Publication: Effects of range access on behavioral-based welfare indicators and foot health condition of slow- and fast-growing broiler
Abstract
This study was made to investigate outdoor range access on behavio-ral-based welfare parameters and post-mortem foot health conditions of slow-and fast-growing broilers in experimental conditions. There were four treatment groups (two genotypes as fast-and slow-growing birds x 2 indoor housing systems with or without range access) with five repli-cates. The behavior of 200 male chicks in the groups was observed at 8 weeks of age. The foot health condition was determined after slaughter. Fast-growing broilers spent more time with feeding, drinking, and dust bathing (p & LE; .001, p & LE; .001, and p & LE; .006). The locomotion and standing behavior were found to be greater in slow-growing broilers than fast-growing broilers (p & LE; .001 and p & LE; .001). The birds in conventional deep litter spent more time with drinking (p & LE; .001) and lying behavior (p & LE; .046). The post-mortem incidence of the foot pad and hock joint dermatitis was found to be greater in fast-growing broilers in both housing groups (p & LE; .05). The results have shown that the broilers with outdoor access exhibi-ted more natural behavior such as preening and slow-growing birds spent more time performing locomotion and standing. Slow-growing broilers had also less post-mortem foot pad and hock joint lesions compared to fast-growing broilers.
Description
Keywords
Environmental complexity, Growth-performance, Outdoor access, Carcass traits, Meat, Systems, Behavior, Foot pad dermatitis, Free-range, Hock joint arthritis, Slow-growing broiler, Science & technology, Life sciences & biomedicine, Veterinary sciences
Citation
URI
https://doi.org/10.5152/actavet.2023.22094
https://www.actavet.org/Content/files/sayilar/61/ACTAVET_May_2023%20(1)-19-25.pdf
https://actavet.org/en/effects-of-range-access-on-behavioral-based-welfare-indicators-and-foot-health-condition-of-slow-and-fast-growing-broiler-13624
https://hdl.handle.net/11452/46334
https://www.actavet.org/Content/files/sayilar/61/ACTAVET_May_2023%20(1)-19-25.pdf
https://actavet.org/en/effects-of-range-access-on-behavioral-based-welfare-indicators-and-foot-health-condition-of-slow-and-fast-growing-broiler-13624
https://hdl.handle.net/11452/46334
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