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The increasing influence of activist groups in the poultry sector has led to some recent modifications in broiler rearing. Groups, such as the Global Animal Partnership, have outlined welfare practices designed to create natural environments and have found increasing support as more businesses, integrators, and producers adopt these standards.
The goal of welfare standards is to create a natural environment by supplying enrichments such as natural light, perches, straw bales, and other objects that encourage birds to be more active and mentally engaged. Providing these opportunities is predicted to reduce stress, improve health, and minimize abnormal or aggressive behaviors, raising overall animal welfare.
Studies Abroad
Some studies done in the UK found that broilers reared in naturally lit sheds are more active with reduced gait scores, indicative of improved walking ability. Houses also had better litter quality because of increased pecking and scratching. They also looked at how birds interacted with other enrichments, such as straw bales and perches, and what effects those had on bird health.
The study found that birds would huddle near the bales as a place to “hide” when they are young, then around three weeks of age they were large enough to reach the top of the bale, where they would sit and observe other birds. Birds struggled to perch until about 5 weeks of age, after which all perch space supplied was regularly used. String and CDs were hung by feed lines for birds to peck at. Overall, birds spent less time lying down during the day in barns with natural light, and they showed improved walking ability and fewer skin lesions. Enhancement use showed no downsides regarding growth rate, feed conversion, culls, or mortality and no negative effect on breast meat quality.
In the U.S., Perdue has taken the lead on improved welfare for broilers by introducing many of these practices into their farms. Their recent efforts around No Antibiotic Ever production and production of organic certified chicken has led them to learn about and adopt some of these practices. The company applies the 5 Freedoms concept to their production:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst,
- Freedom from discomfort,
- Freedom from pain, injury, and disease,
- Freedom to express natural behaviors,
- Freedom from fear and distress.
To address Freedoms Two and Four, Perdue has adjusted house temperatures and stocking densities so that birds have more room to move and sleep without feeling crowded. They have also added enhancements such as straw bales, perches, ramps, and dust boxes so that birds have places to recreate. Finally, Perdue asked its growers to add windows to the sidewalls to allow natural light into the barns. Their growers have reported greater bird activity and better quality of life, much the same findings as those in the UK.
So why haven’t these enrichments found their way into more poultry houses?
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