Christopher Wathes
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Christopher is a research scientist, who has worked for his entire career in agricultural and veterinary science. His interests are broad, ranging from animal welfare to environmental physics, taking in agricultural engineering, environmental biology and veterinary ethics along the way.
Biography
Degrees
Research
My research principally concerns the environmental biology and management of farm, companion and other animals. Most of my collaborators and graduate research students are either biologists or veterinarians; they have all provided me with much inspiration.
The main source of funding for the research projects has been the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra and formerly MAFF) with regular support from animal welfare charities and industry. Currently, the gross value of current grants is over £4 million. Discussions about collaboration in relation to these interests from other researchers or potential graduate students are always welcome.
Teaching
I give a few lectures on animal welfare at the RVC and supervise undergraduate research projects on this topic. In the medium term, I should like to become more involved in welfare teaching across all the degree courses, i.e. veterinary medicine, bioveterinary science and veterinary nursing.
Selected Publications
Refereed papers from 2000 onwards
Invited Papers, Book Chapters and Edited Proceedings since 2000 are listed at the end of this section
Kristensen, H.H., White, R.P. and Wathes, C.M.
Light intensity and social communication between hens. British Poultry Science. In press June 2009
Jarvis, J.R., Abeyesinghe, S.M., McMahon, C.E. and Wathes, C.M. Measuring and modelling the spatial contrast sensitivity of the chicken (Gallus g. domesticus). Vision Research. 2009, 49, 1448-1454
Wright, A.J., Powney, S.L., Nevel, A. and Wathes, C.M.
Pig welfare assessment: Development of a protocol and its use by veterinary undergraduates. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education. 2009, 36, 50-61.
Abeyesinghe, S. M., McLeman, M.A., Owen, R.C., McMahon C. E. and Wathes, C.M. Investigating social discrimination of group members by laying hens. Behavioural Processes. 2009, 81, 1–13.
Jarvis, J.R. and Wathes C.M.
A mechanistic inter-species comparison of spatial contrast sensitivity. Vision Research. 2008, 48, 2284-2292.
McLeman, M. A, Mendl, M., Jones, R. B. and Wathes, C.M.
Bimodal and unimodal discrimination of individual conspecifics by juvenile domestic pigs, Sus scrofa. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2008, 115, 123-137.
Saunders, J. E. Jarvis, J.R. and Wathes C.M.
Calculating luminous flux and lighting levels for domesticated mammals and birds. Animal. 2008, 2, 921-932.
Green, A. R., Wathes, C.M., Demmers, T.G.M., MacArthur-Clark, J. and Xin, H
Design of a novel environmental preference chamber for laboratory mice and its application for testing tolerance of atmospheric ammonia. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. 2008, 47, 49-56.
Wathes, C.M., Kristensen, H.H., Aerts, J-M. and Berckmans, D.
Is precision livestock farming an engineer’s daydream or nightmare, an animal’s friend or foe, and a farmer’s panacea or pitfall? Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2008, 64, 2-10.
Jarvis, J.R. and Wathes C.M.
On the calculation of optical performance factors from vertebrate spatial contrast sensitivity. Vision Research. 2007, 47, 2259-2271.
McKeegan, D.E.F., Abeyesinghe, S.M., McLeman, M.A., Lowe, J.C., Demmers, T.G.M., Lankhaar, J.A.C., White, R.P., Kranen, R.W., van Bemmel, H., Lankhaar, J.A.C., and Wathes, C.M. Controlled atmosphere stunning of broiler chickens: II Effects on behaviour, physiology and meat quality in a commercial processing plant. British Poultry Science. 2007, 48, 430-442.
Abeyesinghe, S.M., McKeegan, D.E.F., McLeman, M.A., Lowe, J.C., Demmers, T.G.M., White, R.P., Kranen, R.W., van Bemmel, H., Lankhaar, J.A.C. and Wathes, CM. Controlled atmosphere stunning of broiler chickens: I Effects on behaviour, physiology and meat quality in a pilot scale system at a processing plant. British Poultry Science. 2007, 48, 406-423.
