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...
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...
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.
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.
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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.
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...
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...
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...
Broiler management and feed formulation approaches in hot environments
High temperatures can be an obstacle in livestock production particularly in tropical regions. Broilers are more susceptible to high ambient temperatures because they lack...
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...
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.