Animal category: Poultry

Providing elevated structures in the pullet rearing environment affects behavior during initial acclimation to a layer aviary

Allison N. Pullin, Christina B. Rufener, Suzanne T. Millman, John F. Tarlton, Michael J. Toscan

Published in 2024

Scientific article reporting that hens with access to elevated platforms during the rearing phase make better use of the space in laying aviaries when they are first transferred there than those reared on the ground. The latter acclimatize within 1-2 weeks, but continue to make little use of the highest level of the aviary.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal welfare, Enrichment, Housing, Livestock buildings,Adaptation of the environment to the animal

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Assemblée nationale : réponse écrite à la question n°11685 : Conditions de transport des animaux vivants sur de longues distances

Question: Mr Jorys Bovet (Rassemblement National - Allier). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

Published in 2023

Answer to a question concerning the measures taken to control the conditions under which animals are transported over long distances and those that France intends to put forward to improve these conditions when the European regulation on the subject undegoes revision.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories:Cattle, Goats, Equines, Sheep, Primates, Poultry

Keywords:Animal adaptation to the environment, Stress, Transport

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Guidance: Livestock at farm shows and markets: welfare regulations

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK)

Published in 2023

Update of a guide originally published in 2012 by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on the laws and regulations protecting farm animals at shows and markets, with particular reference to compliance rules for pens, cages and hutches.

Document Types: Guides to Good Practice

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

Keywords:Animal trade, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationship, Societal issues

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Animal Welfare Committee: opinion on alternatives to culling newly hatched chicks in the egg and poultry industry

Animal Welfare Committtee (UK)

Published in 2023

Report on technologies with the potential to help end the culling of newly hatched male chicks. It identifies the possible risks to welfare posed by their use, and puts forward alternative  ideas and views on the matter.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Poultry

Key words:Consciousness, Pain, Euthanasia, Welfare indicators, Societal issues, Stress

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Humans can identify reward-related call types of chickens

Nicky McGrath, Clive J. C. Phillips , Oliver H. P. Burman , Cathy M. Dwyer, Joerg Henning

Published in 2024

Scientific article testing whether humans can distinguish between chicken calls produced in different contexts (ie. chickens either expect or don't expect a reward), identify emotional valence (positive or negative) and intensity, and assess how excited chickens are, based on their calls. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Human-animal relationship, Vocalisation

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Guidance: Poultry welfare off the farm

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (UK)

Published in 2023

Update of the guide originally published in 2012 by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), on how to manage the health and welfare of poultry during transport, at market and at slaughter

Document Types: Guides to Good Practice

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Societal issues, Human-animal relationship, Transport

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-002825/2023: A call to ban debeaking in Europe

Aurélia Beigneux (ID). Reply: Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2023

Answer to a question on the measures the European Commission intends to take to limit or even ban the debeaking of laying hens and, more generally, to better control intensive farming and encourage animal welfare on farms.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Pain, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Mutilation, Farming system

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Annual report of the EFSA Networks on Animal Welfare 2023

EFSA

Published in 2023

Technical report summarizing the activities of EFSA's network subgroups on animal welfare as presented at their 2023 annual meeting, including the progress of EFSA's ongoing welfare mandates along with two new mandates, on dog and cat welfare, and on use of diathermic syncope for cattle stunning. Discussions took place on various subjects, including hypertypes and genetic diseases in dogs, the need for stunning before the killing of decapods, the assessment of welfare at pasture, and population reduction methods in the event of an avian flu crisis.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Cattle, Dogs, Goats, Equines, Felines, Molluscs, Sheep, Pigs, Poultry

Keywords:All subjects

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Does the provision of live black soldier fly and yellow mealworm larvae improve Muscovy duck welfare?

Marta Gariglio, Sihem Dabbou, Manuela Renna, Ilaria Biasato, Sara Bellezza Oddon, Marco Meneguz, Raul Daniel Miazzo, Stefania Bergagna, Elena Colombino, Elisabetta Macchi, Achille Schiavone

Published in 2023

Scientific paper evaluating the effect of fly larvae and mealworm-based feed enrichment on physiological and behavioral indicators of stress and aggression in Muscovy ducks, and on their growth performance.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Aggression, Aggressiveness, Animal-based measurement, Enrichment, Stress

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What does the EU's new transport proposal mean for fish?

Eurogroup for Animals

Published in 2023

News article setting out the particular welfare needs of fish during transport, and analyzing the parts of the proposed revisions to the European regulations on animal welfare during transport that specifically address fish welfare. 

Document Types: Technical review

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

Keywords:Animal adaptation to environment, Societal issues, Human-animal relationship, Transportation

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