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Department of Animal Science 

UC Davis - The University of California, Davis

Joy A. Mench..
 

Cleide Falcone

Postgraduate Researcher
Principal Investigator: Dr. Joy A Mench

Phone:(530) 752-3643
FAX: (530)752-0175
E-mail: cfalcone@ucdavis.edu

Education

B.S., Animal Science, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil, 1991.
M.S., Neuroscience and Behavior, Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 1997.

Project: Behavioral activity and its effects on leg problems in broilers

Leg abnormalities in broiler chickens are a serious problem, causing both pain and impaired mobility, as well as affecting production in the poultry industry. Working as a Postgraduate Researcher, I will investigate the probability of occurrence, type and severity of leg problems in broiler chickens housed in standard and modified pens under both high and low density. The goal of the project is to determine the relationships among exercise, age, gait, and specific leg problems in broilers, and then to use the information obtained to design broiler housing to decrease leg problems. I will observe broiler behavior and conduct postmortem examinations as well as microscopic analyses to achieve results.
 

Experience

  1. As an undergraduate, I conducted a project which developed an efficient and low-cost technique for obtaining bird chromosome preparations and then adapted this cytogenetic process of bird sexing for general use at zoos and breeding farms. The idea behind this project was to enable captive reproduction of endangered species (Psittacidaes) so that fewer wild animals would be taken from their natural habitat.
              
  2. As part of my undergraduate studies, I was involved in a project to determine optimum cattle density per pasture area. I also studied sheep adaptations to seasonal temperature variations to determine which breeds adapt more easily to different climatic regions in Brazil.
      
  3. In my master's degree program, I studied the behavior of the eared dove, Zenaida auriculata, a bird species that altered its colony behavior in response to changes in agricultural practices, thus causing considerable crop damage. The purpose of this study was to determine some way of controlling the eared dove population other than the mass exterminations conducted by farmers.
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