Nutrition and the Welfare of Farm Animals

This book explores the importance of good nutrition in ensuring an adequate standard of welfare for farm animals. It is often not realized that farm animals can suffer when they are fed unsuitable diets, which may be because these diets are more economic or the farmer does not know how to rectify poor nutrition. This book reveals how to recognize and deal with feeding problems in farm animals, when the animal’s behaviour is indicating a deficiency, through oral stereotypies for example. Feeding livestock in emergency situations can present special challenges, and the availability of clean and potable water, one of the essential components of life, can also be an unrecognized problem for many farm animals. Feeding farm animals effectively is rarely recognized for the major welfare issue that it is. We may assume that animals in intensive husbandry conditions have adequate feed, yet it is often too concentrated and designed primarily to immediately maximize production from the animals, in the form of growth, milk yield or reproduction. In extensive rangeland conditions adequate feed supply also cannot be  assured, potentially leading to undernutrition with serious consequences for the health and even survival of livestock. This book will provide a much-needed review of the relationships between nutrition and the welfare of farm animals.

• animal nutrition
• animal welfare
• feeding
• hunger
• livestock
• starvation
• Model vertebrates

“This book … succeeds in giving animal welfare scientists a better appreciation of animal nutrition in the context of farming systems. … This is intended as an advanced book for researchers, teachers, government officials, international organisation officers, donors, extension workers, veterinarians and farmers … . In summing, the book makes a good contribution … .” (Neville Gregory, Animal Welfare, Vol. 26 (1), February, 2017)

“This book on the relationship between nutrition and animal welfare of livestock discusses the five freedoms, water as an essential nutrient, and assessment of nutrition as a part of animal welfare. … Each chapter is well written and provides a concise review of its topic. … This is a good reference for those in farm animal welfare and nutrition including veterinarians, producers, and other professionals in the animal science industry.” (Adam W. Stern, Doody's Book Reviews, August, 2016)

• Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia

  Clive J. C. Phillips

Policies and ethics