BWell – assessment of Broiler Welfare in a medium-slow growing hybrid

The worldwide demand for meat is growing, forcing increasingly intensive livestock production systems. At the same time, there is a need to retain a sustainable production with good animal welfare. There has been a growing societal interest for the way animals are reared, where the food originates from and how it is produced. Consumer habits are affected by climate changes, globalisation, cultural changes and the use of social media. Broiler chicken production is perceived by consumers as the most industrialised and intensive type of farming and therefore providing low animal welfare. The balance between animal welfare and a sustainable production is increasingly important in a world with a rapidly growing population. To be able to assess animal welfare one must take into consideration not only the absence of suffering, but also the indicators of good welfare by studying positive preferences by the animals. The aim of this project is to provide evidence-based tools to assess and monitor animal welfare in medium-slow growing broilers. By using routinely recorded data and traditional parameters for broiler health and welfare, we will assess the differences between fast and medium slow growing broilers in the same holdings. We will quantify the change in welfare parameters during a transition from a fast growing to a slower growing broiler. Furthermore, novel approaches to welfare assessments will be investigated; evaluation of camera technology will be performed to assess if a camera can be used to register parameters like animal flow, gait score, and other traditional welfare indicators, as well as positive welfare indicators like activity level, the use of environmental enrichments and play behaviour. In the last study of the project results from sensor registrations in 60 groups of broilers from different farms will be compared to traditional recordings to determine associations between the animal welfare and production and health records.

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The worldwide demand for meat is growing, forcing increasingly intensive livestock production systems. At the same time, there is a need to retain a sustainable production with good animal welfare. There has been a growing societal interest for the way animals are reared, where the food originates from and how it is produced. Consumer habits are affected by climate changes, globalisation, cultural changes and the use of social media. Broiler chicken production is perceived by consumers as the most industrialised and intensive type of farming and therefore providing low animal welfare. The balance between animal welfare and a sustainable production is increasingly important in a world with a rapidly growing population. To be able to assess animal welfare one must take into consideration not only the absence of suffering, but also the indicators of good welfare by studying positive preferences by the animals. The aim of this project is to provide evidence-based tools to assess and monitor animal welfare in medium-slow growing broilers. By using routinely recorded data and traditional parameters for broiler health and welfare, we will assess the differences between fast and medium slow growing broilers in the same holdings. We will quantify the change in welfare parameters during a transition from a fast growing to a slower growing broiler. Furthermore, novel approaches to welfare assessments will be investigated; evaluation of camera technology will be performed to assess if a camera can be used to register parameters like animal flow, gait score, and other traditional welfare indicators, as well as positive welfare indicators like activity level, the use of environmental enrichments and play behaviour. In the last study of the project results from sensor registrations in 60 groups of broilers from different farms will be compared to traditional recordings to determine associations between the animal welfare and production and health records.