Animal Science Department

College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

Faculty

Julie M. Huzzey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare Specialist

Office: 10-116

Phone: 805-756-7486

Email: jhuzzey@calpoly.edu

Education:

  • PhD Animal Science – Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
  • MS Animal Science – University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • BS Agroecology – University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

 

I grew up in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada, which is nestled right along the US/Canada border. It is a beautiful area, rich in agriculture – berries, dairy production, greenhouses, etc.... but I was involved in none of that! I was a ‘city’ girl who grew up loving animals and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian one day. During my freshman year at the University of British Columbia, if you had told me that my career was going to be focused on studying dairy cow behavior and welfare, I would have thought that you were crazy. I had never even seen a dairy cow in-person until my senior year! Flash forward to present day. I have now spent over 15 years working with the dairy industry and I have loved every moment of it. My career trajectory changed during my senior year of undergraduate study when I took an opportunity to work as summer research intern at the UBC Dairy Education and Research Center. This experience introduced me to a field of study I never knew existed. The best piece of advice I could ever offer is: Never say no to a new experience, you have no idea where it could lead you!

 

I am extremely passionate about the study of animal behavior and animal welfare. I teach classes in both of these areas, specifically ASCI 410: Applied Animal Welfare and ASCI 340: Animal Welfare and Ethics. In addition to these courses, I frequently instruct ASCI 112 & 101: Principles & Introduction to Animal Science as well as ASCI 479: Current Issues in Animal Science (Senior Project).

 

Another area that I am passionate about is engaging undergraduate students in research. I regularly run a Research Enterprise class that provides students with opportunities to engage in hands on research at our animal units. To date, my research has focused on dairy cattle behavior, health and management. I am particularly interested in studying feeding, social and resting behaviors and understanding the role that these behaviors play in biological functioning and animal health. I also investigate the impact of dairy management on cow health and behavior. For example, in a recently completed study at the Cal Poly Dairy Unit, we showed that young cows experience less stress when moved into a new group with a familiar partner (aka... the buddy system!) compared to being moved alone. Work such as this could provide dairy producers with new strategies to improve the overall welfare of their animals.

 

 

Selected Publications

  • Hendriks, S. J., J. M. Huzzey, B. Kuhn-Sherlock, S-A. Turner, K. R. Mueller, C. V. C. Phyn, D. J. Donaghy, and J. R. Roche. 2020. Associations between lying behavior and activity and hypocalcemia in grazing dairy cows during the transition period. J. Dairy Sci. 103: In Press. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-18111
  • Mazer, KA., P. Knickerbocker, K.L. Kutina, and J. M. Huzzey. 2020. Changes in behavior and fecal cortisol metabolites when dairy cattle are regrouped in pairs or individually after calving. J. Dairy Sci. 103:4681-4690.
  • Hendricks, S. J., C.V.C Phyn, S.-A. Turner, K. R. Mueller, B. Kuhn-Sherlock, D. J. Donaghy, J. M. Huzzey, and J. R. Roche. 2019. Lying behavior and activity during the transition period of clinically healthy grazing dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 102:7371 – 7384.
  • Hendricks, S. J., C.V.C Phyn, S.-A. Turner, K. R. Mueller, B. Kuhn-Sherlock, D. J. Donaghy, J. M. Huzzey, and J. R. Roche. 2019. Effect of weather on activity and lying behavior in clinically healthy grazing dairy cows during the transition period. Anim. Prod. Sci. 60:148-153.
  • Lomb, J., H. W. Neave, D. M. Weary, S. J. LeBlanc, J. M. Huzzey, and M. A. G. von Keyserlingk. 2018. Changes in feeding, social, and lying behaviors in dairy cows with metritis following treatment with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug as adjunctive treatment to an antimicrobial. J. Dairy Sci. 101: 4400-4411.
  • Neave, H., J. Lomb, D. Weary, S. LeBlanc, J. M. Huzzey, M. von Keyserlingk. 2018. Behavioral changes before metritis diagnosis in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 101:4388-4399.
  • Proudfoot, K.L. and J.M. Huzzey. 2017. Behavior of transition cows and relationship with health., in Large Herd Dairy Management (3rd Ed.). D.K. Beede ed.  ADSA Foundation. Available Online. http://ldhm.adsa.org/

  • Huzzey, J. M., S. Mann, D. V. Nydam, R. J. Grant, and T. R. Overton. 2015. Associations of peripartum markers of stress and inflammation with milk yield and reproductive performance in Holstein dairy cows. Prev. Vet. Med. 120:291-297.
  • Itle, A., J. M. Huzzey, D. M. Weary and M. A. G. von Keyserlingk. 2015. Clinical Ketosis and Standing Behavior in Transition Cows. J. Dairy Sci. 98:128-134.
  • Huzzey, J. M., B. Y. F. Tiau, D. M. Weary, and M. A. G. von Keyserlingk. 2014. Automatic detection of social competition using an electronic feeding system. J. Dairy Sci. 97:2953-2958.
  • Fraser D., I. J. H. Duncan, S. A. Edwards, T. Grandin, N. G. Gregory, V. Guyonnet, P. H. Hemsworth, S. M. Huertas, J. M. Huzzey, D. J. Mellor, J. A. Mench, M. Špinka, H. R. Whay. 2013. Review: The welfare of animals in production systems: ‘General Principles’ and the scientific study of animal welfare. Vet. J. 198:19-27.

 

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