ICAR AIEEA Animal Behaviour, Ethology & Welfare Science: practice questions

1 · Normal behaviour of farm species · easy

Which pairing correctly classifies the neonatal strategy of the young of these species?

1. Calves and foals hide; lambs and goat kids follow the dam closely
2. Calves and goat kids hide; lambs and foals follow the dam
3. Lambs and goat kids hide; calves and foals follow the dam from birth
4. All four species hide for the first week while the dam grazes nearby

2 · Normal behaviour of farm species · easy

Why do pigs wallow in mud or water when the weather is hot?

1. Wallowing deposits a mud layer that blocks ultraviolet light and replaces sweating
2. They have few functional sweat glands and rely on evaporative cooling from wet skin
3. Pigs wallow mainly to remove ectoparasites, and cooling is only a minor side effect
4. Wallowing is a social display that sets dominance rank before feeding in hot weather

3 · Normal behaviour of farm species · medium

Within the first days after birth, piglets in a litter each come to suckle mainly from the same teat. What is this called and which teats are generally most productive?

1. A teat order; the anterior teats generally yield the most milk
2. A pecking order; the posterior teats usually yield the most milk because of larger glands
3. A suckling hierarchy decided by the sow, who pushes weak piglets to the front teats
4. Teat imprinting; all teats yield the same volume and position has no effect on growth

4 · Behavioural signs of stress · easy

What is the main glucocorticoid released by the adrenal cortex in birds?

1. Cortisol
2. Corticosterone
3. Aldosterone
4. Adrenaline

5 · Welfare assessment · medium

In a herd of 240 dairy cows, 36 are given a mobility score of 2 or 3 (lame) on a 0-3 scale. What is the lameness prevalence?

1. 36%
2. 12.5%
3. 15%
4. 6.7%

6 · Welfare in transport · hard

A sow with a gestation length of 115 days is due to be unloaded on day 105 of pregnancy. Applying the final-10% rule, what is the correct decision?

1. Unfit: the final 10% begins at about day 103.5
2. Fit: the final 10% begins at about day 110
3. Fit: the final 10% begins at about day 112
4. Unfit: the final 10% begins at about day 90

7 · Welfare at slaughter · medium

What is the main animal welfare concern with stunning pigs in high concentrations of carbon dioxide?

1. CO2 stunning is reversible within seconds and pigs often recover on the rail
2. CO2 causes cardiac arrest before unconsciousness, so pigs feel cardiac pain
3. CO2 is aversive, and pigs gasp and try to escape before losing consciousness
4. CO2 stunning requires live shackling of pigs before they enter the gas

8 · Environmental enrichment · medium

A barn system for laying hens has 1,200 m² of usable area. Under a welfare standard limiting barns to 9 hens per m² of usable area (as in EU law), what is the maximum flock size?

1. 133 hens
2. 10,800 hens
3. 1,080 hens
4. 108,000 hens