VETS4331 2007 Animal Husbandry Practical Report Submissions

Requirement Overview

All students are required to complete a minimum compulsory period of 84 days of extramural training in Animal Husbandry.

A minimum compulsory period of 84 days of extramural training in Animal Husbandry on commercial properties in addition to practical classes in Animal Husbandry at the University Farms, Camden, is to be undertaken by students.

An additional optional Discretionary Period of 14 days can be used at the student’s discretion to practice animal handling skills, gain experience with exotic species, etc. Further experience can, and wherever possible should, be gained through working with veterinarians, attending animal shows (particularly the Royal Agricultural Show), sales including cattle, sheep, and horse yearling and thoroughbred-in-training sales, gymkhanas, etc, and this experience should be recorded.

Full Overview of Animal Husbandry Practical Report Requirements

Submission Date

Submission date is Sunday 18th, March, 2007, at midnight - 12am, (the end of week 2, of first semester, of Year 4).

Submission Portal

All Animal Husbandry Practical Reports are to be submitted online via the VETS4331 WebCT.

Report Submission Guidelines

Students are required to complete 11 separate Practical Report submissions, which are to be submitted online through WebCT.

All reports are to be submitted using the below templates. No report will be marked, that is submitted which does not use the below template formats.

Following is the number of reports to be submitted for each species type.

A/ Beef Cattle x 2
B/ Horses x 2
C/ Dairy Cattle x 2
D/ Sheep x 2
E/ Pigs x 1
F/ Poultry x 1
G/ Dog and Cat Handling x 1 – no property report required – see template

Those students who have received an exemption for part or all of the practical work for a particular species, are to complete an Exemption Report using the 'Exemption Template' for the said species, available below for downloading.

Species Report Template Guidelines

1/ A “Faculty Of Veterinary Science University of Sydney Report/Assignment Cover Sheet,” is to be submitted for each property report. No report will be marked without this cover page. This cover page is included in each report template.

2/ Table of Contents/Index

3/ Appendix V - Extramural Training In Animal Husbandry Practical Books Declaration For the Species
A signed form, which declares that the student has undertaken all of the practical work requirements for the species (Appendix V).

4/ Summary Page of Animal Husbandry Work Experience for the Species

5/ Previous Animal Experience Summary for the Species,
A brief outline of your relevant previous experience - general, is including pets, voluntary work with animals, etc.

6/ Animal Experience Gained Summary for the Species,
A brief account of your experiences gained at shows, sales, gymkhanas, etc. Note that it may be useful to include photographs which you can refer to when identifying common and rare breeds, or unusual techniques, etc.

7/ Handling Skills Declarations for the Species: (please keep a copy of these declarations to present at your Animal Handling Skills Test).

Signed declarations that you have attained the required basic skills level for the species (Appendix 1). Amend the form, and initial each change, if you are not confident that you have attained sufficient competency in any technique, e.g. despite your best efforts you may not have had an opportunity to witness or practise particular techniques.

8/ All Pro Formas, Travel Consideration Forms & Exemption Letters for the Species:

Pro Formas signed by the manager/owners of each property visited, stating that you have completed the work in accordance with requirements. An example of this is provided (Appendix III) and further copies are available from the Faculty Office. You should take a blank form with you for completion by the supervising authoritative person every time you visit a property. A copy of each pro forma is to be submitted to the Faculty Office and registered in the Extramural Administration System/Virtual Veterinary Campus.

9/ Report contents with title page for each property:

Property Management Reports (Appendix II), including your daily diary (Appendix IV). Include a comprehensive but concise account of the properties you have visited. Students should include full reports of at least two properties for each of the major species (horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep) and at least one each for pigs and poultry. If you attend more than two properties for each of the major species, you need only produce two full reports. Each report is submitted individually via WebCT.

Note that it will not be possible for you to obtain all the information suggested in the guidelines, but be as thorough as is reasonable at the time. Pay particular attention to aspects of animal management involving veterinary intervention or potential intervention, and to an informed critique of the operation of the enterprise.

Marking Scheme

10% Description of property (please note that illustrations and photographs are not to be included in the reports)
20% General observations on husbandry of the species (terminology, relevance of information to the management of the species)
20% Observations on animal health and veterinary intervention (terminology, relevance)
10% Critique of scope for veterinary intervention
30% Critique of property management
10% General presentation (including typos, spelling and grammar)

Mark Calculation

Each report will be individually marked.

The final unit of study mark will be an adjusted average of the 10 reports (not including Dog & Cat Report).

Plagiarism

All instances of plagiarism will be dealt with severely. It is deemed acceptable for students who attend properties together, to present the same descriptions of the property; however, critical analysis/Property Management Reports must be your own work. All collaborative work on the property description must be noted on your assignment cover page, each of the co-authors must be listed. All material and sources used in the preparation of each workbook must also be acknowledged if not your own work and must be quoted.

Plagiarism is a serious issue. Faculty and the University take matters of plagiarism very seriously. Plagiarism within your Animal Husbandry Practical Report can lead to; failure of the unit of study, a letter of ‘Good Standing’ not provided to the Board of Veterinary Surgeons by the Dean on graduation, or expulsion from the Degree. A student failed this unit of study in 2004.

Academic Honesty in Coursework (plagiarism).

Plagiarism: Student Coursework - Policy and Procedures.

Faculty of Veterinary Science