Article published the September 3, 2024
Animal welfare audits are performed to evaluate whether a hatchery, farm, or processing plant is meeting the specific animal welfare standards of a certification program.These programs may be internal to a certain company, or they could be a requirement for animal welfare certification. These certification programs have their own set of standards and audits, which are typically created in collabor ...
Article published the September 2, 2024
Damaging behaviors in poultry include feather pecking, vent pecking, and toe pecking. While feather and vent pecking are well-known welfare problems in poultry that have received significant attention from researchers and farmers, toe pecking remains relatively unknown. Therefore, this article aims to shed light on toe pecking.Toe pecking (TP) occurs when a laying hen pecks at her toes or the toes ...
Article published the April 10, 2024
The holiday season is once again here, which means many kitchens will be filling up with baked goods and savory dishes. It is also the time of year when the use of eggs increases for all of those delicious dishes! However, eggs can be a potential source of Salmonella bacteria that can cause illness or in rare cases even death. Here are some tips to help reduce that risk in your kitchen.Eggs 101The ...
Article published the April 10, 2024
Light and dark cycles within a 24-hour period play a crucial role in maintaining physiological and behavioral rhythms in animals.In birds, daily rhythms associated with feed intake, physical activity, sleep-wake cycles, and physiological rhythms are influenced by photoperiod. The ancestors of domestic chickens, the Red Junglefowl, are diurnal animals with activity during the light period and inact ...
Video published on February 16, 2024
Prafulla Regmi (University of Georgia) shares his research on the interaction and movement of birds in a cage-free aviary system and explains how this technology could be implemented, in this Engormix interview during IPPE 2024 in Atlanta, USA.
This member gave a presentation on January 29, 2024
At the following event:
IPPE - International Production & Processing Expo 2024
News published on January 9, 2024
The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) will present “Let’s Talk Research - Current Poultry Research and Findings” as part of the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo’s (IPPE) TECHTalks on Thursday, Feb. 1. Six USPOULTRY-funded research projects completed during 2023 will be reviewed by the researchers who conducted them. The topics will focus on p ...
Article published the September 29, 2023
The first few days of life are some of the most important in chicks' lives. During this time, chicks start developing and set themselves up for the rest of their lifetime. The husbandry decisions made at this point can impact the birds' growth, development, health and welfare.This newsletter will focus on three important parts of giving chicks the best start:TemperatureFeedWater &nbs ...
Article published the September 29, 2023
Spondylolisthesis, often called ‘kinky back’, is a deformity that affects broiler chickens’ spines. The deformity occurs in the fifth and/or sixth vertebrae (T6) and leads to spinal cord compression making it hard for birds to walk, and in severe cases it can cause paralysis. Chickens are lame and will sit with extended feet, show an imbalance, and fall on their side when attempt ...
Article published the September 8, 2023
Stocking density is a critical factor to consider for optimum welfare of commercial broilers Stocking density is typically defined in terms of the number of birds per unit area or the amount of space provided on per bird basis. In commercial production, stocking density of a broiler flock is calculated based on target market weight by accounting for the number of chicks placed in ...