chapter reviews recent advances in developing non-antibiotic means of controlling bacterial infections in swine, such as the use of phage therapy. The second chapter considers the use of prebiotics to optimise gut function in pigs. The chapter summarises current knowledge on the effects of prebiotic oligosaccharides on porcine gut function and health, as well as the modes of action of the commonly used prebiotics in pig production. The third chapter reviews advances in nutritional strategies to boost immune function in pigs, including the use of lipopolysaccharide to stimulate the immune system. The chapter considers the need to reduce the use of antimicrobials in swine diets and reviews the effect of dietary supplementation during key stages of a pig's life to enhance immunity. The final chapter reviews the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of the young pig and the important role it plays in the early stages of life. The chapter considers the use of probiotics and prebiotics in the post-weaning period of piglets to optimise gut function, animal health and performance.

Whilst it can mean enhanced biosecurity, intensive and globalised pig production (based on a narrowing genetic base) also potentially increases the risk of disease and its spread. It has been estimated that diseases can lower pig production efficiency by 10-15%, though financial losses can be much greater. Optimising pig herd health and production highlights the need to develop more preventative measures that can be implemented to tackle the increasing threat of disease. The book addresses recent developments in disease prevention, focussing on how farmers and producers can utilise feed management and housing to optimise pig health, as well as the role of vaccine development in preventing the onset of endemic and emerging diseases in pigs. Through highlighting the importance of understanding and identifying disease, the book showcases how our understanding of the mechanisms of transmission for some of the key porcine viral and bacterial diseases can be applied to optimise pig herd health and production.

Pastoralism is a diffused and ancient form of human subsistence and probably one of the most studied by anthropologists at the crossroads between continuities and transformations. The present critical discourse on sustainable and responsible development implies a change of practices, a huge socio-economic transformation, and the return of new shepherds and herders in different European regions. Transhumance and extensive breeding are revitalized as a potential resource for inner and rural areas of Europe against depopulation and as an efficient form of farming deeply influencing landscape and functioning as a perfect eco-system service. This book is an occasion to reconsider grazing communities' frictions in the new global heritage scenario.

This book provides an extensive review of research into Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Arcobacter species found in poultry. It includes the epidemiology, diagnosis, immune response and disease control of these organisms in commercial poultry production. Antimicrobial resistance, and the incidence and human disease potential of these bacteria is also discussed. A global perspective is presented by experts from four continents - South America, North America, Europe and Africa. This reference work will be of value to the poultry industry, research laboratories, public health workers and students. An extensive overview of the relevant literature is provided by the reference lists at the end of each chapter.

The major theme of this book is environmental preservation by controlling release of undesirable greenhouse gases to realize the sustainable development of animal agriculture. Technology exists for the effective collection of methane generated from anaerobic fermentation of animal effluent and its use as a biomass energy source. Fossil fuel consumption can be reduced and there can be increased use of locally available energy sources. In addition, promoting environmentally-conscious agriculture which does not rely on the chemical fertilizer can be realized by effective use of animal manure and compost products.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on infertility and other reproductive disorders in dairy cattle. The first chapter discusses the physiology of the main impediments to fertility and management issues that need to be addressed to ensure good fertility of dairy cows. The chapter focusses on parturition and uterine health, the importance of the post-partum environment and the role of oestrus, as well as methods of establishing pregnancy and the effect of heat stress on cows' fertility. The second chapter considers recent developments in automated monitoring of livestock fertility and pregnancy, focussing on its implementation in dairy cattle production. The chapter explores the physiological basics of the reproductive cycle in dairy cattle and the use of artificial intelligence to monitor and report changes in animal behaviour. The third chapter reviews progress in understanding the role of genetics in addressing the decline in fertility rates in dairy cattle. The chapter discusses strategies to improve the reproductive performance of dairy cattle, including the use of different breeds, measures of fertility and genomic data. The final chapter reviews best practices to detect reproductive problems and limitations in dairy cattle. The chapter identifies key areas which are known to limit performance and provides strategies which can be implemented to optimise reproductive performance and maximise animal health.