Poultry Welfare Technical Articles
Article published the June 30, 2017:
1. Introduction
Stress, a response to adverse stimuli, is difficult to define and understand because of its nebulous perception. According to Selye [1], “stress is the nonspecific response of the b...
Article published the October 14, 2016:
Figure 1. Air speeds in fifteen locations across the cross-section of a 40' X 500' broiler house with market-age birds.
Keeping market-age birds cool during hot weather is all about air speed. It&rsq...
Article published the July 6, 2016:
Introduction
Despite domestication and intensive genetic selection, commercial poultry retain the need to perform their natural behaviours. Conventional broiler housing often provides little opportunity for a ...
Article published the July 21, 2015:
Half of the birds reared worldwide are estimated to suffer from the consequences of heat stress during the summer period. The first visible sign is an increase in the water: feed ratio, however recent research ...
Article published the April 5, 2015:
INTRODUCTION
Animals must be able to perceive, store, and retrieve information in order to navigate their environment and maximize the ratio of benefits to costs. Birds should have good spatial cognition, allo...
Article published the December 22, 2014:
Introduction
Following the EU Council Directive ban on conventional ‘battery’ cages (99/74/EC) which came into full effect in January 2012 [1], concerns for the welfare implications of certain rear...
Article published the September 4, 2014:
Introduction
A concern over how to feed the rising human population while at the same time minimizing the effect on the environment has led to calls for agriculture to become more ‘sustainably intensive&...
Article published the August 13, 2014:
Animal rights versus animal welfare have been discussed in the previous articles. This article ramifies the implementation of certain laws and regulations being adopted in different countries internationally in...
Article published the August 5, 2014:
I. INTRODUCTION
Broiler lameness is one of the top welfare issues facing the modern broiler industry. Despite the improvements in nutrition, health and genetics over the past decades, too many flocks end up wi...
Article published the July 17, 2014:
Introduction
Footpad dermatitis (FPD), also called footpad lesions or pododermatitis, is a major welfare concern in broiler chickens. Severe FPD is likely to be painful for the birds, and because of its associ...