Lowe, J., Abeyesinghe, S.M, Demmers, T.G.M., Wathes, C.M. and McKeegan, D.E.F.
A novel telemetric logging system for recording physiological signals in unrestrained animals. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2007, 57, 74-79.
Kristensen, H.H., Prescott, N.B., Perry, G.C., Ladewig, J, Ersbøll, A.K., Overvad, K.C. and Wathes, C.M.
The behaviour of broiler chickens in different light sources and illuminances. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2007, 103, 75-89.
McKeegan, D.E.F., McIntyre, J.K., Demmers, T.G.M., Lowe, J.C., Wathes, C.M., van den Broek, P.L.C., Coenen, A.M.L. and Gentle, M.J.
Physiological and behavioural responses of broiler chickens to controlled atmosphere stunning – implications for welfare. Animal Welfare. 2007, 16, 409-426.
King, J.M., Parsons, D.J., Turnpenny, J.R., Nyangaga, J., Bakari, P. and Wathes C. M.
Modelling energy metabolism of Friesians in Kenya smallholdings shows how heat stress and energy deficit constrain milk yield and cow replacement rate. Animal Science. 2006, 82, 705-716.
Kristensen, H.H., Perry G.C., Prescott, N.B., Ladewig, J., Ersbøll, A.K., and Wathes, C.M.
Leg health and performance of broiler chickens reared in different light environments. British Poultry Science. 2006, 47, 257-263.
Barber, C.L., Prescott, N.B., Jarvis, J.R., Le Sueur, C., Perry, G.C. and Wathes, C.M.,
Comparative study of the photopic spectral sensitivity of domestic ducks Anas platyrhynchos domesticus), turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) and humans. British Poultry Science. 2006, 47, 365-374.
Kristensen, H.H., Aerts, J-M., Leroy, T., Wathes C.M. and Berckmans, D.
Modelling the dynamic activity of broiler chickens in response to step-wise changes in light intensity. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2006, 101, 125-143.
McKeegan, D.E.F., McIntyre, J.K., Demmers, T.G.M., Wathes, C.M. and Jones, R.B.
Behavioural responses of broiler chickens during acute exposure to gaseous stimulation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2006, 99, 271-286.
Taylor, N., Prescott, N., Perry, G., Potter, M., Le Sueur, C. and Wathes, C.
Preference of growing pigs for illuminance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2006, 96, 19-31.
McKeegan, D.E.F., Smith, F.S., Demmers, T.G.M., Wathes, C.M. and Jones, R.B.
Behavioural correlates of olfactory and trigeminal gaseous stimulation in chickens, Gallus domesticus. Physiology and Behaviour. 2005, 84, 761-768.
Welch, D.C., Colls, J.J., Demmers, T.G.M. and Wathes, C.M.
A methodology for the measurement of distributed agricultural sources of ammonia outdoors. Part 2: field validation and farm measurements. Atmospheric Environment. 2005, 39, 673-684
Welch, D.C., Colls, J.J., Demmers, T.G.M. and Wathes, C.M.
A methodology for the measurement of distributed agricultural sources of ammonia outdoors. Part 1: validation in a controlled environment. Atmospheric Environment. 2005, 39, 663-672
McLeman, M.A., Mendl, M., Jones, R.B. and Wathes, C.M.
Discrimination of conspecifics by juvenile domestic pigs, Sus scrofa. Animal Behaviour. 2005, 70, 451-461
Abeyesinghe, S.M., Nicol, C.J., Hartnell, S.J. and Wathes, C.M.
Can domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus, show self-control? Animal Behaviour. 2005, 70, 1-11
Done, S.H., Chennells, D.J., Gresham, A.C.J., Williamson, S., Hunt, B., Taylor, L.L., Bland, V., Jones, P., Armstrong, D., White, R.P., Demmers, T.G.M., Teer, N. and Wathes, C.M.
