Bethany Baker-Cook

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 ...

Walking on eggshells - assessing anxiety in chickens Extension collaborative for the poultry industry-Attention bias test-Applications-Research findingsAnxiety is the most common mental health disorder in people  (Bandelow & Michaelis, 2015). Chickens may also experience anxiety, but it is difficult to measure and research has been mainly focused on assessing fear. However, we can get in ...

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 ...

    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 ...

The egg industry in the United States maintains approximately 300 million hens each year (United Egg Producers, 2025). For every laying hen that is hatched, approximately one male counterpart also hatches. However, as roosters do not produce eggs, they are typically culled, or euthanized, at hatch. However, the culling of these day-old male chicks raises ethical concerns. In an attempt to find an ...

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 ...

What is litter?Litter and its management are an essential part of bird management and ensuring bird welfare. This goes for broilers, turkeys, or laying hens kept on litter floors. Litter is a combination of the bedding used within a house combined with the excreta from the birds. Good quality litter provides birds with a comfortable place to rest and perform natural behaviors. Litter has multiple ...

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 ...