Shawna Weimer

Enrichment is the process of improving the environment of an animal, to meet their behavioral needs and ultimately improve their welfare. Enrichment helps to reduce stress and improve welfare by providing physical and mental stimulation, encouraging highly-motivated species specific behaviors, allowing the animal more control over their life and environment, as well as increasing an animal’s ...

IntroductionAnimal welfare pertains to the quality of life of an animal, denoting the cumulative positive and negative experiences of an animal1. The welfare of farmed animals impacts their development and productivity, shaping both public perception and consumer behavior regarding animal products. Thus, animal welfare lies at the intersection of public and producer interests. Maintaining public t ...

This issue will cover:-What are behavioral needs?-What is dustbathing?-Dustbathing in commercial housing systemsSubstrate preferencesEnriched cages-Can dustbathing control ectoparasites?Behavioral needs encompass behaviors that chickens are strongly motivated to perform, and if they are unable to perform these highly motivated behaviors it could result in frustration (Duncan, 1998). Behavioral nee ...

Housing systems for laying hens in the United States (and more broadly across the world) are transitioning away from conventional cages to cage- free systems. Many of these cage-free systems continue to house the hens indoors to control the living environment. However, cage-free also encompasses systems including Organic, Free-Range, and Pasture, which allow the birds varying amounts of access to ...

    The ancestor of the modern-day chicken, the red jungle fowl, was exposed to different spectra of light in their natural habitat (Prescott et al., 2003). The surrounding environment, vegetation, season, and time of day all affect the color of light exposure to the wild bird (Endler, 1993), which may have lingering behavioral effects on present-day poultry.Light impacts many behav ...

What is the pre-slaughter phase?The preslaughter phase is the last phase of the broiler chicken’s life before slaughter.This phase includes multiple steps: withdrawal of feed and water, catching, loading into transportation crates, and transportation by road, In some cases, chickens may be placed in lairage (waiting area) after arrival at the processing plant. The chickens are then removed f ...