Clinical and pathological responses of weaned pigs to atmospheric ammonia and dust. The Veterinary Record. 2005, 157, 71-80
Jones, E.K.M., Wathes, C.M. and Webster, A.J.F.
Avoidance of atmospheric ammonia by domestic fowl and the effect of early experience. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2005, 90, 293-308
Wathes, C.M., Demmers, T.G.M., Teer, N., White, R.P., Taylor, L.L., Bland, V., Jones, P., Armstrong, D., Gresham, A.C.J., Hartung, J., Chennells, D.J. and Done, S.H.
Production responses of weaned pigs after chronic exposure to airborne dust and ammonia. Animal Science. 2004, 78, 87-97
Barber, C.L., Prescott, N.B., Wathes, C.M., Le Sueur, C. and Perry, G.C.
Preferences of growing ducklings and turkey poults for illuminance. Animal Welfare. 2004, 13, 211-224
Wathes, C.M.
Environmental management of housed livestock. Journal of Royal Agricultural Society of England. 2003, 164, 1-16
Allen, V.M., Hinton, M.H., Tinker, D.B., Gibson, C., Mead, G.C. and Wathes, C.M.
Microbial cross-contamination by airborne dispersion and contagion during defeathering of poultry. British Poultry Science. 2003, 44, 567-576
Jarvis, J.R., Prescott, N.B. and Wathes, C.M.
A mechanistic inter-species comparison of flicker sensitivity. Vision Research. 2003, 43, 1723-1734
Aerts, J-M., Wathes, C.M. and Berckmans, D.
Dynamic data-based modelling of heat production and growth of broiler chickens: development of an integrated management system. Biosystems Engineering. 2003, 84, 257-266
Bruce, E.H., Prescott, N.B. and Wathes, C.M.
Preferred food rewards for laying hens in behavioural experiments. British Poultry Science. 2003, 44, 345 349
Demmers, T.G.M., Wathes, C.M., Richards, P.A., Teer, N., Taylor, L.L., Bland, V., Goodman, J., Armstrong, D., Chennells, D. and Done, S.H.
A facility for controlled exposure of pigs to airborne dusts and gases. Biosystems Engineering. 2003, 84, 217-230
Prescott, N.B., Wathes, C.M. and Jarvis, J.R.
Light, vision and the welfare of poultry. Animal Welfare. 2003, 12, 269-288
Allen, V.M., Tinker, D.B., Hinton, M.H. and Wathes, C.M.
Dispersal of micro-organisms in commercial defeathering systems. British Poultry Science. 2003, 44, 33-59
MacCaluim, J.M., Abeyesinghe, S.M., White, R.P. and Wathes, C.M.
A continuous-choice assessment of the domestic fowl’s aversion to concurrent transport stressors. Animal Welfare. 2003, 12, 95-107
McKeegan, D.E.F., Demmers, T.G.M., Wathes, C.M., Jones, R.B. and Gentle, M.J.
Stimulus-response functions of single avian olfactory bulb neurones. Brain Research. 2002, 953, 101-111
Wathes, C.M., Jones, J.B., Kristensen, H.H., Jones, E.K.M. and Webster, A.J.F.
Aversion of pigs and domestic fowl to atmospheric ammonia. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. 2002, 45, 1605-1610
McKeegan, D.E.F., Demmers, T.G.M., Wathes, C.M., Jones, R.B. and Gentle, M.J.
Response characteristics of nasal trigeminal nociceptors in Gallus domesticus. Neuro Report 2002, 13, 1033-1035
Prescott, N.B. and Wathes, C.M.
Preference and motivation of laying hens to eat under different illuminances and the effect of illuminance on eating behaviour. British Poultry Science. 2002, 43, 190-195
Barbur, J.L., Prescott, N.B., Douglas, R.H., Jarvis, J.R. and Wathes, C.M.
A comparative study of stimulus-specific pupil responses in the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) and the human. Vision Research. 2002, 42, 249-255
Jarvis, J.R., Taylor, N.R., Prescott, N.B., Meeks, I.R. and Wathes, C.M.
