Behaviour, production and health of organically reared fast-growing broilers fed low crude protein diets including different amino acid contents at start

Partial budget analysis of laying hens' transition from cages to production systems of improved welfare: a case study in Greece

1. In recent years, public concern regarding animal welfare has increased while, at the same time, cage systems for animal production have been greatly criticised by EU citizens. In addition, large food retailers promote food products that are made with eggs produced in cage-free systems.2. The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic viability of the transition of laying hens' to production systems; from conventional to alternative systems with improved welfare. Three independent scenarios were assumed as follows: transition from enriched colony cages to barn (S1), transition from barn to free-range (S2), and transition from free-range to organic (S3). Economic assessments of each transition was applied to a model farm in Greece with 12 000 hens, through partial budget analysis and net benefits and costs were estimated.3. The results showed a positive economic impact in all transitions to a production system of improved animal welfare (€12,044 in S1, €18,957 in S2 and €7,977 in S3) which indicated that they are economically sustainable. In all scenarios, unit cost increased by 19% in S1, 12% in S2, and 85% in S3.4. In conclusion, transitioning towards improved animal welfare production systems in laying hen farms could be an economically viable option for egg producers in compliance with societal demands and market trends.

Health and welfare in organic livestock production systems—a systematic mapping of current knowledge

This review aimed to systematically map and summarize the status of animal health and welfare in organic production. The prevalence of diseases and behavioural effects in organic dairy cow, beef cattle, sheep, pig, laying hen and broiler chicken were discussed in the context of the organic values and current knowledge on animal health and welfare. In total 166 peer-reviewed scientific publications between 2008 and 2020 were included. No strong evidence for neither inferior nor distinctly higher animal welfare in organic compared with conventional production could be supported. The welfare status of organic livestock is in general good in relation to the OIE definition of animal health and welfare. However, organic systems are still facing several challenges related to animal health and the arising of goal conflicts due to management and practical implications. Greater possibilities to perform species-specific behaviours in organic production systems, however, indicate that the organic standards offer a good framework for high animal welfare management. For organic dairy farmers, the main health problems are similar to those of non-organic farms; especially mastitis and lameness need improvement. Parasites, together with mastitis and lamb mortality, are important welfare issues in organic sheep production. Piglet mortality, leg problems, parasite load and increasing respiratory problems are of major relevance in organic pig production. For organic laying hens, major health challenges relate to feather pecking and cannibalism, parasites and possibilities to express species-specific behaviours. For organic broilers, dermatitis of footpads, hocks and breast are reported as main health issues.

Welfare assessment of conventional and organic broilers in Denmark, with emphasis on leg health

The aim of this study was to survey and report the walking ability in broilers housed in both conventional and organic production systems in Denmark. To this end, the authors assessed the walking ability, by using the Bristol scale, in 31 conventional broiler flocks and in 29 organic broiler flocks distributed across Denmark. In addition, assessment of contact dermatitis, leg abnormalities, scratches and plumage cleanliness, as well as postmortem analysis of tibial dyschondroplasia, was performed in conventional broilers. The survey found a prevalence of 77.4 per cent of impaired walking ability (gait score (GS) >0) in conventional broilers and 38.1 per cent in organic broilers. The prevalence of severe lameness (GS >2) was 5.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent for conventional and organic broilers, respectively. The prevalence of tibial dyschondroplasia in conventional broilers was 4.7 per cent. The results on other welfare indicators are also presented for conventional broilers. The results from the present and previous surveys indicate that the prevalence of impaired walking ability in broiler chickens in the Danish conventional production system is high, but the severity has been steadily decreasing over the last 19 years. Furthermore, the results from the survey of organic broilers suggest that lameness is less prevalent and severe in this system relative to conventional production.