Abstract
Changes in attitudes towards how animals are housed in agriculture are currently under question in the public eye—particularly for laying hens. Many arguments from the rights and utilitarian viewpoints have been made for changing environmental conditions and managerial practices for animals in an effort to respect the interests of the animal and better their welfare. Yet, these arguments have been based upon belief systems that were developed from information that can be collected by human perception only. Technological advancements can facilitate animal welfare assessment by providing humans with new information about what the animal perceives. Yet, little has been discussed surrounding the thought process behind which technologies are conceived, how they are developed, and why they are implemented. Here, using the laying hen as a model, we turn to the philosophy of technology to address what role technological advancements may have in our capacity to understand animals, how technology can affect their welfare, and what role technology may play in furthering animal welfare assessment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anthony, R. (2010). Building a sustainable future for animal agriculture: an environmental virtue ethic of care approach within the philosophy of technology. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 1–22. doi:10.1007/s10806-010-9285-z.
Barrozo, D., Buzanskas, M., Oliveria, J., Munari, D., Neves, H., & Queiroz, S. (2012). Genetic parameters and environmental effects on temperament score and reproductive traits of Nellore cattle. Animal, 6(1), 36–40.
Bubier, N. (1996). The behavioural priorities of laying hens: The effect of cost/no cost multi-choice tests on time budgets. Behavioural Processes, 37, 225–238.
Classen, H., Riddell, C., & Robinson, F. (1991). Effects of increasing photoperiod length on performance and health of broiler chickens. British Poultry Science, 32(1), 21–29.
Clayton, N., & Dickinson, A. (2006). Rational rats. Nature Neuroscience, 9, 427–474.
Cooper, J., & Appleby, M. C. (1995). Nesting behaviour of hens: Effects of experience on motivation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 42(4), 283–295.
Cooper, J., & Appleby, M. C. (2003). The value of environmental resource to domestic hens: A comparison of the work-rate for food and for nests as a function of time. Animal Welfare, 12(1), 39–52.
Cornou, C., Vinther, J., & Kristensen, A. (2008). Automatic detection of oestrus and health disorders using data from electronic sow feeders. Livestock Science, 118, 262–271.
Dawkins, M. (1989). The budgets in Red Junglefowl as a baseline for the assessment of welfare in domestic fowl. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 24, 77–80.
Dawkins, M. (2004). Using behaviour to assess animal welfare. Animal Welfare, 13, S3–S7.
D’Eath, R. B., & Keeling, L. J. (2003). Social discrimination and aggression by laying hens in large groups: From peck orders to social tolerance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 84(3), 197–212. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2003.08.010.
Dreyfus, H. (1995). Heidegger on gaining a free relation to technology. In A. Feenberg & A. Hannay (Eds.), Technology and the politics of knowledge. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Fraser, D. (2008). Understanding animal welfare. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, 50(Suppl 1), S1. doi:10.1186/1751-0147-50-S1-S1.
Hardeman, E., & Jochemsen, H. (2011). Are there ideological aspects to the modernization of agriculture? Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 1–18, doi:10.1007/s10806-011-9331-5.
Heidegger, M. (1977). The question concerning technology. New York: Harper & Row.
HSUS (2009). Michigan Governor Granholm Signs historic farm animal welfare measure. http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2009/10/mich_gov_granholm_signs.html.
Jacobs, J., & Siegford, J. (2012). Lactating dairy cows adapt quickly to being milked by an automatic milking system. Journal of Dairy Science, 95(3), 1575–1584.
Kristensen, H. H., Prescott, N. B., Perry, G. C., Ladewig, J., Ersboll, A. K., Overvad, K. C., et al. (2007). The behaviour of broiler chickens in different light sources and illuminances. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 103(1–2), 75–89.
Lamb, G., Dahlen, C., Larson, J., Marquezinin, G., & Stevenson, J. (2010). Control of the estrous cycle to improve fertility for fixed-time artificial insemination in beef cattle: A review. Journal of Animal Science, 88(Suppl 13), E181–E192.