Measuring and modelling the photopic flicker sensitivity of the chicken (Gallus g. domesticus). Vision Research. 2002, 42, 99-106
Abeyesinghe, S.M., Nicol, C.J., Wathes, C.M. and Randall, J.M.
Development of a raceway method to assess aversion of domestic fowl to concurrent stressors. Behavioural Processes. 2001, 56, 175-194
Henderson, J.V., Lines, J.A., Wathes, C.M., White, R.P. and Nicol, C.J.,
Behaviour of domestic ducks exposed to mobile predator stimuli. 2. The association of individual duckling attributes with relative position in a flock. British Poultry Science. 2001, 42, 439-448
Henderson, J.V., Nicol, C.J., Lines, J.A., White, R.P. and Wathes, C.M.
Behaviour of domestic ducks exposed to mobile predator stimuli. 1. Flock responses. British Poultry Science. 2001, 42, 433-438
Abeyesinghe, S.M., Wathes, C.M., Nicol, C.J. and Randall, J.M.
The aversion of broiler chickens to concurrent vibrational and thermal stressors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2001, 73, 199-215
Kristensen, H.H., Jones, R.B., Schofield, C.P., White, R.P. and Wathes, C.M.
The use of olfactory and other cues for social recognition by juvenile pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2001, 72, 321-333
Demmers, T.G.M., Phillips, V.R., Short L.R., Burgess, L.R., Hoxey, R.P. and Wathes, C.M.
Validation of ventilation rate measurement methods and the ammonia emission from naturally ventilated dairy and beef buildings in the United Kingdom. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research. 2001, 79, 107-116
Jones, E.K.M., Prescott, N.B., Cook, P., White, R.P. and Wathes, C.M.
Ultraviolet light and mating behaviour in domestic broiler breeders. British Poultry Science. 2001, 42, 23 32
Jones, J.B., Wathes, C.M., Persaud, K.C., White, R.P. and Jones, R.B.
Acute and chronic exposure to ammonia and olfactory acuity for n-butanol in the pig. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2001, 71, 13-28
Kristensen, H.H. and Wathes, C.M.
Ammonia and poultry welfare: a review. World’s Poultry Science Journal. 2000, 56, 235-245
Jones, J.B., Wathes, C.M., White, R.P., and Jones, R.B.
Do pigs find a familiar odourant attractive in novel surroundings? Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2000, 70, 115-126
Henderson, J.V., Wathes, C.M., Nicol, C.J., White, R.P. and Lines, J.A.
Threat assessment by domestic ducklings using visual signals: implications for animal-machine interactions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2000, 69, 241-253
Kristensen, H.H., Burgess, L.R., Demmers, T.G.M. and Wathes, C.M.
The preferences of laying hens for different concentrations of atmospheric ammonia. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2000, 68, 307-318
Demmers, T.G.M., Burgess, L.R., Phillips, V.R., Clark, J.A., and Wathes, C.M.
Assessment of techniques to measure ventilation rate, using an experimental building section. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research. 2000, 76, 71-81
Turnpenny, J.A., Wathes, C.M. Clark J.A. and McArthur, A.J.
Thermal balance of livestock. 2. Applications of a parsimonious model. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 2000, 101, 29-52
Turnpenny, J.A., McArthur, A.J., Clark J.A. and Wathes, C.M.
Thermal balance of livestock. 1. A parsimonious model. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 2000, 101, 15-27
Jones, J.B., Carmichael, N.L., Wathes, C.M., White, R.P. and Jones, R.B.
The effects of acute simultaneous exposure to ammonia on the detection of buried odourised food by pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2000, 65, 305-319
Invited Papers, Book Chapters and Edited Proceedings
Wathes, C.M.
Precision livestock farming for animal health, welfare and production. In Proceedings of the XIII International Congress in Animal Hygiene. (Ed. A. Aland). Tartu, Estonia, 17-21st June 2007, pp 397-404.
