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Animals
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Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare
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Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 5871

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Birgit Spindler

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30173 Hannover, Germany
Interests: poultry welfare; poultry housing; poultry production and management; abnormal behaviour
Dr. Carolin Adler

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
Interests: poultry welfare; poultry management; behaviour; health; broilers; layers; turkeys

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Poultry behaviour and welfare are increasingly becoming focused on in society. Improving poultry behaviour and welfare includes creating animal-friendly housing conditions and management practices, the avoidance of negative experiences and suffering, and a positive affective state. Poultry is subject to variable housing conditions and management practices. The refinement and adaptation of husbandry systems thus might contribute to behaviour and welfare improvements while maintaining or increasing production performance.

The Special Issue aim is to publish high-quality papers focused on advanced poultry welfare and behaviour, including current welfare issues for various poultry species. Manuscripts published within this Special Issue may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • The effects of environment and production systems on poultry behaviour and poultry welfare;
  • Influence of management practices on poultry behaviour and welfare;
  • Influence of social and physical stressors on poultry behaviour and welfare;
  • Assessment and validation of indicators and reference values of poultry behaviour and welfare;
  • Novel welfare indicators for poultry;
  • Welfare assessment tools for poultry.

Investigations may cover topics which focus on advances in housing conditions, such as group size, group stability, provision of enrichment material, temperature, light conditions, space provision, and outdoor access. Studies on management interventions, such as vaccination strategies, feeding regimes, or those discussing behavioural parameters, are also welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Birgit Spindler
Dr. Carolin Adler
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • poultry welfare
  • poultry behaviour
  • housing conditions
  • management practices
  • abnormal behaviour
  • welfare indicators

