Effects of different floor materials on the welfare and behaviour of slow- and fast-growing broilers.

Enver Çavuşoğlu,Metin Petek

doi:10.5194/aab-62-335-2019

Abstract

Litter quality and fast growth rate are the two main issues in broiler welfare. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of genotype and floor material on broiler welfare and behaviour. In the study, slow-growing (Hubbard JA57) and fast-growing (Ross 308) broilers on a slatted floor and deep litter were used; there were four main groups (2 genotype 2 housing) and each treatment group consisted of 5 replicates. Each replicate group consisted of 10 male chicks, and 200 birds were used in total. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. The welfare parameters were recorded in weeks 6, 7, and 8, whereas behaviour data were collected in week 8 only. Results showed that welfare parameters of broiler chickens were affected by genotype and floor type. Slow-growing broilers had better welfare parameters than fast-growing broilers. The slatted floor had a positive effect on main welfare parameters of the birds. Slower-growing broilers had a longer distance in the avoidance distance test. Tonic immobility reaction was longer in slow-growing broilers compared to fast-growing broiler. On the other hand, floor type did not affect behaviour parameters. As a conclusion, slow-growing broilers had better welfare parameters than fast-growing broilers and slat flooring could be beneficial to improve broiler welfare, but further behavioural investigations are needed such as dust bathing and walking behaviour.

Highlights

Growing chickens in broiler meat production have been intensively selected for 40–50 years, and performance of broiler chickens has improved rapidly by the developments of feeding, environmental conditions, and health improvements (Fanatico et al, 2007)
Metabolic diseases associated with fast growth rate, lower locomotor activity, high stocking density, and bad management of air and litter quality have become main welfare topics of broiler meat production in the last 20 years (RSPCA, 2017; Bessei, 2006)
Broiler welfare was measured by assessing scores of the footpad dermatitis and hock-joint dermatitis, breast feather dirtiness, feather cover, and gait at the ages of 6, 7, and 8 weeks in the experiment

Summary

Introduction

Growing chickens in broiler meat production have been intensively selected for 40–50 years, and performance of broiler chickens has improved rapidly by the developments of feeding, environmental conditions, and health improvements (Fanatico et al, 2007). A broiler chicken can reach up to 2.5 kg live body weight in 5 or 6 weeks of age with about 1.7 to 1.8 feed conversion ratio at the end of the growing period (Awad et al, 2009; Goliomytis et al, 2014) This fast growth rate has led to some undesirable consequences, which are one of the main concerns in animal welfare. Fast-growing broilers show higher rates of heart attack and hypoxia (Julian, 2005; Olkowski et al, 1998; Reeves et al, 1991) and are more prone to behavioural disorders and immune system impairments (Rauw et al, 1998) These are caused by the rapid growth rate of muscle tissues of broilers which was achieved by breeding programmes and has been criticized for its negative impact on animal welfare. Either slower-growing broilers or a different feeding regime to control the growth rate has been advised in commercial broiler production (Dawkins and Layton, 2012)

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