Lewis, P., & Morris, T. (2000). Poultry and coloured light. World’s Poultry Science Journal, 56, 189–207.
Marchant, J. N., Broom, D. M., & Coming, S. (2001). The influence of sow behavior on piglet mortality due to crushing in an open farrowing system. Animal Science, 72, 19–28.
Nagel, T. (1974). What is it like to be a bat? Philosophical Review, 83(4), 220–234.
Norwood, F., & Lusk, J. (2011). Compassion by the pound. New York: Oxford University Press.
Olsson, I., & Keeling, L. (2000). Night-time roosting in laying hens and the effect of thwarting access to perches. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 68(3), 243–256. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(00)00097-6.
Pastell, M., Kujala, M., Aisla, A., Hautala, M., Poikalainen, V., Praks, J., et al. (2008). Detecting cow’s lameness using force sensors. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 64, 34–38.
Rasmussen, L., & Munger, B. (1996). The sensorineural specializations of the trunk tip (finger) of hte Asian elephant, elephas maximus. The Anatomical Record, 246(1), 127–134.
Rauw, W., Kanis, E., Noordhuizen-Stassen, E., & Grommers, F. (1998). Undesirable side effects of selection for high production efficiency in farm animals: A review. Livestock Production Science, 56, 15–33.
Regan, T. (2004). The right’s view. In T. Regan (Ed.), The case for animal rights (pp. 266–329). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Schjelderup-Ebbe, T. (1922). Beitrage zur Sozialpsychologie des Haushuhns. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 88, 225–252.
Shields, S., & Duncan, I. J. H. (2006). An HSUS Report: A comparison of the welfare of hens in battery cages and alternative systems. The Humane Society of the United States.
Singer, P. (1993). Practial ethics. New York: Cabridge University Press.
Smith, S. F., Appleby, M. C., & Hughes, B. O. (1990). Problem solving by domestic hens: Opening doors to reach nest sites. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 28(3), 287–292. doi:10.1016/0168-1591(90)90108-P.
Suarez, S. D., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (1983). Emotionality and fear in birds: A selected review and reinterpretation. Bird Behavior, 5, 22–30.
Thompson, P. (1998). Agricultural ethics: Research, teaching, and public policy. Amers, Iowa: Iowa State University Press.
Thompson, P. (2008). The opposite of human enhancement: Nanotechnology and the blind chicken problem. Nanoethics, 2, 305–316.
Titi, H., Kridili, R., & Alnimer, M. (2010). Estrus synchronization in sheep and goats using combinations of GnRH, progestogen and prostaglandin F(2 alpha). Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 45(4), 549–599.
Turner, M., Gurney, P., Crowther, J., & Sharp, J. (1984). An automatic weighing system for poultry. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 29, 17–24.
von Uexkull, J. (1909). Umwelt und Innenwelt der Tiere. Berlin: Springer.
Waddington, D. (2005). A field guide to Heidegger: Understanding ‘the question concerning technology’. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 37(4), 567–583.
Wood-Gush, D. (1971). The behaviour of the domestic fowl. London: Heinemann.
Zimmerman, M. (1990). How modern technology transforms the everyday world—and points to a new one. In D. Ihde (Ed.), Heidegger’s confrontation with modernity: Technology, politics and art (pp. 205–221). Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Paul Thompson of Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI, USA) for nurturing a scientist’s inner philosopher and helping me transform my abstract ideas into concrete concepts. He helped me to find my philosophical edge and provided the support I needed to find strength to grow as a writer, thinker, and researcher. I am grateful to Janice Siegford of Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI, USA) for her thoughtful comments and suggestions concerning the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Daigle, C.L. Incorporating the Philosophy of Technology into Animal Welfare Assessment. J Agric Environ Ethics 27, 633–647 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-013-9482-7
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-013-9482-7