Animal category: Poultry

Domestic hens succeed at serial reversal learning and perceptual concept generalization using a new automated touchscreen device

Rachel Degrande, Fabien Cornilleau, Léa Lansade, Plotine Jardat, Violaine Colson, Ludovic Calandreau

Published in 2022

Scientific paper testing the effectiveness of an automated device for performing cognitive tests in domestic fowl: a simple test, a serial instruction reversal learning task; and a more complex test, and a delayed sample matching task. The results reveal the behavioral flexibility and conceptual understanding of domesticated hens. They also demonstrate the value of using automated devices to improve our knowledge of farm animal cognition.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements

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French National Assembly: written answer to Question no. 4180: Broyage et gazage des poussins 

Question: Nicolas Thierry (Ecologist - Nupes - Gironde) Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2023

Written answer to a question concerning exemptions to the law prohibiting the culling  of male chicks. These relate to chicks intended for animal feed, and permit an alternative to the use of ovosexing for white eggs intended for processing. Additionally, female ducklings are exempted from the law.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Abuse

Effects of Animal Welfare-Certified Rearing Systems on the Blood Parameters and Meat Quality Characteristics of Broilers at the Farm Level in Korea

Jin-Joo Jeon, Hee-Jin Kim, Hye-Jin Kim, HHwan-Ku Kang, Chan-Ho Kim, Hyun-Soo Kim, Bo-Seok Kang, Sang-Ho Kim, Aera Jang

Published in 2023

Scientific paper showing that management practices in Korean broiler farms certified for animal welfare have clear effects on blood parameters, meat quality and content of bioactive compounds compared to conventional farms. The authors attribute  these improvements to plant-based protein supplements and the increase in space for movement due to the low stocking densities in the certified farms.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Carcass quality, Livestock farming system

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Improving animal welfare status and meat quality through assessment of stress biomarkers: A critical review

Pavan Kumar, Muideen Adewale Ahmed, Abubakar Ahmed Abubakar, Muhammad Nizam Hayat, Ubedullah Kaka, Mokrish Ajat, Yong Meng Goh, Awis Qurni Sazili

Published in 2022

Scientific review of the various stress biomarkers most commonly used in animal husbandry and the factors that influence their expression. The focus is on the use of meat biomarkers, which would allow the non-invasive prediction of meat quality, but also on animal stress before slaughter.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Carcass quality, Welfare indicators

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Revision of animal transport legislation - an essential part of the food production - Information from the Portuguese delegation on behalf of the French, Greek, Irish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish delegations

General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union

Published in 2023

Information note from eight European Union countries, including France, opposing the ban on the transport of live animals from member countries. The reasons given are 1. that this would favour imports from third countries with less stringent animal welfare standards, and 2. the difficulty of maintaining the cold chain when transporting meat. The eight countries recommend that enforcement of EU legislation should be strengthened and EU expertise should be shared with third countries to improve animal welfare during transport.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Stress, Transportation

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White paper - Chick and duckling killing: achieving an EU-wide prohibition

Alice Di Concetto, Olivier Morice, Matthias Corion, Simão Santos

Published in 2023

White paper setting out slaughter methods, figures for the killing of day-old male chicks and female ducklings in the European Union, current alternatives (in ovo sexing, use of dual lines), and describing the European initiatives, both citizen and institution-led, to put an end to the grinding of chicks and ducklings.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

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National chicken council broiler welfare guidelines and audit checklist

National Chicken Council

Published in 2022

Two-yearly update of the NCC broiler welfare guidelines including key welfare indicators (including foot pad health, gait, reduction of leg and wing injuries), with a focus on bird behaviour, objective measures and welfare outcomes, enhanced training programs for proper handling of birds, and an improved audit tool.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Mutilation, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Inter-Observer Repeatability of Indicators of Consciousness after Waterbath Stunning in Broiler Chickens

Alexandra Contreras-Jodar, Aranzazu Varvaró-Porter, Virginie Michel, Antonio Velarde

Published in 2022

A study proposing an improved list of indicators available for use in commercial abattoirs to ensure the consistency of assessments of the effectiveness of electrostunning in broilers. Prior to bleeding, it is better to check for breathing than for blinking or spontaneous vocalizations. During bleeding, the recommended indicators are breathing, wing flapping and head shaking.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Carcass quality, Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Stress

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State Policies for Farm Animal Welfare in Production Practices of U.S. Livestock and Poultry Industries: An Overview

Danielle J. Ufer

Published in 2022

Report describing the current status of U.S. policies related to practices that may impact farm animal welfare, the extent of their implementation and geographic coverage, and the legal environment and challenges these policies have faced.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Bovines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships

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Annual report of the EFSA Networks on Animal Welfare 2022

EFSA

Published in 2022

Report of the 2022 meeting which dealt with the revision of the European animal welfare regulations, the associated EFSA opinions with a presentation of those published in 2022 and a progress report on those in progress, and with the work of the expert subgroup for animal welfare and the subgroup on national contact points.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Bovines, Porcines, Ruminants, Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Enrichment, Risk management, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Mutilation, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system, Transportation, Pain

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