General Livestock Animal Management

• Lack of experience makes children vulnerable to injuries in agricultural environments.
• Use wiring materials and equipment meeting the requirements of the National Electric Code.
• All electrical equipment should be kept free of grease and dust.
• Place 10 lb ABC type fire extinguishers in all major buildings near exits.
• Swine buildings- at feeding time, 115 dB can be reached.
• Tractors and other farm machinery causes the most noise.
• OSHA limits noise exposure to 90 dB over an 8 hour shift.
• Soft whisper is about 30 dB while 120 dB will cause pain.
• Unguarded fans are dangerous, must have guards or screens so people cannot touch any moving parts.
• Steel cables worn or frayed could produce gashes and puncture wounds on hands.
• Housing floors can be slippery and obstructed by equipment and railings.
• Manure slurries will release hydrogen sulfide: "rotten eggs"
• Hydrogen sulfide can quickly inure the sense of smell as concentrations increases and become deadly.
• During cold weathers used feed additives to help reduce dust emission from feed meals.
• In summer months, evaporative cooling is needed using misting systems to reduce the indoor air temperature.
• In winter months, supplemental mixing fans are needed because ventilation rates are reduced to a minimum.
• Installation and operation of a well-designed ventilation system is the producer's best assurance of adequate indoor air quality.
• Winter is the most dangerous period for Carbon Monoxide because buildings are usually closed and ventilation rates are at its lowest.
• OSHA and NIOSH recommended 35 ppm of CO for an 8-hour work period.
• High concentration of Carbon Dioxide can cause asphyxiation by reducing available oxygen.
• Concentration of Carbon dioxide in well-ventilated buildings can range from 1000 ppm during summer and 10000 ppm during winter.
• OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) permissible exposure level of Carbon Dioxide is 10000 ppm and 30,000 ppm respectively per 8-hour and 15 minutes work period.
• High concentration of methane can cause dizziness and even asphyxiation.
• Methane can be explosive at concentrations over 50000 ppm.
• Methane is valuable as an energy source.
• NIOSH (National Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) recommended daily exposure of 1000 ppm of Methane per 8-hour work period.
• Proper ventilation generally dissipates methane from animal housing.
• Workers should wear a self-contained respirator if exposure to Hydrogen sulfide is expected.
• Ventilation dilutes ammonia concentration and tends to dry floors or litter.
• Oil concentration in the oil-water mixture should more than 20 %.
• Droplets sizes should be more than 150 microns to achieve rapid disposition of droplets on available surface.
• Vegetable oils with strong odor are not suitable.
• VO with low iodine value are good.
• Fiber increases heat stress.
• Temperature beyond or outside the comfort zone ere the critical temperatures.
• Livestock and poultry animals being homeotherms must maintain a relatively constant body temperature.
• If hot, animals can sweat, pant, increase blood flow to body surface and can wallow in pools to dissipate heat.
• If cold, they can increase basal metabolic rate and chill to increase heat production in the body.
• Temperature is one of the environmental factor which greatly affect the production of farm animals.
• Bleaching may serve as an indicator of the number of eggs laid and the pattern of the hens' eggs production.