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1070 KiB  
Article
Social Enrichment Improves Affective State and Foraging Behavior Compared to Physical Enrichment, While Maintaining Growth Performance in Broiler Chickens
by Sofía Herrera-Alcaíno, Daniela Luna, Jorge González-Pavez, Paloma Cordero and Sergio A. Guzmán-Pino
Animals 2024, 14(22), 3186; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14223186 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 633
Abstract
Environmental enrichment is key for improving the broiler welfare in intensive production systems. This study lasted for 43 days and evaluated the effects of physical and social enrichment on broiler welfare. A total of 96 one-day-old male broilers were divided into two treatments: [...] Read more.
Environmental enrichment is key for improving the broiler welfare in intensive production systems. This study lasted for 43 days and evaluated the effects of physical and social enrichment on broiler welfare. A total of 96 one-day-old male broilers were divided into two treatments: control treatment, provided with physical enrichment (n = 48) including perches, platforms, and straw bales; and social treatment (n = 48), involving regular positive interactions with a human. The behavioral repertoire, footpad health, taste preferences for sweet and umami compounds, affective states (through tonic immobility and attention bias tests), and growth performance were evaluated. No effects were found for feeding, drinking, locomotion, lying, or standing behaviors, although differences were observed at specific time points: the Social group had more feeding time on day 21 (p = 0.046), while physical treatment showed reductions on days 28 and 35 (p < 0.001). The Social group showed increased drinking on day 42 (p < 0.001), reduced locomotion (p = 0.022), and increased lying (p = 0.046) on day 42. Foraging was higher in the Social group (p = 0.027), but preening showed no differences. Footpad lesions showed no significant differences. The Control group preferred sucrose 100 mM (p = 0.022), but no preference for MSG 300 mM was observed. With regard to tonic immobility, the Control group showed a tendency towards larger durations (p = 0.078), indicating a potential increase in fearfulness. In the attention bias test, although the freezing behavior increased, the latency to begin feeding was shorter in the Social group (p < 0.001), suggesting an improved affective state. Lastly, no significant differences were observed for any of the growth parameters, including average daily feed intake, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, or final body weight, indicating that the Social group maintained productivity. This approach provides a practical solution for improving the quality of life for broilers in intensive systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare)
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25 pages, 6296 KiB  
Article
Cage-Free Pullets Minimally Affected by Stocking Density Stressors
by Meagan E. Abraham, Cara I. Robison, Priscila B. S. Serpa, Natalia J. Strandberg, Marisa A. Erasmus, Gregory S. Fraley, Gisela F. Erf and Darrin M. Karcher
Animals 2024, 14(10), 1513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14101513 - 20 May 2024
Viewed by 1185
Abstract
Management choices during the pullet phase can affect behavior, welfare, and health later in life, but few studies have evaluated the pullet phase, particularly in extensive housing systems. This study was a 2 × 2 factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two [...] Read more.
Management choices during the pullet phase can affect behavior, welfare, and health later in life, but few studies have evaluated the pullet phase, particularly in extensive housing systems. This study was a 2 × 2 factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two strains and two stocking densities. The Lohmann LB-Lite and Lohmann LSL-Lite were housed on the floor at high-stocking density (619–670 cm2/bird) and low-stocking density (1249–1352 cm2/bird), which changed with age from 2 to 16 weeks of age (WOA). Bird-based measures of appearance, blood parameters, organ measurements, and production values were evaluated. Stocking density alone affected (p < 0.05) only relative bursal weight (% of body weight)—3.32% in the low-density versus 3.08% in the high-density group. High-stocking density was correlated with decreased uniformity (high—89.33 ± 0.24%; low—90.41 ± 0.24; p < 0.02) and worse feather coverage in the brown strain. High-stocking density was correlated with greater uniformity (High—90.39 ± 0.24%; Low—88.47 ± 0.24%; p < 0.001) and better feather coverage in the white strain. This study’s feed conversion ratio (FCR) was improved by 0.07 in the low-stocking density for both strains. The remaining parameters were affected by strain and age only. Thus, while stocking density effects vary slightly depending on the strain used, cage-free pullets had limited negative effects at both the high and low-stocking densities tested in this study; there were few to no changes in the numerous bird-based welfare parameters tested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare)
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14 pages, 1291 KiB  
Article
Effects of Restraint Stress on Circulating Corticosterone and Met Enkephalin in Chickens: Induction of Shifts in Insulin Secretion and Carbohydrate Metabolism
by Colin G. Scanes, Krystyna Pierzchała-Koziec and Alina Gajewska
Animals 2024, 14(5), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050752 - 28 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1113
Abstract
This study examined the effects of acute restraint stress in the presence or absence of naltrexone on the circulating concentrations of insulin, glucose, Met-enkephalin and corticosterone in 14-week-old chickens [design: 2 sex × 2 stress/non-stress × 2 +/− naltrexone]. In chickens (five male [...] Read more.
This study examined the effects of acute restraint stress in the presence or absence of naltrexone on the circulating concentrations of insulin, glucose, Met-enkephalin and corticosterone in 14-week-old chickens [design: 2 sex × 2 stress/non-stress × 2 +/− naltrexone]. In chickens (five male and five females per treatment) subjected to restraint for 30 min, there were increases in the plasma concentrations of corticosterone and Met-enkephalin. The plasma concentrations of insulin and glucose were also increased in the chickens during restraint. Moreover, there were increases in the plasma concentrations of insulin and glucose in the chickens. The patterns of expression of the proenkephalin gene (PENK) in both the anterior pituitary gland and the adrenal gland were very similar to that of plasma Met-enkephalin. There were relationships between the plasma concentrations of corticosterone, Met-enkephalin, insulin and glucose after 30 min of restraint. The effects of naltrexone treatment on both untreated and stressed chickens were also examined, with naltrexone attenuating the stress-induced increases in the plasma concentrations of corticosterone, Met-enkephalin and glucose but not in those of insulin. The present study demonstrates that stress increases insulin secretion in chickens but also induces insulin resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare)
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Review

