Miss Gemma Richards
B.Sc.(Plym.), M.Sc.(Exon.)
Expertise
As a research technician I provide specialist support for researchers working with cattle at the University dairy farm.
Current positions
Specialist Technician
Bristol Veterinary School
Contact
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Biography
Although most of my work has focused on the welfare of poultry, I've also worked on projects investigating contamination in animal products for the Food Standards Agency, dog behaviour and welfare, and , projects on various aspects of sheep welfare at markets, transport and slaughter.
I've recently started a new role , providing support for researchers working with cattle at the University of Bristol. Whilst I'm able to draw on my previous research experience, the role is also providing a great opportunity to learn and develop skills in a new field and with a new species.
My role has always been very 'hands on' and requires a great deal of field work collecting data on farms and in abattoirs. The role has always been reliant on participation from the farming industry, thus, building good relationships has been vital. I've always been involved with very applied research in the hope of feeding back to industry and developing more improved, welfare friendly, sustainable methods of farming.
Research interests
Having worked at the University of Bristol for 19 years now, I have been involved with various research projects in the fields of both farm animal and companion animal welfare with poultry welfare being the main area of my research.
The main area of research I'm currently working on is a collaborative project with FLOX AI providing welfare assessments on UK broiler farms to assist in the development of a broiler welfare tool. I've also recently been involved in a project assessing handling methods for ducks at depopulation. This year I am excited to be working on a project entitled 'Mimicking Mother Hens on Farm: Feasibility of an Intermittent Lighting System for Improving Sustainability and Welfare in Layer Chicks'
I graduated from The University of Plymouth in 2003 with a BSc Psychology degree, including an honours project investigating social learning in goldfish. I then went on to The University of Exeter to do an MSc degree in Animal Behaviour Science, with sentinel behaviour in meerkats as the focus of my dissertation. In January 2005 I started work as a research technician at Bristol University in the department of Farm Animal Science working on a 3-year project investigating the welfare of laying hens. Since then, I've continued to work at The University of Bristol on various other projects both in the field of farm animal and companion animal welfare. In December 2022 I obtained my Registered Scientist certification from the Science Council. I am very grateful to be part of such a world class research group, making a real contribution to animal welfare science.
Publications
Recent publications
01/04/2023Fear, anxiety and production in laying hens with healed keel bone fractures
Poultry Science
Light-based monitoring devices to assess range use by laying hens
animal
Behavioural and physiological responses of laying hens to automated monitoring equipment
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Modeling collisions in laying hens as a tool to identify causative factors for keel bone fractures and means to reduce their occurrence and severity
PLoS ONE
Practical issues associated with using the welfare quality broiler assessment to assess welfare in multi-tier cell production systems
Related people
Dr Poppy Statham
Senior Research Associate Network Manager
Bristol Veterinary School
Ms Joanne Edgar
Senior Lecturer
Bristol Veterinary School
Dr Emily Blackwell
Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare
Bristol Veterinary School
Miss Francesca Booth
Research Project Officer
Bristol Veterinary School
Ms Lucy Squire
Lecturer in Veterinary Education
Bristol Veterinary School