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Brooke McNeilPosition/Title: M.Sc. by Thesis Student email: bmcnei01@uoguelph.ca Phone: Office: ANNU 218
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Education:
M.Sc. by Thesis in Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph (Candidate, 2022)
B.Sc. in Agricultural Science, with Honours in Animal Science and a Minor in Plant Science, Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture (2019)
About Me:
I am from Hantsport, a small town located in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. I have always been an animal lover. My involvement in 4-H from ages 6-21 lead me to develop a passion for agriculture. So, it was a natural decision to pursue a B.Sc., majoring in Animal Science at Dalhousie University. Over the years I gained valuable hands-on work experience (positions listed below). I developed a keen interest in dairy calf health and welfare that inspired me to pursue a M.Sc. The University of Guelph, having a strong dairy research program is a great fit. My advisor is Dr. Trevor DeVries. My fellow graduate student lab-mates include: Anna, Catalina, Clayton, Brandon and Sabina. I am a Highly Qualified Personnel Scholar and I was the President of the Ontario Agricultural College’s Graduate Student Council last year. Following my M.Sc., I plan to work in industry. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends, working with animals, running, baking and exploring the outdoors.
My M.Sc. Research:
My research is focused on investigating calf personality as well as supplements that may support dairy calf health, growth and/or welfare. The objective of my first trial is to investigate how supplementing calves with Echinacea purpurea (EP) affects their health, growth and blood inflammatory and immune markers. The main data collected includes fecal and respiratory scores, body weights, feed intake, and various blood markers such as haptoglobin, white blood cells, and cytokines. The objectives of my second trial are to investigate how both supplementing calves with a probiotic, Lactobacillus helveticus (LH), and their personality affects their coping ability during weaning. Various behavioural and physiological data was collected to infer about the calves’ affective state including play behaviour quantity, cognitive task completion speed, standing and lying time, maximum eye temperature, saliva cortisol, and blood, gut and brain serotonin. To identify calf personalities, calves individually underwent three novelty tests. Investigating these novel research areas increases knowledge on calf health, growth and welfare. Depending on the results, this research may be used to create new on-farm strategies to improve calf success, which is important for the dairy industry’s progression and sustainability. These trials are finished and data analysis is underway. Once results are finalized, I plan to publish this research. For the future, I hope to see more related research to further our understanding.
Work Experience:
-Research Assistant at University of Guelph (2020)
-Farm Hand at Amber Hill Farm (2019)
-Farm Hand at Belcher Holsteins (2019)
-Student Worker at Ruminant Animal Centre, Dalhousie University (2018- 2019)
-Summer Plant Science Student at Dalhousie University (2017)
-Farm Hand at Manning Family Farm (2016)
-Summer Student Worker at Hants County Exhibition (2015)
-Stable Hand at Albro Creek Farm Ltd. (2013-2015)