Kite’s Nest (even the name sounds idyllic!) is a very free-range farm with beef cattle, sheep and hens, where Rosamund Young and her family ensure the occupants have as natural a life as possible.
Rosamund says: “Cows are as varied as people. They can be highly intelligent, moderately so or slow to understand; friendly, considerate, aggressive, docile, inventive, dull, proud or shy.”
You may find this hard to believe. After all, we perhaps rarely think about how and where farm animals live, let alone about what they think, their likes and dislikes, and what friendships they may have with their own species and with others. We have really under-estimated them. Read the book ” The Secret Life of Cows” and be amazed!
Kite’s Nest Farm is really exceptional in the variety and beauty of all the creatures and plants that it hosts. Their film, ”The Secret Life of the Farm”, follows the farm animals, wildlife and the farm through the seasons.
Friends at Kites Nest. Image courtesy of Rosamund Young
A second film, “The Calf’s Year,” is just enchanting. Calves are playful, lively and interested in the world. This is a lovely film and it’s a really relaxing watch.
You might also like to see the Kite’s Nest website and blog.
Details of the book and films:
Young, R. (2006). The Secret Life of Cows: Animal sentience at work. The Good Life Press
Young, R. (2006). The Calf’s Year. The Good Life Press. Film, 40 mins approx
Young, R. (2004). The Secret Life of the Farm. The Good Life Press. Film, 60 mins approx
Tags: animal agriculture, animal farming, Cattle, cow, friendship, Natural behaviour
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Chimps, jays and hens can all make plans for the future.
Santino makes plans. Image courtesy of Mathias Osvath
Santino the chimp, who is in a Swedish zoo, gathers up stones and even makes missiles out of concrete to hurl at visitors later on.
Western scrub-jays have also been tested to see if they can make plans for the future.
The jays were kept in cages with a ‘breakfast’ area and a ‘no breakfast’ area. Given the first chance to cache food, the jays cached three times more pine nuts in in the ‘no breakfast’ area than they did in the ‘breakfast’ area.
This seems to show that they understood there might be no food given to them the following morning and so they tried to ensure they’d have something to eat.
Jays have unexpected abilities. Image: iStockphoto.com
Previously scientists had thought only humans were capable of this sort of thinking, but these kinds of observations seem to indicate amazing abilities in many animals too.
Hens can anticipate the future too. Researchers carried out an experiment where hens could either get a smaller food treat more quickly, or wait a little longer to get a bigger treat. The hens decided to wait!
Tags: animal agriculture, animal farming, chimpanzee, hen, Jays, Planning, sentience
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In commercial farming, young animals such as piglets and dairy calves are separated from their mothers at a very young age. The weaning age and the rearing conditions can affect the physical health and the welfare of these very young animals.
This sow and her piglets benefit from better animal welfare conditions. Image: Compassion/Martin Usborne
Animals reared in more interesting, ‘enriched’ conditions are more settled and confident with their companions, and female animals seem to take more easily to rearing their young (when given the opportunity). For example, piglets who lived in outdoor enclosures before and after forced weaning had fewer problems than piglets in barren indoor conditions.
Young piglets need their mum
In intensive farming piglets are removed from their mother between 2-4 weeks of age. At this age they are still dependent on her for feeding, mothering and protection. A more natural weaning age would be 3-4 months.
The younger the piglets are when they are removed from their mothers, the more they squeal for her, try to jump out of the pen and rub their noses against the bellies of their companions, which can cause injuries. The piglets are probably looking for their mother’s udder or to gain physical contact with her.
This frantic behaviour is not seen in 8-week-old piglets in a semi-natural environment, but is commonly seen in commercial farms world-wide.
Dairy calves
Dairy calves in commercial farms are usually separated from their mother at only a few hours old, but natural weaning would take place at 9-11 months old. Often a cow whose calf has been taken away will walk up and down in an agitated way, calling out and apparently looking for her calf. Calves too often appear distressed at this time.
Researchers also looked at the long-term effects on the calf of separation in this way.
If calves are removed from their mother as new-borns, they may not call out for her so much, but their health and long-term development can be affected. If they are taken away from their mother after a longer time spent with her, they may be more distressed at the time, but their long-term development may be better and they may have more confidence to cope with new situations.
The vital bond between mother and young. Image: Compassion/Karen Playford
Tags: animal agriculture, animal farming, Cattle, Compassion in World Farming, emotion, Natural behaviour, sentience
Posted in Cattle, Communicating, Emotions, Family bonds, Maternal care, Pigs | 1 Comment »
Farmer and award-winning journalist John Humphrys knows all about the importance of the sentience of farm animals. Describing the importance of kind treatment of farm animals, he says: “Good farming is about healthy and, yes, happy animals.”
Because farm animals are sentient beings, how they are treated is of vital importance to them.
Animals who are afraid of humans because they have been treated roughly or unkindly may be more stressed and suffer health and welfare problems.
Kind treatment is more likely to mean happy and well-cared-for cows. Now researchers have found that cows whose farmers talk to them by name are, perhaps unsurprisingly, more relaxed.
You can see the clip about the cows here.
Talking about dairy cows let out from the winter sheds into the great outdoors, John Humphrys says:
“They tear about the field, kicking their legs into the air …For six months they have lived in sheds, slept in stalls, stood on concrete. Now, once again, they have the grass beneath their feet. They seem, quite literally, to be full of the joy of spring. It lifts the spirits to watch them.”
Tags: animal agriculture, animal farming, Cattle, Compassion in World Farming, cow, dairy, Emotions, happiness, happy, sentience
Posted in Cattle, Emotions | 1 Comment »