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On-farm broiler chicken welfare assessment using transect sampling reflects environmental inputs and production outcomes.

ABSTRACT: To evaluate the utility of transect sampling for assessing animal welfare in large chicken flocks, we quantified relationships between environmental inputs, welfare problems detected using transect sampling, and production outcomes. We hypothesised that environmental inputs including environmental complexity (i.e. number of environmental enrichment types provided), space allowance, underfloor heating (presence or absence), and photoperiod regimen (18 h continuous vs 16 h intermittent) would correspond to variations in welfare assessment findings, which would predict production outcomes. We conducted on-farm welfare assessment of Norwegian broiler flocks at approximately 28 days of age. We sampled four transects (rows between feeder and drinker lines) per flock to determine litter quality and the proportions of chickens with compromised welfare as indicated by visual signs of walking difficulties, illness, skin wounds and small bird size. Production outcome measures included mortality, reasons for carcass rejection at slaughter, footpad dermatitis, growth rate, feed conversion and an integrated production index. Greater environmental complexity was associated with a reduction in skin wounds and total welfare problems on the farm, lower mortality, fewer rejections due to wounds and underweight birds, and fewer rejections overall. Higher space allowances within levels of environmental complexity were associated with fewer walking difficulties and welfare problems overall, a reduction in rejections due to wounds, and a higher growth rate and production index. Underfloor heating was associated with a reduction in rejections due to leg deformity, and intermittent light was associated with lower illness and skin wound rates on the farm, and lower mortality. Furthermore, fewer welfare problems and better litter quality on the farm were associated with fewer carcass rejections at slaughter. Thus, data from transect sampling varied with environmental inputs and production outcomes, supporting the validity of transect sampling for practical, animal-based on-farm welfare assessment.

SUBMITTER: BenSassi N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6469842 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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On-farm broiler chicken welfare assessment using transect sampling reflects environmental inputs and production outcomes.

BenSassi Neila N Vas Judit J Vasdal Guro G Averós Xavier X Estévez Inma I Newberry Ruth C RC

PloS one 20190417 4

To evaluate the utility of transect sampling for assessing animal welfare in large chicken flocks, we quantified relationships between environmental inputs, welfare problems detected using transect sampling, and production outcomes. We hypothesised that environmental inputs including environmental complexity (i.e. number of environmental enrichment types provided), space allowance, underfloor heating (presence or absence), and photoperiod regimen (18 h continuous vs 16 h intermittent) would corr ...[more]

PMID: 30995219

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Project description:Increasing environmental complexity, e.g., by providing environmental enrichment, has been suggested as a way to increase activity levels and improve leg health in broilers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of environmental complexity on leg health and measures of welfare of fast-growing broilers housed according to conventional European legislation. A total of 58 pens with approximately 500 broilers each (Ross 308), corresponding to a stocking density of 40 kg/m2, were used. A total of 8 treatment groups, of which 5 were enrichment treatments (roughage, vertical panels, straw bales, and elevated platforms at 5 and 30 cm) and 3 were standard resources manipulations [increased distances between feed and water (7 m and 3.5 m), stocking density reduced to 34 kg/m2, and 1 control group (1.5 m distance between feed and water and no enrichment objects)] were randomly assigned to each pen. At 35 D of age, 60 birds from each pen were assessed for gait, footpad dermatitis, hock burns, plumage cleanliness, presence of scratches, and leg deformities. Birds housed with 30 cm elevated platforms had worse gait compared to those housed with straw bales and at the lower stocking density of 34 kg/m2 (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001). Broilers from the control group also had worse gait compared to those housed at 34 kg/m2 stocking density. In addition, birds housed with access to a 30 cm elevated platform had healthier footpads compared to birds housed with access to straw bales (P = 0.0001) and with increased distance between feed and water (P = 0.011). Furthermore, birds housed with straw bales had worse footpad condition compared to birds with access to a 5 cm elevated platform (P = 0.002). There were no observed treatment effects on scratches, plumage cleanliness, leg deformities and body weight (P > 0.05). Based on the welfare indicators used in the present study, decreased stocking density has the potential of improving animal welfare, whereas the effects of elevated platforms need to be further studied before a final conclusion can be drawn, as footpad health was positively affected, but walking ability was impaired.

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Project description:Farm animal welfare is a major concern for society and food production. To more accurately evaluate animal farming in general and to avoid exposing farm animals to poor welfare situations, it is necessary to understand not only their behavioral but also their cognitive needs and capacities. Thus, general knowledge of how farm animals perceive and interact with their environment is of major importance for a range of stakeholders, from citizens to politicians to cognitive ethologists to philosophers. This review aims to outline the current state of farm animal cognition research and focuses on ungulate livestock species, such as cattle, horses, pigs and small ruminants, and reflects upon a defined set of cognitive capacities (physical cognition: categorization, numerical ability, object permanence, reasoning, tool use; social cognition: individual discrimination and recognition, communication with humans, social learning, attribution of attention, prosociality, fairness). We identify a lack of information on certain aspects of physico-cognitive capacities in most farm animal species, such as numerosity discrimination and object permanence. This leads to further questions on how livestock comprehend their physical environment and understand causal relationships. Increasing our knowledge in this area will facilitate efforts to adjust husbandry systems and enrichment items to meet the needs and preferences of farm animals. Research in the socio-cognitive domain indicates that ungulate livestock possess sophisticated mental capacities, such as the discrimination between, and recognition of, conspecifics as well as human handlers using multiple modalities. Livestock also react to very subtle behavioral cues of conspecifics and humans. These socio-cognitive capacities can impact human-animal interactions during management practices and introduce ethical considerations on how to treat livestock in general. We emphasize the importance of gaining a better understanding of how livestock species interact with their physical and social environments, as this information can improve housing and management conditions and can be used to evaluate the use and treatment of animals during production.

Dataset Information

On-farm broiler chicken welfare assessment using transect sampling reflects environmental inputs and production outcomes.

Publications

On-farm broiler chicken welfare assessment using transect sampling reflects environmental inputs and production outcomes.

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