COMMON VICES OF ANIMALS, DETECTION, THEIR PREVENTION AND CARE

COMMON VICES OF ANIMALS, DETECTION, THEIR PREVENTION AND CARE

Compiled & Edited by-DR RAJESH KUMAR SINGH ,JAMSHEDPUR,JHARKHAND, INDIA, 9431309542,rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com

A vice is an undesirable quality in an animal. Or bad habit or unnatural habit or undesirable habit of animal. The degree of this undesirability may, however ,vary considerably. Some vices are dangerous while some are injurious either to the owner or to the animal or to both.
Causes of viciousness: Depending on vice cause varies common causes are

1. Too liberal diet/Excessive diet.
2. Ill treatment
3. Lack of enough exercise and work.
4. Tearing by stable boys.

Treatment/ Correction measures

1. Have pity on animal
2. Adopt good management routine
3. Provide enough work and exercise
4. Keep patience while correcting vice
5. Keep horse out of stable while treating vice

Vices – Cattle:

Vices – Cattle Eye rolling Tongue rolling Licking & eating own hair, wool Suckling eating solid objects Inter-suckling by calves Inter-suckling by Adult animals Self sucking Coprophagy Masturbation Overeating Head rubbing Kicking Butting

Vices:

Vices sheep and goat Stealing young/ lamb stealing Wool-pulling and wool eating Eating solid objects swine Tail biting Belly nosing Anal massage Shan-chewing Drinker ressing

vices of horses:

vices of horses Weaving Wind sucking Crib biting Biting Tearing the clothing Kicking in the stable Rearing Shying Gnawing the walls Eating the dung ( coprophagia ) Eating the bedding material Sleeping while standing Throwing the food out of the manger Jibbing in harness or backing.

DAIRY ANIMALS:

1. Eye rolling:
   The eyes are moved around in the orbit at a time when no visible object is present . Normally seen in calves confined in crates and stand immobile for extended period .

02.Tongue rolling: :

The tongue is extruded from the mouth and moved by curling and uncurling outside or inside the mouth with no solid material present. This condition occurs in all ages and breeds . Brown Swiss breed exhibit it most frequently . It occurs most commonly immediately before and after feeding in cattle.

02.Tongue-rolling:

Factors responsible for this vices may be hereditary, continuous confinement, feeding of low roughages .
Remedy: Wind-sucking straps Insertion of a metal ring through the frenulum of the tongue. Provision of salt lick Provision of freedom of movement Isolation of affected animals Tongue-rolling cattle should not be used for breeding

03.Licking and eating own hair, wool:

Many young calves housed in individual crates, early weaning leads to licking those parts of their bodies which they can reach, this results in ingestion of large quantities of hair wick aggregates into hair balls or bezoars in the rumen . This vice is more common in calves moved from individual pen to group housing .

04.Sucking and eating solid objects:

Recently weaned calves will often suck and lick the walls, bars of their pen . This can be controlled by regular creosote paint of wood surface. Feeding good quality concentrate and roughage will minimize the incidence.

Licking:

Licking Licking animal’s own body or solid object in the surroundings with the same pattern of movement. Due to inadequate quantities of food, no teat from which to suck or insufficient total sensory input. Common in calves- salt lick is best remedy .

5. Intersucking by calves::

Calves separated from their mothers suck and lick at their own bodies, at objects in their pens and at parts of the bodies of other calves . It is observed in dairy calves where calves are bucket fed ,grouped shortly after birth and where purchased calves are kept in groups . The commonly suck on the naval, prepuce, scrotum, udder and ears of other animals .

Intersucking by calves:

It can be controlled by feeding calves with automatic nursers with teats and prolonging the feeding time. Sucking periods lasting approximately 30 min appear to eliminate intersucking . Takes place during periods of idling by the herd. Increased provision of roughage can be made in the diet and such roughage should be offered during periods when idling occurs . Separating the calves after feeding, alternatively providing good food and delaying grouping calves until they are more than 4 weeks of age .

06 Intersucking or milk sucking by adult animals:

This behaviour involves a cow or bull sucking milk from the udder of a cow. Cattle suck milk from herd mates and choose the same lactating animal. This vice may lead to loss of milk yield and damage to teat. Proper feeding management and herd supervision can minimize such incidents .

7. Self sucking::————-

Sucking her own milk is called self sucking . This can be prevented by applying to mouth a plate/ anti suckling shield which will form a barrier between mouth and teats .- fits into nostrils and in front of the mouth. Application of muzzle Tying close to the ground

8. Coprophagy :

It is a vice of eating dung which may be due to bad weather, indigestion, half starved condition and mineral deficiency . Pica : The eating own excreta or in the pasture field, breaking and cutting of ropes. This is mainly due to mineral deficiency . 09. Masturbation in bulls : This is a grave vice and endangers the utility of the bull. This is induced by licking.

10. Overeating::
11. Overeating: Common in horses and occasionally in cattle . Excess intake of grain. Remedy: Feeding hay before grain feeding. Split feeding. Rumenotomy . Not treatable if hypothalamus is involved .
12. Head rubbing::
13. Head rubbing: Cattle which are confined to stalls for extended periods, such as winters, may rub their heads repeatedly against some part of the stall . This behaviour is more noticeable in horned breeds and more in bulls than in other breeds. In pigs: sometimes observed when they housed in a narrow single stall. Remedy: Application of suitable restraint imposed upon the affected animals.
14. Kicking: :
15. Kicking: Act of self defence due to fear This vice can be controlled during milking with help of anti kicking straps applied above the hocks. Bulls – big rope method

Squeeze restraint/ udder kinch Milk man’s rope

13. Butting::
14. Butting : Hurting another animal or human being with horns is a serious bad habit of cattle.
15. Stealing young / lamb stealing:
16. Stealing young / lamb stealing Pre-parturient ewes, cows and mares often approach, sniff and remain close to the new born young of other members of the group. This leads to reduced maternal support to the young and it become weak .

Stealing young / lamb stealing:

Stealing young / lamb stealing In lamb stealing , the foster mother may later reject her own lamb when it is born or may have no colostrum left for it. In these situations lamb may often die . This problem can be controlled by separating the ewe from the group before and very soon after parturition.

2. Wool-pulling and wool eating:
3. Wool-pulling and wool eating Wool pulling is a form of abnormal behaviour which occurs in sheep within restrictive enclosure and indoor management systems. Sometimes deficiency of roughage in the diet. Reducing the stocking density in a pen ( 50 % ).

Reference-On Request

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