Dataset Information

Slow and steady wins the race: The behaviour and welfare of commercial faster growing broiler breeds compared to a commercial slower growing breed.

ABSTRACT: Broilers have been bred for fast growth which has led to welfare problems such as high mortality, lameness and skin lesions. Slower growing breeds are thought to have better welfare but are not as efficient in production. This study investigated welfare, behaviour, production and meat quality of faster growing broilers from three main commercial broiler companies (breeds FA, FB and FC) with a commercially available slower growing breed (Hubbard JA757, S). Four hundred birds of each breed (total 1600 birds) were reared in pens of 50 birds, 8 per breed (total 32 pens). Home pen behaviour was recorded once a week in hourly scan samples to get behavioural time budgets. Welfare Assessments (WA) were done when the average bird weight per breed was 2.2 and 2.5kg. Birds and feed supplied were regularly weighed by pen and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and Average Daily Gain (ADG) were calculated at 2.2kg. Birds were then slaughtered and meat quality measures were taken. S and FC had lower mortality and culls due to lameness (P<0.05 for both). Breeds FA, FB and FC grew faster, ate less feed and had better FCR and ADG (P<0.05 for all). S had scores indicating higher welfare for the majority of WA measures and spent more time active and less time sitting, feeding and drinking than the other breeds (P<0.05 for all). Faster growing breeds had more breast meat and S had more leg meat; although S had better meat quality scores (P<0.05). Overall, S birds have improved welfare in terms of activity and welfare measure scores compared to the other breeds but take longer to reach slaughter weight and are not as efficient in production measures. However if lower mortality and improved meat quality are taken into account, as well as the premium price paid for these birds, slower growing broilers may be a viable commercial option.

SUBMITTER: Dixon LM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7135253 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Slow and steady wins the race: The behaviour and welfare of commercial faster growing broiler breeds compared to a commercial slower growing breed.

Dixon Laura M LM

PloS one 20200406 4

Broilers have been bred for fast growth which has led to welfare problems such as high mortality, lameness and skin lesions. Slower growing breeds are thought to have better welfare but are not as efficient in production. This study investigated welfare, behaviour, production and meat quality of faster growing broilers from three main commercial broiler companies (breeds FA, FB and FC) with a commercially available slower growing breed (Hubbard JA757, S). Four hundred birds of each breed (total ...[more]

PMID: 32251460

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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.

Project description:Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial food-borne infection; chicken meat is its main source. C. jejuni is considered commensal in chickens based on experimental models unrepresentative of commercial production. Here we show that the paradigm of Campylobacter commensalism in the chicken is flawed. Through experimental infection of four commercial breeds of broiler chickens, we show that breed has a significant effect on C. jejuni infection and the immune response of the animals, although these factors have limited impact on the number of bacteria in chicken ceca. All breeds mounted an innate immune response. In some breeds, this response declined when interleukin-10 was expressed, consistent with regulation of the intestinal inflammatory response, and these birds remained healthy. In another breed, there was a prolonged inflammatory response, evidence of damage to gut mucosa, and diarrhea. We show that bird type has a major impact on infection biology of C. jejuni. In some breeds, infection leads to disease, and the bacterium cannot be considered a harmless commensal. These findings have implications for the welfare of chickens in commercial production where C. jejuni infection is a persistent problem. Importance: Campylobacter jejuni is the most common cause of food-borne bacterial diarrheal disease in the developed world. Chicken is the most common source of infection. C. jejuni infection of chickens had previously not been considered to cause disease, and it was thought that C. jejuni was part of the normal microbiota of birds. In this work, we show that modern rapidly growing chicken breeds used in intensive production systems have a strong inflammatory response to C. jejuni infection that can lead to diarrhea, which, in turn, leads to damage to the feet and legs on the birds due to standing on wet litter. The response and level of disease varied between breeds and is related to regulation of the inflammatory immune response. These findings challenge the paradigm that C. jejuni is a harmless commensal of chickens and that C. jejuni infection may have substantial impact on animal health and welfare in intensive poultry production:

Dataset Information

Slow and steady wins the race: The behaviour and welfare of commercial faster growing broiler breeds compared to a commercial slower growing breed.

Publications

Slow and steady wins the race: The behaviour and welfare of commercial faster growing broiler breeds compared to a commercial slower growing breed.

Similar Datasets

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