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16 pages, 1032 KiB  
Review
Poultry Preslaughter Operations in Hot Environments: The Present Knowledge and the Next Steps Forward
by Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira, Miguel Angel Guillen Portugal, Leonardo Piffer de Borba, Sabina Angrecka, Piotr Herbut, Ayoola Olawole Jongbo, Karolini Tenffen De-Sousa and Matheus Deniz
Animals 2024, 14(19), 2865; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192865 - 4 Oct 2024
Viewed by 690
Abstract
Poultry production faces significant challenges, including high feed prices, diseases, and thermal stress, which impact broiler welfare and productivity. Despite advances in cooling technologies and ventilation, preslaughter operations still lead to considerable losses. This review highlights the need for the improved management of [...] Read more.
Poultry production faces significant challenges, including high feed prices, diseases, and thermal stress, which impact broiler welfare and productivity. Despite advances in cooling technologies and ventilation, preslaughter operations still lead to considerable losses. This review highlights the need for the improved management of thermal environments and animal logistics. Preslaughter operations typically involve fasting broilers for 8–12 h to reduce gastrointestinal contents and contamination. Following fasting, broilers are caught, crated, and transported. Stress levels vary based on distance and conditions, with manual catching often causing stress and injuries. Catching should occur during cooler periods to minimise these issues, and transport conditions must be carefully managed. Lairage, the waiting period after transport, should be kept short (1–2 h) in climate-controlled environments to avoid stress and deterioration. Proper handling and efficient unloading are essential to prevent injuries and reduce economic losses. Stunning methods, such as electronarcosis and a controlled atmosphere, aim to minimise suffering before slaughter, though practices vary culturally and religiously. Logistics and real-time monitoring technology are crucial for enhancing animal welfare during transportation. Effective planning and the optimisation of transport processes is vital for reducing stress and losses, especially with regard to rising global temperatures and production demands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare)
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18 pages, 3008 KiB  
Review
Laying Hens: Why Smothering and Not Surviving?—A Literature Review
by Caroline Citta Mazocco, Sérgio Luís de Castro Júnior, Robson Mateus Freitas Silveira, Rosangela Poletto and Iran José Oliveira da Silva
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1518; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111518 - 21 May 2024
Viewed by 1561
Abstract
The proliferation of rearing systems providing opportunities for birds to engage in natural behaviors can trigger behavioral repertoires that when not manageable compromise animal welfare and the economic viability of the flock. Smothering in laying hens has long been perceived as “natural” or [...] Read more.
The proliferation of rearing systems providing opportunities for birds to engage in natural behaviors can trigger behavioral repertoires that when not manageable compromise animal welfare and the economic viability of the flock. Smothering in laying hens has long been perceived as “natural” or the result of hysteria among birds in the flock. However, the current literature has recognized smothering as an abnormal outcome with the potential to result in significant losses in cage-free poultry systems. Recent studies have specifically aimed to categorize the organization of smothering behavior and highlight its potential causes and consequences. In this study, literature review and bibliographic mapping, drawing on published articles and engagement with poultry farmers through extension and rural technical assistance, were employed. The findings indicate that smothering is a behavior triggered by factors related to the environment in which the laying hens are kept. This study concludes that there is a critical need for more rigorous and detailed research to elucidate the nuances of avian behavioral physiology and assess the impact of production systems on animal welfare and the economic impacts on the flock. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of bird behavior in high-production environments and provides practical insights for the poultry industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Poultry Behaviour and Welfare)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Effect of stocking density on behavioural and physiological traits of laying hens
Authors: Kamila Janicka 1*; Kamil Drabik 1; Karolina Wengerska 1; Iwona Rozempolska-Rucińska 1
Affiliation: Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland Abstract
Abstract: This study analysed stocking density as a major stress factor for laying hens and assessed its impact on selected behavioural and physiological traits of the birds. The study population included 142 Green-legged Partridge breed birds (12 ♂ and 132 ♀). The birds were randomly assigned to three experimental groups of standard, low and high stocking density, and a modified open-field test was conducted to assess their behavioural traits. The following blood parameters were analysed: corticosterone, cortisol and testosterone. The behavioural test results demonstrated an impact of stocking density on laying hens’ behaviour. The birds kept at a low density exhibited the greatest diversity of behaviour as well as the most frequent and longest locomotion. There were no differences between the groups in terms of stress hormone results. All groups showed a significant decrease in testosterone levels compared to the control. This may suggest that, despite differences in stocking, the structure was established quickly, resulting in decreased competition and, consequently, a positive impact on the birds. Kept in small groups with a stable structure, birds are less competitive, which improves their well-being to a greater extent than the stocking density.

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