Chickens, as well as other animals, have the ability to change their behavior (behavioral plasticity) and physiology (physiological plasticity) based on the costs and benefits to fit their environment (adaptation). Through natural selection, the population preserves and accumulates traits that are beneficial and rejects those that are detrimental in their prevailing environments. The surviving populations are …
In seeking to address problems in farm animal welfare one must neither call for a utopian state of rural harmony nor accept the inevitability of abuses associated with current practice. Progress in improving farm animal welfare can be made on farm by farmers but can only be sustained if supported by the rest of the …
1. In this study, we compared a conventional broiler production system keeping fast growing broilers with an organic broiler production system keeping slow growing broilers in the Netherlands, both managed by one person working a full time year (Full Time Equivalent, FTE). This comparison was based on a quantification of economic, ecological and social indicators. …
Farm animal welfare is a major issue in Europe, which resulted in regulations and development of research dedicated to animal welfare, especially on standard poultry production, which is often considered as resulting in very poor welfare. The effect of selection is also often questioned. Indeed, capacities of adaptation have been very little considered during the …
The aim of this review was to compare welfare, health, and hygienic status of laying hens housed in furnished cages and in alternative systems. In alternative systems (floor housing and aviaries), birds have more freedom of movement and a more complex environment than in furnished cages. However, housing birds in much larger flocks in alternative …
There are a number of nonhuman animal welfare monitoring schemes for animals on the farm in Australia and in other countries. Although the majority of such schemes are voluntary rather than legislated, some are nevertheless enforced through a number of customer requirements that industries must meet to gain access to markets. Animal welfare monitoring schemes …
Since the publication of Animal Machines (Harrison, 1964), there has been widespread public pressure in Europe—supported by European institutions—to “ban the battery cage.” The European Union (EU) and national governments (particularly in Northern Europe) funded research on noncage systems for egg production and enriched cages. In 1986, theEUpassed a Directive specifying a minimum size for …
There are many different characteristics of housing systems which affect the welfare of laying hens, particularly because welfare itself has many diverse aspects. When cause and effect relationships between systems and welfare are assessed, it is evident that no system currently under consideration is ideal. Of those priorities listed by UK authorities such as the …
The balance between genetic modification and welfare may be as old as the chicken and egg debate. Meeting welfare needs of farm animals has become an integral part of animal agriculture. Until recently, environmental and management modifications have been the methods of choice for meeting welfare needs of animals. Genetic selection has improved growth, livability, …
The success of welfare legislation for nonhuman animals rests upon primary producer compliance that, in turn, is affected by public willingness to pay (WTP) for such initiatives. Although the topic of the welfare of animals on farms (and relevant legislation) is becoming increasingly important to the Australian public, there remain relatively few recent assessments of …
1. On-farm quantification of sustainability indicators (SI) is an effective way to make sustainable development measurable. The egg production sector was used as a case study to illustrate this approach. 2. The objective was to select SI for economic, ecological and societal issues, and to analyse the performance on selected SI of different production systems. …
The commercial, welfare and environmental impacts of rearing small colonies of free-range chickens in newly planted woodland at two sites in the UK, during the first 2 years of the enterprise, were investigated. Newly planted rather than established trees were used so that commercially viable species could be planted in a way that would suit …
The poultry sector in the Netherlands is confronted with the EU ban on conventional cages, the public debate on the …
Corn and soyabeans may not be available in many countries particularly those which do not have sufficient foreign currency or …
This study was a 3 × 8 factorial arrangement of 3 nutrient densities (low, medium, and high) and 8 commercial …
An adequate supply of all nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water, has to be provided to support …
Insufficient feeder space for laying hens could increase competition at the feed trough, leading to disrupted feeding, inadequate nutrient intake, stress, and reduced productivity. The effects of feeder space allocation (FSA) on physiology and productivity were evaluated in beak-trimmed Hy-Line W-36 hens (n = 480). They were obtained at 16.5 wk of age and housed …