Document type: book published by Editions Quae
Author: Cécile Arnould
Preview: Welfare and behavior of domestic chickens
The number of domestic chickens raised in France is as much as several hundred million per year. Whether they are raised for commercial or personal purposes, making sur that they are raised under conditions conducive to their physical and mental welfare is an ethical issue of critical importance..
With the dual aims of changing the way people view these animals
and encouraging all members of society to view their welfare as a necessity and to act to achieve it, this book sets out to reveal the abilities possessed by domestic chickens. Tracing the rise in scientific research on their welfare and the changes that have been made to European legislation concerning their protection, it shows how the sentience of farm animals has gradually come to be recognized, since the second half of the 20th century. Having provided a clear definition of animal welfare and explained how it can be measured, the author goes on to detail the sensory, social, emotional, and cognitive abilities of domestic chickens.
This work draws on more than twenty-five years of the author's personal experience with domestic chickens of various breeds, with living conditions that have ranged from the crowding together of thousands of birds to a few individuals housed and ranging in semi-freedom. It is aimed at individuals and professionals who breed, farm or work with these birds, and at anyone wtih the curiosity to discover more about them.
