You are in > Home > SAC Research > Research Groups > Sustainable Livestock Systems > Sustainable Livestock Systems Team Profiles > Animal Behaviour and Welfare > Dr Marie Haskell: Profile
Dr Marie Haskell: Profile
Research Interests
My main research interests are in animal motivation, cognition and learning, and the use of behavioural temperament tests to assess welfare on farms.
Since 2000, I have worked with dairy cattle, but prior to that worked with layer hens and pigs. Most recently, I have worked on three projects investigating cattle welfare on commercial farms. The first project assessed the effect of zero-grazing (continuous housing) on aspects of cow health and behaviour. The second project compared the welfare of cows on organic and non-organic farms, and the third project assessed the effect of dairy cattle breeding programmes on cow temperament.
Research Projects
- Scottish Government: Scientific approaches to welfare assessment in dairy cattle
- Defra: Climate change impacts on the livestock sector (lead by Dr Dominic Moran, SAC).
- Feed-barrier design and dairy cow behaviour. In collaboration with Dr Dave Roberts, SAC (PhD studentship: Fiona Lang)
Teaching & Supervision
I supervise two PhD students. Jenny Gibbons is working on a project investigating the effects on social cohesiveness, aggression and approachability of selection in dairy cows. Fiona Lang is working on feeder design and its effect on dairy cow choice and behaviour.I teach on the MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and and Animal Welfare run by University of Edinburgh. I also teach on undergraduate courses in Animal Science run by SAC.
Selected Publications
- Maggs, L.A., Athanasiadou, S., and Haskell, M.J., (2008). Levels of parasitism in organic and non-organic Scottish dairy farms. Veterinary Record. Full Text
- Haskell,M.J., Brotherstone,S., Lawrence,A.B. & White,I.M.S. 2007. Characterization of the dairy farm environment in great Britain and the effect of the farm environment on cow life span. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 5316-5323. Full Text
- Haskell, M.J., Rennie, L.J., Bowell, V.A., Bell, M.J. and Lawrence, A.B. (2006). Housing System, Milk Production and Zero-grazing Effects on Lameness and Leg Injury in Dairy Cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 89: 4259-4266. Full Text
- Moinard, C., Rutherford, K.M.D., Haskell, M.J., McCorquodale, C., Jones, R.B. (2005). Effects of obstructed take-off and landing perches on the flight accuracy of laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 93, 81-95. Full Text
- Haskell, M.J., Coerse, N.C.A., Taylor, P.E. and McCorquodale, C. (2004). The effect of previous experience over control of access to food and light on the level of frustration-induced aggression in the domestic hen. Ethology, 110, 501-513. Full Text