Welfare indicators for hens and chickens
The evaluation of animal welfare in poultry farms requires a multidimensional approach that encompasses resource-, management-, and animal-based indicators. This combined approach allows for...
Achieving good welfare outcomes for broiler breeders begins at placement
Brooding is the critical early stage of a chicken’s life, typically covering the first few weeks after hatching. During this time, chicks are highly...
Broiler breeders are calmer when fed twice a day
Broiler breeders which are fed twice a day display less foraging and pecking behaviour and more eating and resting behaviour. Furthermore, some birds even...
Biosecurity. Cleaning and disinfection on an organic poultry farm
All who work or visit poultry farms must adhere to the guidance of the farm management when it comes to biosecurity protocols.
There are...
Welfare of turkeys on farm
EFSA assesses the welfare of turkeys on farm
EFSA’s scientists have reviewed the latest evidence on the welfare of turkeys and provided a scientific opinion to...
Vencomatic Group and Orbem announce a strategic partnership for in ovo sexing of poultry...
Vencomatic Group (VMG), a family-owned supplier of innovative solutions for the international poultry industry, and Orbem, a leading deep-tech imaging and AI technology company,...
New animal welfare labelling system
The conclusions of the animal welfare labelling subgroup of the Commission’s Animal Welfare Platform were released. Copa and Cogeca welcomes the main conclusions of...
Outdoor broilers behavioural time budgets
The demand for free-range chicken meat is increasing. Free-range products are usually perceived as more welfare friendly by consumers and particularly fulfil the belief that the ability to perform natural behaviour leads to better welfare.
Broiler chickens and transport: more space doesn’t improve animal welfare
When we talk about animal welfare, the first thing that usually comes to mind is space. Most people instinctively think that giving chickens more...
The effect of electrolyte supplementation on behaviour and performance of broilers
The present experiment was designed to investigate the effects of electrolyte supplementation in alleviating the harmful effects of high temperature for one day prior...
Poultry litter quality: investigating the interrelationship between litter moisture content, pH, water activity and...
Wet litter is a recognized issue in commercial poultry production and litter quality has come under great scrutiny with the introduction of farming scheme...
Insights into hunger will aid poultry welfare
Brain processes controlling hunger in birds and poultry are to be examined, to better understand how stress experienced during development in the egg impacts...
Fear in turkeys, implications for productivity and wellbeing
From an evolutionary standpoint, fear is an adaptive response that promotes survival by enabling animals to avoid injury and death. Because of the important impact that fear has on animal well-being, fear has formed the basis of many scientific studies and is included as part of welfare assessment programs such as the Welfare Quality Assessment Protocol for poultry.
Comprehensive study concludes chicken embryo pain perception starts on day 13th of incubation
The comprehensive study commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has revealed that the perception of pain in chicken embryos begins...
A comparison of hen performance during an extended laying cycle based on hen body...
This study evaluated the performance of Hy-Line Brown hens with different body weights (BW) up to 100 weeks of age. Hens in the lowest...
Quick molt diets and programs
Induced molting is a process conducted by many commercial egg producers to extend the productive life of the laying hen. The main objective of...
Gut health in poultry production: why, what and how
Gut health has become a dominant topic in the global poultry industry. But why did the topic emerge to become so important to the...
Evaluation of a novel slow-growing strain for chicken meat
The slow-growing broiler (SGB) strain offers an alternative chicken meat choice, while appealing to the ‘niche’ market and attracting a premium price. SGBs have...
Evaluating hen behaviour and physiological stressors during Ventilation Shut Down
USPOULTRY announces the completion of a funded research project at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. in which researchers provided insight on using...
NWO OTP grant awarded to WUR project aimed at head start for day-old chicks
The immune system of a chicken starts in the egg. Validated tools to assess how incubation conditions influence immune development are lacking. A new...
How Early Rearing Environments Shape Laying Hen Performance and Welfare
Successful egg production in table-egg laying hens relies on proper caretaking during the lay phase, yet early rearing is also paramount to achieve performance...
Effects of light intensity on broiler welfare, productivity and leg health
Researchers investigated the welfare implications of behavioural changes induced by varying light programs. Here the effects of light intensity on broiler welfare and productivity are reported.
New board research initiative grant focused on animal welfare
$110,000 in funding for a new research grant addressing animal welfare. The topic and request for proposal were selected by the USPOULTRY board of...
Common global poultry welfare practices
A recent article by Hendrix Genetics detailed the creation and roll out of a structured poultry welfare program for all species offered by the breeding company.
The...
EFSA’s scientific opinion on welfare of turkeys on farm
Turkeys are raised for meat production in large flocks across the EU, mainly in indoor housing. Systems with covered veranda and outdoor range are...
Boosting Chick Health from Day One: The Benefits of Spraying a Gelled Nutritional Complex...
In modern poultry production, the first hours of a chick’s life are critical. Yet, due to the natural spread of hatching over 24 to...
Aviagen slower-growing breeds get seal of approval from key European welfare schemes
Europe is experiencing an increase in demand for slower-growing breeds. The momentum of this poultry market sector is likely to follow on an upward...
Stepping into barn digitalization
Technification of poultry barns is a growing priority for most producers to support precision farming practices. Although such improvements can ease flock management and...
Automated assessment of health and welfare in commercial broiler chicken flocks using optical flow
Assessing the health and welfare of growing broiler chickens is mainly done post mortem, using measures taken at the slaughter plant (% birds with...
Turkey breeder health, new welfare challenges and demands
The health of turkey breeders is critical to ensure the economic production of high quality fertile hatching eggs to produce poults which can be raised without antibiotics.
Raising broilers antibiotic-free
Best management practices are a key component in raising chicken without antibiotic with more attention to details of production and biosecurity.