Publikationsdatenbank

Evaluation of comfort behaviour in broiler chickens under practical conditions (2025)

Art

Poster

Autoren

Partmann, J.

Nankemann, J. (WE 8)

Meemken, D. (WE 8)

Langkabel, N. (WE 8)

Pauling, S.

Kongress

XXth European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products and XXVIth European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat

Zadar, Croatia, 14. – 17.09.2025

Quelle

XXth European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products and XXVIth European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat : Book of Abstracts — European’s Poultry Conference Journal Editors: H. Medić, N. Marušić Radovčić and G. Sayegh (Hrsg.)

— S. 97

Sprache

Englisch

Kontakt

Institut für Lebensmittelsicherheit und -hygiene

Königsweg 69
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62551 / 52790
lebensmittelhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de / fleischhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Welfare of farm animals including broiler chickens is in the centre of attention by the public, policy makers, scientists as well as the poultry sector. Recently, EFSA has reviewed welfare measures for all types of farm animals. For broiler chickens, a number of behavioural traits have been identified, which are associated with comfort behaviour. However, little is known about the performance of these behavioural traits under practical conditions on broiler farms.
Moreover, the relation between the identified comfort behaviour traits with parameters such as broiler age, distribution of birds in the house and general activity level has not yet been established. In the present study, a total of 12.000 Ross 308 broiler chickens are observed in a commercial broiler house with a stocking density target of 35 kg/m2. The house is equipped with standard nipple drinkers and pan feeders with peat as litter material. The lighting regime consists of 18 hours light and 6 hours continuous dark period with a minimum of 20 lux during the light period. Animal behaviour is assessed via video recordings and during weekly personal visits. For the behavioural traits ‚dustbathing‘, ‚preening‘, ‚wing and leg stretching‘,‚wing flapping‘ and ‚walking, scratching and pecking‘ are assessed. Moreover, feather and body cleanliness and plumage damage are evaluated during the weekly personal visits. While videos are constantly recorded, 3 videos of 10 minutes per day during the light period are analysed using BORIS open-source event-logging software. Results show that expression of comfort behaviour can be observed throughout the rearing period, with older birds performing more sitting behaviour such as leg and wing stretching, preening and dustbathing.
Timing of observation seems to have a major influence on the observation of dustbathing, with a reduction during high activity levels. Foraging with walking, scratching and pecking could not regularly be identified, birds however pecked in the litter material while sitting.
For wing flapping, different types can be distinguished: stationary, with running and playful wing flapping with a comrade. All behaviour traits can be observed at different locations in the house with a good general distribution of the flock. More work is needed to better understand the influence of daily rhythm, age and weight development as well as social interaction on the expression of specific behavioural traits under practical conditions.