European legislation demands that slaughter animals, including poultry, be rendered immediately unconscious and insensible until death occurs through blood loss at slaughter. This study addressed requirements for stunner settings (i.e., voltage, wave oscillation frequency) and response parameters (i.e., applied current, behavior) affecting effective water bath stunning. An inventory of current electrical stunning practice was performed …
Besides the challenges of mortality and litter disposal, the poultry industry must find economical means of disposing of laying hens that have outlived their productive lives. Because spent hens have low market value and disposing of them by composting and burial is often infeasible, finding alternative disposal methods that are environmentally secure is prudent. The …
This study aimed at studying alternative methods to induce molting and to compare them with the conventional forced-molting method (fasting). In the experiment, 420 70-week-old layers were used. The total experimental period was 140 days. Molting was induced during the first 28 days, when birds were submitted to the experimental treatments, and bird performance and …
The improvement in production technology was the major factor that lead Brazil to become the third largest poultry producer. The improvement was world´s based on the careful control of several aspects, including which nutrition and management (environment, health and rearing systems). Nowadays, the search for good welfare conditions is a global tendency in animal production. …
1. The aim in this study was to evaluate cleaning and disinfection programmes in battery cage and on-floor layer houses …
The relationship of laying hens towards humans is an important aspect of animal welfare. Tests for assessing the hen–human relationship on farm should be validated prior to their use. In this paper, we investigated the validity of three recently developed tests assumed to measure the hen–human relationship in non-caged hens. The study was conducted in …
There is considerable concern over the continued use of battery cages because of the severe restriction of movement which these systems impose. This has led to the development of alternatives, some of which involve allowing flocks of hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) free movement between the inside of a building and outside pasture areas. In these …
1. A survey of the concentration and emission rates of aerial ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, carbon dioxide, dust and endotoxin …
1. Production of total heat, divided into sensible and latent heat, together with carbon dioxide and animal activity were determined …
Environmental effects of economic activities are ultimately driven by consumption, via impacts of the production, use, and waste management phases of products and services ultimately consumed. Integrated product policy (IPP) addressing the life-cycle impacts of products forms an innovative new generation of environmental policy. Yet this policy requires insight into the final consumption expenditures and …
1. In a pen study, NH3 flux estimates were performed when clean wheat straw or wood shavings were used as …
Differences in soil, climate and socioeconomic conditions cause animal production to vary widely between European regions, notably in animal density and percentage landless farming. They have in common that animal products result from the cycling and redistribution of nutrients through soil, air, plants, animals and manure, with energy from photosynthesis or from the input of …
1. Three separate experiments were conducted to determine if the addition of carbohydrate sources directly to freshly-produced laying hen manure …
Poultry production faces increasing environmental challenges, in the United States and globally. Although the environmental impact of poultry production has …
The Ecological Footprint measures the amount of biologically productive land and water area required to support the demands of a …
Food consumption may account for upwards of 15% of U.S. per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Online carbon calculators can help consumers prioritize among dietary behaviors to minimize personal “carbon footprints,” leveraging against emissions-intensive industry practices. We reviewed the fitness of selected carbon calculators for measuring and communicating indirect GHG emissions from food consumption. Calculators were …
Research shows that livestock account for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global consumption of livestock products is growing rapidly. This paper reviews the life cycle analysis (LCA) approach to quantifying these emissions and argues that, given the dynamic complexity of our food system, it offers a limited understanding of livestock’s GHG …
The environmental assessment of human activities is presently a hot topic. It is not only important from an ecological perspective, …