Abstract
Simple SummaryKnowledge of bird welfare and management on Swedish organic broiler farms is limited, since the number of farms began to increase only recently when two slower-growing hybrids became commercially available in Sweden. The aim of the study was to obtain information about chicken health and other welfare aspects, along with details of housing and management routines, in order to increase the knowledge and describe the current situation of these farms. Clinical examinations revealed no severe remarks, however minor to moderate plumage dirtiness, food pad dermatitis and hock burns were found in 47%, 21% and 13% of the birds, respectively. Higher body weights were significantly correlated to an increased prevalence of hock burns and dirty plumages. Although no severe walking impairments were observed, minor to moderate gait abnormalities were seen in almost two-thirds of all birds assessed. Gait in chickens assessed outdoors was significantly better than in those observed indoors. Flock body weight uniformity was low in all flocks. The study provides new knowledge of two slower-growing hybrids on Swedish organic farms. Further research should be focused on investigating other important aspects related to bird welfare, such as the low flock body weight uniformity and the high mortality rates observed.Slower-growing broilers on organic farms have replaced fast-growing hybrids to increase bird welfare. Due to limited knowledge of broiler welfare and management on organic farms in Sweden, the study aim was to gather information regarding health, housing and management routines, in order to describe the current situation on these. Farm visits performed in 2018 included 8 out of 12 established organic farms, on which either Rowan Ranger or HubbardJA57/HubbardJA87 were reared. Chickens in the observed flocks were 55 ± 6 (44–62) days of age. Observations included farmer interviews, indoor environment assessments, clinical examinations and gait scoring. Clinical examinations revealed no severe remarks, however minor to moderate plumage dirtiness, food pad dermatitis and hock burns were found in 47%, 21% and 13% of the birds, respectively. Although no severe walking impairments were observed, minor to moderate gait abnormalities were seen in two-thirds of the birds. Gait in birds assessed outdoors was significantly better than in birds observed indoors. Body weight uniformity was low in all flocks. This study provides increased knowledge of certain chicken health and welfare aspects, housing and management on Swedish organic farms. Future research should further investigate important aspects related to bird welfare, such as the high mortality rates observed.
Highlights
The concept of animal welfare encompasses the biological functioning and health of the animal, natural living and the possibility to express natural behaviour, as well as the subjective experienceAnimals 2020, 10, 2098; doi:10.3390/ani10112098 www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsAnimals 2020, 10, 2098 of the individual [1]
The results of this study show that welfare issues attributable to chicken growth rate are still present in slower-growing hybrids, e.g., hock burns and impaired gait, and limiting the average daily weight gain is important from both an animal welfare and legal perspective
Severe health issues were rarely observed during clinical examinations, birds with minor to moderate lesions and remarks, concerning, e.g., foot and leg health and plumage condition, were found
Summary
The concept of animal welfare encompasses the biological functioning and health of the animal, natural living and the possibility to express natural behaviour, as well as the subjective experienceAnimals 2020, 10, 2098; doi:10.3390/ani10112098 www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsAnimals 2020, 10, 2098 of the individual [1]. Organic animal farming should comply with high animal welfare standards and promote animal health and well-being, with emphasis on species-specific behavioural needs [4]. EU regulations on organic broiler production require lower stocking densities and outdoor access for the birds [4], so as to better provide them with the opportunity to perform species-specific natural behaviours such as foraging and dust bathing. To enable the best animal health possible under the prevailing production conditions, suitable hybrids should be selected for the purpose [4]. Fast-growing broilers have been replaced by slower-growing hybrids [5], as the welfare of the latter and their suitability for organic production appear better [6,7,8]
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