Kjilstar, 2006 – Animal health in organic livestock production systems: a review
Organic livestock production is a means of food production with a large number of rules directed towards a high status …
Organic livestock production is a means of food production with a large number of rules directed towards a high status …
Feather pecking is a major welfare problem in egg production. It may be caused by endogenous (genetic and physiological) and environmental (feeding, density and housing conditions) factors. Despite the number and variety of experiments performed over past years, it is still not possible to define a genetic background for this trait. A possible reason is …
Feather pecking (FP) remains a major welfare and economic problem in laying hens. FP has been found to be related to other behavioural characteristics, such as fearfulness. There are indications that fearful birds are more likely to develop FP. Furthermore, FP can lead to increased fearfulness in the victims. To investigate further the relationship between …
Recent studies showed that laying hens learn not to peck at bitter-tasting feathers from conspecifics. In the present experiment, feathers of newly hatched chicks were made distasteful by spraying them with a bitter-tasting substance (quinine). It was hypothesized that chicks could detect quinine and learn to avoid the downy feathers and the feathers of conspecifics …
1. Feather pecking is one of the major problems facing the egg industry in non-cage systems and is set to become even more of an issue with the European Union ban on the keeping of laying hens in barren battery cages which comes into force in 2012 and the prospect of a ban on beaktrimming. …
This study presents thermal inactivation data for the high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) strain A/chicken/PA/1370/83 (H5N2) (PA/83) in dried …
The provision for dustbathing material will be a legal requirement in cage-housing systems for laying hens within the European Union beginning in 2012. At present, food particles are widely used and typically offered in small amounts on Astroturf mats one or more times per day to facilitate dustbathing, pecking, and scratching. In the present study, …
Feather pecking (FP) is a major welfare problem in laying hens, influenced by multiple factors. FP is thought to be redirected foraging behaviour, however fearful birds are also known to be more sensitive to develop FP. The relationship between fear-responses, foraging and FP is not well understood, thereforewestudied the behaviour of 16 birds from a …
Farm-level factors that could be associated with feather pecking of layers kept in organic farming systems were monitored in 63 flocks from 26 farms located in different areas of The Netherlands. Data on housing and management practices were collected and plumage damage as a measure of feather pecking was scored at 50 weeks of age …
This paper reviews the existing body of scientific literature relevant to organic poultry production, in order to assess, and where possible quantify, the key issues affecting welfare. The review consists of three parts, covering healthrelated welfare issues in organic poultry production systems (breed suitability; nutrition; feed contribution from the range, range use and group size), …
Organic farming in Europe has increased during the last decade but the market share is still relatively low with less than 3% of farmed arable land and an even smaller proportion of farm animal species raised in organic livestock production systems. In many aspects, the biological and ethological needs of animals in organic farming systems …
Welfare of animals in livestock production systems is now widely defined in terms of 3 classes of measures: veterinary health, mental well-being (or feelings), and natural behaviors. Several well-documented points of tension exist among welfare indicators in these 3 classes. Strategies that aim to improve welfare using genetics can increase resistance to disease and may …
The combination of breeding for increased production and the intensification of housing conditions have resulted in increased occurrence of behavioral, physiological, and immunological disorders. These disorders affect health and welfare of production animals negatively. For future livestock systems, it is important to consider how to manage and breed production animals. In this paper, we will …
Well being of animals had been historically a public concern, since the beginning of human kind history. As world’s population grows there is a need for food including meat. In the last decades there has been a great improvement in poultry production based on the careful control of several aspects, among which nutrition and management …
A questionnaire study was performed among Swedish organic livestock farmers to determine their view of animal welfare and other ethical issues in animal production. The questionnaire was sent to 56.5% of the target group and the response rate was 75.6%. A principal components analysis (exploratory factor analysis) was performed to get a more manageable data …
Existing data on animal health and welfare in organic livestock production systems in the European Community countries are reviewed in the light of the demands and challenges of the recently implemented EU regulation on organic livestock production. The main conclusions and recommendations of a 3-year networking project on organic livestock production are summarised and the …
The development in organic livestock production can be attributed to an increased consumer interest in organic products while, at the same time, increased farmers’ interest in converting to organic production methods—often stimulated by governmental support or subsidies. It is important that organic production systems can fulfil the expectations of each of these stakeholders if organic …