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IntroductionTraumatic injuries such as bruises have been considered an important indicator to assess animal welfare in livestock farming. The possibility of assigning the injury to a particular stage or moment in the production process may allow judgments on possible causes and thus reduce its prevalence. Currently, there is no consistent definition or scoring system for bruised poultry carcasses in German meat inspection and the prevalence is affected by the variability of scoring systems as well as observer bias. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the inter-observer reliability of bruise characteristics at the slaughter line and to validate the findings with measurements of bruises and photographed carcasses.Methods & resultsInter-observer reliability was assessed with two observers who each scored 10,880 turkey carcasses simultaneously at a running slaughter line after a short training session. The strength of agreement was “good” for the total number of detected bruises and the number of bruises on breasts, wings, and legs per flock (ICC = 0.81 – 0.88). Agreement (ICC) on the number of small, medium, and large bruises ranged between “good” and “moderate” values (0.70 – 0.84), whereas the number of bruises in different colors showed “moderate to poor” reliability (0.04 – 0.64). Additionally, agreement on bruise characteristics was tested using photographs (n= 513 carcasses) without a time limit. The highest agreement between observers was found for the location of bruises (Kw = 0.98). Again, the color of the bruises showed the lowest agreement (Kw = 0.36), whereas it was “moderate” for the size of the bruises (Kw = 0.45). When comparing each observer’s scoring values for size with size measurements (digital analysis) of the bruises, the observers tended to underestimate the actual size.Discussion & conclusionOverall, the total number of detected bruises and the location of the bruises showed the highest agreement between observers at the slaughter line and from photographs, indicating they were reliable variables. However, as the color variable showed a low agreement, a standardized objective method should be developed to objectively assess bruise prevalence and characteristics.

ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to provide further insight on different pecking behavior of beak-trimmed and untrimmed turkey hens in proximity to the feeding pan. Investigations were carried out in 4 housing compartments with female fattening turkeys where video were recorded and evaluated with regard to 4 different types of (pecking-) behavior (feeding, pecking on the ground, pecking at conspecifics, being pecked) observed in 1 focal animal in proximity to each feeding pan. Concerning the median duration, there were only small differences between the animals with different beak conditions. Pecking behavior varied in how many animals exhibited ‘pecking on the ground’ with more turkeys with intact beaks showing this activity in proximity to the feeding pan with a slightly increased median duration (0:06 vs. 0:04 min). Further discrepancies were observed in the maximum duration of recorded behaviors, as there were animals with intact beaks that showed “pecking on the ground” (4:09 vs. 2:54 min), “pecking at conspecifics” (3:46 vs. 1:25 min), and were “being pecked” (0:52 vs. 0:35 min) for a longer period of time. Based on this result, however, it can be assumed that especially individual animals with an intact beak forage more intensively and perform some pecking behaviors, which include injurious pecking, with longer duration in proximity to the feeding pan.

In total, around 631 million broilers were slaughtered in Germany in 2022. This evaluation included data of approx. 198 million broilers of different ages and breeds that were transported in Germany in 2022 (31% of all cases of broiler chicken transport in 2022). The aim of this study was to analyze German broiler chicken transport (n = 14,054) to the slaughterhouse between January 2022 and May 2023 with regard to the dead-on-arrival (DOA) rate and the possible influencing factors. Therefore, the relation between the total amount of animals per transport, the duration and distance of the transport, the planned stocking density in the transport cages, the average daily temperature and time of day and season of the transport as well as the DOA rate were statistically evaluated. The results showed a mean DOA rate of 0.09% (SD 0.09). Transport conducted at midday (11:00 to 17:00) showed higher DOA rates (p < 0.05) than transport at other times (day split into 6 h intervals). The highest mean DOA rate (0.10%) was found in the fall, followed by the winter, while transport in the spring and summer resulted in the lowest DOA rate (p < 0.05). All in all, the relatively low DOA rate (%) in Germany indicates the good standard of their broiler transport compared to available data from research in other European countries.

The objective of this on-farm study was to determine if flocks showing feather damage and/or cannibalism would have a higher fear response to the novel object (NOT) and the association between different housing and welfare parameters on results of the NOT. Therefore, 16 flocks were observed during the laying period in Germany. In total, there were six barns, seven free-range, and three organic flocks. The plumage and integument condition of 50 birds of each flock were evaluated at 4 different times during the laying period (V1: 18th to 23rd week of life, V2: 26th to 35th week of life, V3: 49th to 57th week of life, V4: 61st to 73rd week of life). At the same observation times, the NOT was performed in the flocks (at four different locations per visit time). Based on the average number of hens gathered around the novel object (NO) within the period of two minutes, conclusions can be made about the fearfulness of the flock. The present study shows that the more fearful a flock was, the more frequent feather damage (p < 0.001) and cannibalism (p < 0.01) occurred. Age and flock size were associated with fearfulness. Fearfulness of hens increased with the increasing age of hens (p < 0.001) and with an increasing flock size (p < 0.001). Hens of white feather color appeared to be more fearful than brown hens (p < 0.001). Hens kept on barn farms showed significantly lower numbers of hens around the novel object (p < 0.001) than on free-range farms, which possibly indicates that having permanent access to outdoor space generally appears to be associated with the fearfulness of a flock.

Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is an indicator of animal welfare in turkeys, giving evidence of the animals' physical integrity and providing information on husbandry management. Automated systems for assessing FPD at slaughter can present a useful tool for objective data collection. However, using automated systems requires that they reliably assess the incidence. In this study, the feet of turkeys were scored for FPD by both an automated camera system and a human observer, using a five-scale score. The observer reliability between both was calculated (Krippendorff's alpha). The results were not acceptable, with an agreement coefficient of 0.44 in the initial situation. Therefore, pictures of 3,000 feet scored by the automated system were evaluated systematically to detect deficiencies. The reference area (metatarsal footpad) was not detected correctly in 55.0% of the feet, and false detections of the alteration on the footpad (FPD) were found in 32.9% of the feet. In 41.3% of the feet, the foot was not presented straight to the camera. According to these results, the algorithm of the automated system was modified, aiming to improve color detection and the distinction of the metatarsal footpad from the background. Pictures of the feet, now scored by the modified algorithm, were evaluated again. Observer reliability could be improved (Krippendorff's alpha = 0.61). However, detection of the metatarsal footpad (50.9% incorrect detections) and alterations (27.0% incorrect detections) remained a problem. We found that the performance of the camera system was affected by the angle at which the foot was presented to the camera (skew/straight; p < 0.05). Furthermore, the laterality of the foot (left/right) was found to have a significant effect (p < 0.001). We propose that the latter depends on the slaughter process. This study also highlights a high variability in observer reliability of human observers. Depending on the respective target parameter, the reliability coefficient (Krippendorff's alpha) ranged from 0.21 to 0.82. This stresses the importance of finding an objective alternative. Therefore, it was concluded that the automated detection system could be appropriate to reliably assess FPD at the slaughterhouse. However, there is still room to improve the existing method, especially when using FPD as a welfare indicator.

Feather pecking and cannibalism are prominent problems in modern laying hen husbandry. Among the various approaches to address this issue, environmental enrichment plays a crucial role. In this on-farm study, four winter gardens of an organic farm henhouse were equipped with an automatic enrichment device. Different quantities of downpipes dosing grain on rough-coated pecking plates (PPs) were tested. One group served as a control (CG) without an automatic enrichment device, while the others were offered different numbers of PPs, with one equipped with a doubled amount of PPs (DEG) compared to the other two groups (SEG). Video analyses of the hens’ duration of stay and behaviors in the recorded winter garden area and around the PPs were performed, and regular assessments of the plumage condition were conducted. By the end of the production cycle, no hens with intact plumage were found, with hens in the CG and DEG showing worse scores and earlier deterioration in the plumage condition than in the SEG. The offer of PPs showed a significant influence on the duration of stay in the filmed area. Hens in the DEG stayed significantly longer (mean: 129 s, SD: 126 s) than those in the CG (mean: 79 s, SD: 91 s; p < 0.05) and SEG (mean: 75 s, SD: 83 s; p < 0.005). On the performed behavioral bouts per hen and minute (CG mean bouts/minute (SD): 5.47 (2.92); SEG mean (SD): 5.33 (2.76); SEG mean (SD): 5.81 (3.24)), no significant influences were detected. Environmental pecking was the behavior most frequently observed in all winter gardens, where, particularly around the PPs, pecking at the device was observed. Therefore, the enrichment device can be assessed as well accepted by the hens in winter gardens. The effect of the device on the plumage condition remains unclear, with external factors probably showing a greater influence than the enrichment.

To avoid the killing of surplus male layer chickens, dual-purpose hybrids are suggested as an alternative approach. These strains may offer additional advantages compared to conventional laying hens, for instance, a lower tendency to develop injurious pecking behavior. The aim of this study was to assess the behavior, with focus on pecking behavior, of conventional layers (Lohmann Brown plus, LB+) and dual-purpose hens (Lohmann Dual, LD). About 1,845 hens per strain with intact beaks were housed in four stable compartments in aviary systems. Video-based scan sampling of general behaviors and continuous observations of pecking behavior were carried out between 25 and 69 weeks of life. With the exception of “dustbathing” and “scratching,” hybrid × time during the laying period affected all of the observed general behaviors [F(2, 89) = 3.92–10.81, P < 0.001–0.05]. With increasing age, the LB+ hens performed more general pecking, more locomotion and less comfort and sitting behavior. General pecking and comfort behavior did not change over time in the LD hens, whereas inactive behaviors increased with age. During continuous observations, a significant hybrid x period interaction was found for all forms of pecking behavior [F(2, 89) = 4.55–14.80, P < 0.001–0.05]. The LB+ hens showed particularly more severe feather pecking (SFP), which increased with age. In contrast, SFP remained exceptionally low in the LD hens throughout production. Therefore, dual-purpose hybrids should be considered as an alternative to both avoid the killing of surplus male chickens and the development of SFP in laying hen production.

