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Effects of individual and pair housing of calves on short term health and behaviour on a UK commercial dairy farm (2023)
Journal Article
Mahendran, S., Blackie, N., Wathes, C., & booth, R. (2023). Effects of individual and pair housing of calves on short term health and behaviour on a UK commercial dairy farm. Animals, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132140

Social pair housing of calves has previously demonstrated positive impacts on calf health and productivity compared to individual housing, but much of the research has been conducted in research institutions in different environmental conditions to t... Read More about Effects of individual and pair housing of calves on short term health and behaviour on a UK commercial dairy farm.

Randomised Control Trial Investigating the Efficacy of Meloxicam and Sodium Salicylate Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Calf Cautery Disbudding (2023)
Journal Article
Prior, S., Blackie, N., Fishwick, J., & Mahendran, S. A. (2023). Randomised Control Trial Investigating the Efficacy of Meloxicam and Sodium Salicylate Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Calf Cautery Disbudding. Animals, 13(11), 1768. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111768

Simple Summary: The disbudding of calves is undertaken as a routine management practice. It is known to be a painful procedure for calves, and it is a legal requirement that calves are disbudded under local anaesthesia. It is also recommended that ca... Read More about Randomised Control Trial Investigating the Efficacy of Meloxicam and Sodium Salicylate Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Calf Cautery Disbudding.

Comparison of environment quality measurements between 3 types of calf housing in the United Kingdom (2023)
Journal Article
Mahendran, S., Blackie, N., wathes, C., & booth, R. (in press). Comparison of environment quality measurements between 3 types of calf housing in the United Kingdom. Journal of Dairy Science, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22613

Pre-weaned calves are kept in a range of housing types which offer variable protection against the weather and provide differing internal environments. This cross-sectional observational study assessed the influence of housing type (shed, polytunnel... Read More about Comparison of environment quality measurements between 3 types of calf housing in the United Kingdom.

Comparison of Low- and High-Cost Infrared Thermal Imaging Devices for the Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cattle (2022)
Journal Article
Coe, A., & Blackie, N. (2022). Comparison of Low- and High-Cost Infrared Thermal Imaging Devices for the Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cattle. Veterinary Sciences, https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9080414

Lameness has a high economic cost to the U.K. dairy industry; accurate and early detection of lameness minimises this cost. Infrared thermal imaging (IRT) devices have shown promising results for use as a lameness detection aid in cattle when used in... Read More about Comparison of Low- and High-Cost Infrared Thermal Imaging Devices for the Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cattle.

Survey on vaccination technique in UK sheep farmers and the impact of training (2022)
Journal Article
Hall, L., Reilly, B., & Blackie, N. (2022). Survey on vaccination technique in UK sheep farmers and the impact of training. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1798

Background: Vaccines are commonly used in sheep farming. Compliance with vaccination protocols, and subsequent suboptimal vaccination technique are concerns in the industry. Methods: An online survey was distributed to UK sheep farmers containing 3... Read More about Survey on vaccination technique in UK sheep farmers and the impact of training.

Student Perceptions of the Introduction of Pig Production, Management, and Health Teaching into the Veterinary Curriculum of a Muslim Majority Country: A Case Study in Jordan (2022)
Journal Article
Roslan, N., Blackie, N., Slack, D., Abu-Basha, E., Ismail, Z., Guitian, J., & Gibson, T. (2022). Student Perceptions of the Introduction of Pig Production, Management, and Health Teaching into the Veterinary Curriculum of a Muslim Majority Country: A Case Study in Jordan. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme-2022-0013

Previously, pig production was not covered in the Jordan University of Science and Technology’s (JUST) veterinary curriculum due to Jordan being a predominantly Muslim country, with few graduates practicing outside the Middle East. However, pig produ... Read More about Student Perceptions of the Introduction of Pig Production, Management, and Health Teaching into the Veterinary Curriculum of a Muslim Majority Country: A Case Study in Jordan.

The effect of needle reuse on piglet skin puncture force (2022)
Journal Article
Gibson, T., Blackie, N., & Owen, K. (2022). The effect of needle reuse on piglet skin puncture force. Veterinary Sciences, https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9020090

The study investigated whether repeat-use of needles used to inject piglets with iron, influences the force required to puncture into piglet cadaver skin. Pig units were surveyed on needle reuse and injection practices, these findings informed subseq... Read More about The effect of needle reuse on piglet skin puncture force.

