Improving Leg Health in Broiler Chickens: A Systematic Review of the Effect of Environmental Enrichment
Leg problems are highly prevalent in modern broiler production and provision of environmental enrichment could be a strategy to improve leg health. Different types of environmental enrichment have undergone evaluation. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the effect of environmental enrichment on leg health in broiler chickens. The evaluation of leg health […]
Effect of increased floor space on aggressive behaviour in male turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)
Under commercial rearing conditions, domestic turkeys are often aggressive towards ‘‘pen-mates’’, and this may lead to serious injuries or even death. We hypothesized that restricted space, as a consequence of high stocking density,might prevent the attacked bird from retreating fromits opponent to avoid serious consequences from an encounter. This study examines the aggressive response in […]
Chicken welfare is influenced more by housing conditions than by stocking density
Intensive broiler (meat) chicken production now exceeds 800 million birds each year in the United Kingdom and 2 1010 birds worldwide1, but it attracts accusations of poor welfare2, 3. The European Union is currently adopting standards for broilers aimed at a chief welfare concern—namely, overcrowding—by limiting maximum ‘stocking density’ (bird weight per unit area). It […]
Fish welfare: Current issues in aquaculture
With the continued growth of the aquaculture industry and increasing scientific discussion over the potential for negative events to give rise to suffering, research into the welfare of cultured fish is vital. How we define and measure welfare is cause for debate, particularly in fish. However, research into the effects of aquaculture procedures on welfare […]
Using motivation to feed as a way to assess the importance of space for broiler chickens
This paper describes a novel combination of feeding motivation and spatial preference testing. We used the feeding motivation test to determine a [`]low’ barrier height that broiler chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus, that were not food deprived would cross to get to food, and a [`]high’ barrier height that food-deprived chickens would cross to get to […]
Stress and plasma corticosterone levels in the american alligator–relationships with stocking density and nesting success
1. Blood samples were taken from captive and wild adult alligators for evaluation of baseline plasma corticosterone levels. Adult male alligators were found to have significantly higher plasma corticosterone levels than adult female alligators in captive and wild populations. 2. Captive adult alligators maintained at high stocking densities had plasma corticosterone levels higher than those […]
The effect of group size on the behaviour and welfare of four fish species commonly kept in home aquaria
Previous research into fish welfare has focussed particularly on commercially important aquaculture species. However, with over 350 million fishes traded annually within the ornamental fish industry, surprisingly little consideration has been given to the welfare of fish kept in home aquaria. Here, the welfare of four commonly kept species of ornamental fish (neon tetras, white […]
Behaviour of growing rabbits under various housing conditions
The aim of this research was to assess the effects of environmental variables (group size, stocking density, floor type, environmental enrichment) on behaviour – as a welfare indicator – of growing rabbits. Two experiments were carried out with Pannon White rabbits. In experiment 1, 5-week-old rabbits (n = 112) were placed in cage blocks (2 […]
Physiological Responses of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) to Conditions Experienced during Road Transport
Waas, J. R., J. R. Ingram and L. R. Matthews. Physiological responses of red deer (Cervus elaphus) to conditions experienced during road transport. Physiol Behav 61(6) 931-938, 1997.–Remote heart rate and blood sampling devices were attached to transported red deer stags to assess the effects of several road transport parameters on physiological responses associated with […]
The Effect of Stocking Density on the Welfare and Behaviour of Broiler Chickens Reared Commercially
An experiment was conducted to compare the effect of two levels of house stocking density (34kg m-2 and 40kg m-2) on broiler welfare and behaviour. The trial monitored 121 900 birds housed in eight flocks under commercial conditions and used a range of behavioural and productivity measures to assess welfare. At the higher stocking density: […]