Welfare - Modern Poultry

Auditing tools and animal welfare indicators for poultry

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.

Heat stress may cause lung injury in broiler chickens

Prolonged exposure to heat stress can lead to respiratory injury in broiler chickens, according to a recent study in China.

Layer chick well-being unaffected by changing transport stocking density, in absence of other stressors

Without other stressors to skew results, altering stocking density (SD) within common ranges does not affect the well-being of layer chicks being transported from hatcheries to pullet-rearing operations.

The importance of litter management for bird welfare

Litter and its management are an essential part of bird management and ensuring bird welfare. Dr. Bethany Baker-Cook discusses the importance of managing litter properly throughout the production cycle.

NCSU: ESPs may improve indoor air quality for cage-free layers

Bird welfare is improved in cage-free layer systems compared to cage systems, but indoor air quality suffers in a cage-free environment due to higher bird activity.

Studies at Tyson shows variable lighting, enrichment huts aid broiler welfare, productivity

Continuous lighting is commonplace in commercial broiler houses, but is that what’s best for the birds?

Could on-farm processing be poultry’s future?

The ability to process birds on farms and eliminate live transport offers some compelling benefits to the poultry industry whose customers are increasingly disconnected from animal agriculture.

Beak to toes: Impact, causes, and prevention of toe pecking in laying hens

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.

Starting off right: Ensuring chick welfare

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.

Food labels, claims and animal welfare

Various claims and labels on the products provide consumers with information about how the animals were raised and treated during production. However, the information on animal products can sometimes be confusing.

Stocking density and broiler behavior

Stocking density is a key determinant of profits from a broiler operation as revenues per unit of space increase with increasing stocking density. However, overcrowding due to high stocking density can lead to negative behavior and welfare consequences.

Optimizing incubation conditions for chick welfare

The incubation environment is important for embryonic development and programs chick welfare. The focus of this newsletter is on the effects of the incubator environment on chicken egg incubation, but the same principles can apply to other poultry species.

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Category: Welfare

Heat stress may cause lung injury in broiler chickens

The importance of litter management for bird welfare

NCSU: ESPs may improve indoor air quality for cage-free layers

Studies at Tyson shows variable lighting, enrichment huts aid broiler welfare, productivity

Could on-farm processing be poultry’s future?

Beak to toes: Impact, causes, and prevention of toe pecking in laying hens

Starting off right: Ensuring chick welfare

Food labels, claims and animal welfare

Stocking density and broiler behavior

Optimizing incubation conditions for chick welfare

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Industry insights:

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Intestinal health in poultry: Understanding viral, bacterial and coccidiosis challenges

Category: Welfare

Intestinal health in poultry: Understanding viral, bacterial and coccidiosis challenges

focus on:

Industry insights:

Intestinal health in poultry: Understanding viral, bacterial and coccidiosis challenges