[Also published with minor revisions in “Sustainable animal production. The challenges and potential developments for professional farming “, (Eds A. Aland and F. Madec) Wageningen Academic Publishers, the Netherlands, 2009, 411-419].
Wathes, C.M., Kristensen, H.H., Aerts, J-M. and Berckmans, D.
Is precision livestock farming an engineer’s daydream or nightmare, an animal’s friend or foe, and a farmer’s panacea or pitfall? Precision Livestock Farming ’05 (Ed. S. Cox). Proceedings of 2nd European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming, Uppsala, Sweden, 9-12th June 2005, Wageningen Academic Press, The Netherlands. 2005, 33-46.
IWathes, C.M and Whittemore, C.T.
Environmental management of pigs. In: “Whittemore’s Science and Practice of Pig Production”, (Eds. I. Kyriazakis and C. T. Whittemore), 3rd Edition, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. 2006, 533-592.
Wathes, C.M., Jones, E.K.M., Kristensen, H.H. and McKeegan, D.E.F.
Ammonia and poultry production: biological responses, welfare and environmental impact. World’s Poultry Congress, Istanbul, Turkey. 8-13th June 2004. Paper No. 1490, 9pp.
Wathes, C.M. and Schofield, C.P.
Precision pig management - resolving conflicts by integrated solutions. In: “The Appliance of Pig Science”, (Eds J. E. Thompson, B. P. Gill and M. A. Varley), British Society of Animal Science, Occasional Publication No. 31. 2004, 77-84
Aerts, J-M., Wathes, C.M. and Berckmans, D.
Environmental management for laying hens. In "Welfare of the laying hen" (Ed. G. C. Perry), 27th Poultry Science Symposium. CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 2004, 283-297
Prescott, N.B., Jarvis, J.R. and Wathes, C.M.
Vision in the laying hen. In "Welfare of the laying hen" (Ed. G. C. Perry), 27th Poultry Science Symposium. CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 2004, 155-164
Prescott, N.B., Kristensen, H.H. and Wathes, C.M.
Measuring and assessing welfare inputs: light. In “Measuring and auditing broiler welfare”
(Eds C. A. Weeks and A. Butterworth), CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 2004, 101-116
Wathes, C.M.
Air hygiene. In "Measuring and auditing broiler welfare". (Eds C. A. Weeks and A. Butterworth), CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 2004, 117-131
Hartung, J. and Wathes, C.M. (Eds).
Livestock Farming and the Environment. Proceedings of Workshop 4 on Sustainable Animal Production, Hannover, Germany. Landbauforschung Völkenrode (FAL), Braunschweig, Special Issue 226, 2001, 86 pp.
Wathes, C.M., Schofield, C.P. and Frost, A.R.
Future farming – from peasant to process engineer. Proceedings of the Congress for Pig Producers, Herning, Denmark. 23-24 October 2001, pp 7
Aerts, J-M., Wathes, C.M. and Berckmans, D.
Applications of process control techniques in poultry production. In “Integrated Management Systems for Livestock”. (Eds C.M. Wathes, A.R. Frost, F. Gordon, and J. Wood), British Society of Animal Science, Edinburgh, Occasional Publication No 28. 2001, 147-154
Wathes, C.M., Frost, A.R., Gordon, F. and Wood, J. (Eds)
Integrated Management Systems for Livestock. British Society of Animal Science, Edinburgh, Occasional Publication No 28. 2001, 167 pp
Wathes, C.M., Abeyesinghe, S.A., and Frost, A.R.
Environmental design and management for livestock in the 21st Century: resolving conflicts by integrated solutions. Proceedings of the Sixth International Livestock Environment Symposium, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, American Society of Agricultural Engineers 2001, 5-14
Wathes, C.M.
Aerial pollutants from weaner production. In “The Weaner Pig: Nutrition and Management”, (Eds M.A. Varley and J. Wiseman), CABI Publishing, Wallingford. 2001, 259-271