A survey of calf management practices and farmer perceptions of calf housing in UK dairy herds (2021)
Journal Article
Mahendran, S., Wathes, C., Booth, R., & Blackie, N. (2021). A survey of calf management practices and farmer perceptions of calf housing in UK dairy herds. Journal of Dairy Science, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20638

Adoption of optimal management techniques for rearing dairy calves has significant impacts on their health, welfare and productivity. Despite much published literature on best practice, calf morbidity and mortality rates remain high. This survey aime... Read More about A survey of calf management practices and farmer perceptions of calf housing in UK dairy herds.

A Retrospective Case Study into the Effect of Hoof Lesions on the Lying Behaviour of Holstein–Friesian in a Loose-Housed System (2021)
Journal Article
Ji, K., Booth, R., & Blackie, N. (in press). A Retrospective Case Study into the Effect of Hoof Lesions on the Lying Behaviour of Holstein–Friesian in a Loose-Housed System. Animals, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041120

The association between hoof lesions and lying behaviour was assessed on a Holstein–Friesian dairy farm in England. Twenty-nine cows were included in the study. Cows with claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL, n = 8), soft tissue lesions (STL, n = 6), a... Read More about A Retrospective Case Study into the Effect of Hoof Lesions on the Lying Behaviour of Holstein–Friesian in a Loose-Housed System.

The Health and Behavioural Effects of Individual versus Pair Housing of Calves at Different Ages on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm (2021)
Journal Article
Mahendran, S., Blackie, N., Booth, R., & Wathes, C. The Health and Behavioural Effects of Individual versus Pair Housing of Calves at Different Ages on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm. Manuscript submitted for publication

Housing management of dairy calves is one of the factors that contributes to a successful rearing outcome. Individual housing of pre-weaned calves is thought to provide enhanced biosecurity and easier monitoring of the individual, and so remains prev... Read More about The Health and Behavioural Effects of Individual versus Pair Housing of Calves at Different Ages on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm.

The Impacts of Waterproof Insulated Jackets on Lamb Performance on a UK Lowland Farm (2021)
Journal Article
Collins, E. B., & Blackie, N. (2021). The Impacts of Waterproof Insulated Jackets on Lamb Performance on a UK Lowland Farm. Animals, 11(1), 217. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010217

The majority of lamb losses occur within the first two weeks of life, with cold stress being a major cause of lamb morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the effect of insulating lamb jackets on newborn lambs. One hundred and four newborn l... Read More about The Impacts of Waterproof Insulated Jackets on Lamb Performance on a UK Lowland Farm.

Influence of Lameness on the Lying Behaviour of Zero-Grazed Lactating Jersey Dairy Cattle Housed in Straw Yards (2019)
Journal Article
Blackie, N., & Maclaurin, L. (2019). Influence of Lameness on the Lying Behaviour of Zero-Grazed Lactating Jersey Dairy Cattle Housed in Straw Yards. Animals, 9(10), 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9100829

Thirty-five lactating Jersey cows were recruited to the study. They were grouped according to locomotion score (LS), where low scores indicate normal gait. LS-1 (n = 12), LS-2 (n = 12) and LS-3 (n = 11) were used. Locomotion scores were balanced for... Read More about Influence of Lameness on the Lying Behaviour of Zero-Grazed Lactating Jersey Dairy Cattle Housed in Straw Yards.

The Use of Garlic Oil for Olfactory Enrichment Increases the Use of Ropes in Weaned Pigs (2019)
Journal Article
Blackie, N., & De Sousa, M. (2019). The Use of Garlic Oil for Olfactory Enrichment Increases the Use of Ropes in Weaned Pigs. Animals, 9(4), 148. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9040148

Pig producers are required to provide environmental enrichment to provide pigs the opportunity to perform investigative and manipulative behaviours (EU directive 2001/93/EC). Preventing enrichment from losing its novelty and decreasing the rate at wh... Read More about The Use of Garlic Oil for Olfactory Enrichment Increases the Use of Ropes in Weaned Pigs.