Poultry Extension Collaborative

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.

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.

Biosecurity for your chicken’s health

Biosecurity is the cheapest, most effective means of disease prevention and control available. Proper biosecurity will help to ensure the overall health and welfare of your flock.

Pullet rearing: Preparing laying hens for a cage-free environment

Currently, 34% of laying hens used for commercial egg production in the United States are housed in cage-free environments. This number will nearly double to 66% by 2026 by to meet retailer demands and state legislation requirements. How do we prepare for this increase?

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.

Tryptophan: The link between poultry welfare & nutrition

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which is the building block of protein, therefore it cannot be synthesized by the body itself and must be obtained through food; it is important for many metabolic functions. A tryptophan deficiency could affect behavioral responses to stress in poultry.

Cold temperatures can have severe consequences for poultry health and welfare

The consequences of cold stress can be severe, leading to death in extreme cases. A chicken's susceptibility to cold stress depends on various factors, including the chicken's breed, age, body size, amount of feather coverage and condition of the feathers and nutritional status.

Human-animal interactions : Impacts on animal welfare

Human-animal interaction is the mutual and dynamic relationship between a human and an animal where the animal perceives human interaction as degree of relatedness or distance and vice-versa. Human beings have domesticated poultry species for eggs and meat production. However, fearfulness as a trait still persists and domestic animals often perceive human encounters as fearful.

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Category: Poultry Extension Collaborative

Auditing tools and animal welfare indicators for poultry

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