Lecture 22 Flashcards
Current welfare issues in poultry species
What are the codes of practice in canada for poultry?
3pt
- Pullets and Laying Hens
- Chickens, Turkeys & Breeders
- Transportation (under revision)
How are the codes of practice addressed in poultry species?
3pt
Marketing Boards Welfare Requirements
- Egg Farmers of Canada
- Chicken Farmers of Canada
- Turkey Farmers of Canada
What kinds of housing systems do egg preduction hens have?
3pt
- Conventional
- Enriched
- Free run (more expensive eggs)
What are the advantages of conventional cages?
4pt
- Small groups - can form a dominance hieararchy (reduced aggression)
- Better Health
- Lower Mortality
- Lower Ammonia
What are the advantages of enriched cages?
4pt
- All of cages plus
- Better health - more room to move around
- Furniture
- Increased space
What are the advantages of free run system?
4pt
- Space
- perform normal Behaviour
- Exercise
- Furniture
What are the disadvantages of conventional cages?
3pt
- Limited space
- Behavioural restriction
- Bone quality
What are the disadvantages of enriched cages?
1pt
- Less space than cage free but more than conventional
What are the disadvantages of free run cages?
5pt
- Risk of cannibalism
- Disease
- Parasites
- Environment
- Bone breaks
How do you choose a housing system?
3pt
- Not a clear-cut decision!
- Conventional cages will be eliminated
- Enriched vs free run – advantages and disadvantages for BOTH
What is beak treatment and who gets it?
2pt
- Beak treatment – commercials and pets
- Sharp pointed tip of the beak is removed
Why do we do beak treatments?
2pt
- Reduces cannibalism and injury
- Improves livability, reduces fear
What are the methods for beak treatment? which is used?
2pt
- Literature primarily hot-blade - can cause chronic pain in older animals
- North America – primarily infrared (<10 years) - numbing effect little to no pain
What should you never say about chickens?
1pt
Debeaked
say beak treatment instead
What happened in Germany regarding beak treatments?
5pt
- 2017: Beak treatment prohibited in layers
- 2015: Plans on prohibiting beak treatments in turkey hens in 2019 (did not happen)
- Different projects to find options to keep turkeys with untrimmed beaks
- Using everything that had a positive effect :
* 2.5% fibre in feed
* Breaks during the day
* Emergency kit
* Separating pecked birds
* Covering wounds with zinc spray and baby powder - No matter what was tried, still a Higher mortality by a factor of 4 in untrimmed beaks and worse injuries
What kind of Environmental enrichment do broilers get?
2pt
- Litter floors (free run) (wood shavings)
- Barren environment (Limited behaviour expression)
What natural behaviours can and cannot broilers do in their environment?
5pt, 3pt
Can do:
* move freely
* pecking
* scratching
* dust bathing
* wing flapping
Cannot do:
* rest undisterbed
* sleep undisterbed
* reach elevated structures
Why are there no enrichment recommendations for broilers?
1pt
They are killed before they reach maturity (short period of time)
What are the advantages of environmental enrichment?
7pt
Positive effect on health
* reduced Contact dermatitis (foot, hock, breast)
* reduced Lameness
Positive effect on behaviour
* Expression of a larger behaviour repertoire
* Less fear reaction
- Resting and sleeping undisturbed
- Better distribution in the barn
- Stimulating activity
What are the disadvantages of environmental enrichment?
8pt
Expensive
* Investment costs
* Labour-intensive
Workload
* Installation
* Service/Repairs
* Cleaning and disinfection
- Challenges while bird control
- Biosecurity risks for organic materials
- It may have negative performance effects
What are slow growth birds?
1pt
- Grow approx. 23% slower than conventional breeds (GAP)
allows body organs to keep up
What are the pros and cons of slow growth birds?
5pt
Pros
* Reduced leg issues
* Reduced cardiac issues
- These may also be accomplished with lighting programs, nutrition and management in conventional production
Cons
* Longer time with greater chance for dust/ammonia
* Foot pad lesions etc
How much would it cost to convert over to slow growth birds and what would you need?
7pt
- 20 thousand more barns
- 1.5 billion extra birds for same meat amt
- 72.4 million additional on-farm mortality
- 7.6 million additional acres for crops
- Additional 5 billion gallons water
- 27.5 x more manure to dispose of
- 9 billion additional production costs
