Evaluation of Shelters in terms of Animal Welfare in the Cattle Farms of Kırşehir Province

This study was conducted to evaluate beef cattle shelters in Kırşehir province in terms of animal welfare. The research was conducted with 100 producers in 45 villages and neighborhoods where animal husbandry is concentrated. In the research, the demographic structure of the breeders, their livelihoods, the degree to which they receive and benefit from education, animal husbandry practices, barn structure and herd management practices, practices that cause pain to animals, the breeders' perception levels on this issue, and their approaches to animal welfare were determined. The study consists of survey questions consisting of 42 items. The general participation of producers in training and their high sensitivity towards animal welfare is a positive development. The majority of the barns are open livestock enterprises and consist of concrete building materials and steel structures. Half of the businesses use automatic waterers and more than half have a spare water tank. Feeding programs in enterprises are generally made according to the live weight of the animals in fattening. Lighting is sufficient in closed livestock enterprises, and artificial lighting is available in almost all enterprises. The barn floor is generally concrete and they all have a manure pit. Producers often appear to believe that herd management practices cause animal suffering. When looking at the area calculations per animal in barns, it seems appropriate in terms of welfare criteria. It was determined as 8.33 m² in the closed connected system, 9.33 m² in the closed free system, 13.40 m² in semi-open free circulation enterprises and 12.32 m² in open free enterprises. As a result, it was concluded that the animal welfare aspects of the shelters where beef cattle are represented in Kırşehir Province are generally appropriate and more research on animal welfare is needed. Keywords: Fattening cattle, shelter, animal welfare, Kırşehir