Assessment of Welfare Problems in Broilers: Focus on Musculoskeletal Problems Associated with Their Rapid Growth

The growth of the broiler industry has been accompanied with concerns over the environmental and social impacts on intensive production systems, as well as the welfare of the animals themselves. As a result, since the 2000s, there has been growing interest in alternative production systems that impr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnimals (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 7; p. 1116
Main Authors Kwon, Byung-Yeon, Park, Jina, Kim, Da-Hye, Lee, Kyung-Woo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 01.04.2024
Subjects
Analysis
Animal welfare
broiler
Collaboration
Cruelty to animals
Dermatitis
Farms
footpad dermatitis
Growth
Health aspects
hock burn
Inflammation
International organizations
Organic farming
Pain
Poultry
Poultry industry
Statistics
stocking density
United Kingdom
hock burn
stocking density
animal welfare
footpad dermatitis
broiler
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Summary:The growth of the broiler industry has been accompanied with concerns over the environmental and social impacts on intensive production systems, as well as the welfare of the animals themselves. As a result, since the 2000s, there has been growing interest in alternative production systems that improve animal welfare and sustainability. In this context, it is important to prioritize the welfare of broilers in commercial production systems and to use reliable welfare indicators to provide consumers with information about the welfare of the animals they consume. Resource-based measures (RBM) are based on assessing the resources available to the birds in terms of their housing, environment, and management practices, such as stocking density, litter quality, lighting and air quality, etc. Outcome-based measures (OBM), also known as animal-based measures, focus on assessing the actual welfare outcomes for the birds, such as footpad dermatitis, hock burn, contamination or damage to feathers, gait score, mortality, etc. These OBM-based measures are one of the more direct indicators of welfare and can help identify any welfare issues. The present review highlighted the factors that affect animal welfare indicators focused on OBMs which can be used in the commercial broiler farms.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani14071116