Topic > Effects of Separating Animals During Infancy from Their Mothers in Factory Farming

Factories separate mother and pups and artificially breed the pups to ensure continuity of breeding or increase food production for global demand. However, just as separating the human mother and baby causes stress in individuals, separating farm animals from their young causes behavioral, social and emotional impacts in offspring. This document serves to raise awareness among farmers and consumers of the impacts that separation from mothers has on the young of farm animals. It hopes to encourage farmers to allow young livestock to be raised by their mothers rather than artificially and persuade consumers to support maternal rearing. This article discusses the effects of separating childhood dairy cows, lambs, and chickens from their mothers on factory farms. It does not cover the effects of separation on mothers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The increase in food production is caused by the rapid expansion of the global food market. Population and economic growth create affluent family incomes, increasing the demand for food. Since not many people are willing to try plant-derived proteins, the growing demand for a diet centered on meat proteins causes the demand for meat to rise. The solution at hand is artificial agriculture, which imposes disastrous impacts on young animals. The first days after birth are the most crucial in determining the health of the little ones. Therefore, it is important for young animals to have their mother as a guide. When a chick is separated from its brooder, it may develop abnormal behaviors such as feather pecking. Separated chicks may also fail to decipher different chicken calls, and when threats are nearby they may not detect them and escape in time. For dairy calves, separating them from their mothers and the herd could stimulate stress, resulting in decreased sociability and therefore less behavioral activity. When they are isolated, they would be less active. Likewise, ewes and lambs can become emotionally stressed. This can lead to increased vocalization, decreased mobility, and increased cortisol response. Their immune system may also deteriorate, which affects their health. Mothering is defined as letting mother and children grow up together. This leads to a strong bond between mother and pups. For chickens, hens teach their young to peck, rest and deal with threats. Their presence also helps reduce stress in chicks. Mother-reared chicks are not as anxious and may synchronize their behaviors better with other chickens than those raised artificially. In dairy cows, when calves are able to grow up with the herd and mother, calves have a high level of social interactions and little abnormal sucking behavior. They are able to learn social skills and manage stress. For ewes and lambs, maternal rearing is called late weaning. This means that the lambs will be separated from their mothers at a later time. Late weaning causes less stress in lambs as their bodies are more developed and therefore their immune systems can defend the body against diseases and internal parasites. It is difficult for farmers to fully raise young farm animals. Therefore, accommodating both artificial and maternal breeding on farms is more,.