ABSTRACT: Measuring corticosterone concentrations in feathers of poultry may be suitable to determine birds' exposure to stress. It is thinkable, that in laying hens such information could be helpful as an animal welfare indicator to evaluate adverse husbandry conditions and to predict the risk of developing behavioral disorders, such as feather pecking and cannibalism. Yet, there are some fundamental issues which remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of the current pilot study was to examine the inter- and intraindividual variation of pullets at the end of the rearing period, when most of the feathers are fully grown and animals are reaching sexual maturity. Flight feathers from both wings (n = 4), the tail (n = 2 – 3), and body feathers (n = 1 pool of 3 – 5 feathers) were taken from pullets (n = 10), genetics Lohmann Brown, at an age of 19 weeks who were reared in the same flock (N = 728). Corticosterone analysis was performed applying a validated protocol for laying hens. Results indicate not only high intraindividual, but also high interindividual variation. Mean over all samples was 75.2 pg/mg (± 38.58 pg/mg, n = 76), showing higher intraindividual variation (between feather types; SD: 23.75 pg/mg – 49.38 pg/mg; n = 10 pullets) than interindividual variation (within feather types; SD: 11.91 pg/mg – 49.55 pg/mg; n = 6 feather types). The variation between different feather types within one bird was higher than the variation within one feather type between different birds, indicating that birds a) may respond differently when exposed to stressors and b) corticosterone measurements should be done with the same feather type.

Injurious pecking against conspecifics is a serious problem in turkey husbandry. Bloody injuries act as a trigger mechanism to induce further pecking, and timely detection and intervention can prevent massive animal welfare impairments and costly losses. Thus, the overarching aim is to develop a camera-based system to monitor the flock and detect injuries using neural networks. In a preliminary study, images of turkeys were annotated by labelling potential injuries. These were used to train a network for injury detection. Here, we applied a keypoint detection model to provide more information on animal position and indicate injury location. Therefore, seven turkey keypoints were defined, and 244 images (showing 7660 birds) were manually annotated. Two state-of-the-art approaches for pose estimation were adjusted, and their results were compared. Subsequently, a better keypoint detection model (HRNet-W48) was combined with the segmentation model for injury detection. For example, individual injuries were classified using “near tail” or “near head” labels. Summarizing, the keypoint detection showed good results and could clearly differentiate between individual animals even in crowded situations.

The equipment used in broiler breeder houses is an important factor in allowing the expression of the various behaviours of the animals, and thus realizing high welfare standards. Presently, detailed requirements for the equipment in broiler breeder houses are not specified in Germany, especially feed space and perch design allowance. One reason is that basic biometric data on broiler breeders are lacking. To close this gap, a pilot study was conducted, and birds’ width, weight, and feet were measured. Broiler breeders at 22 weeks of age (50 female and 17 male) were weighed and photographed digitally, and their body widths were calculated from the photographs. Female broiler breeders weighed 2791.80 ± 334.99 g on average and showed a body width of 20.63 ± 1.88 cm. For males, a mean of 3615.88 ± 432.46 g was measured with a body width of 21.94 ± 2.32 cm. Our examinations revealed that a trough side length of 21.00 cm per hen and 22.00 cm per cock must be provided to ensure that all broiler breeders have equal access to feed. The same dimensions should be planned as the perch length for each animal. Measurements of broiler breeders’ feet (506 female and 150 male Cobb 500) were performed at 60 weeks of age. The length of each toe and the width and length of the foot pad of both sexes were photographed and measured digitally. Female broiler breeders’ feet showed an average length of 10.14 cm, and male birds showed a length of 12.05 cm. Based on recommendations for the perch design for laying hens, round and oval perches for broiler breeders should have a circumference of at least 11.30 cm (female) or 13.40 cm (male). For angular perches, the upper contact area should have a width of 2.80 cm (female) or 3.40 cm (male). The obtained biometric data could be a useful basis for the development of legal requirements for broiler breeders.

The objective of this study was to analyze sexual dimorphism with regard to the bone quality of Ross 308 broilers. The relationship between carcass traits, performance and bone quality was analyzed. The effect of sex and age at slaughter was examined in four replicates, always on day 31 and day 38. The weight, length, minimum diameter and breaking strength of the tibiotarsi were measured to determine the bone quality. Female tibiotarsi were shorter, lighter and had a lower minimum diameter and breaking strength compared to male ones. The tibiotarsi of older broilers were found to show higher values in the three-point bending test. The effects on broiler performance were determined by measuring the live body weight, carcass and cut weights. The results demonstrate significant effects of the age at slaughter and the sex (p < 0.001) on all measured parameters, with males always reaching higher values compared to females. A strong correlation of performance and bone parameters could be observed between live weight and weight of the tibiotarsi on both days of data collection. Therefore, it could be beneficial to raise female and male broilers separately. However, in order to make specific recommendations for practice, further knowledge is necessary.

Animal welfare is one of the most challenging issues in modern farm animal husbandry. Animal welfare indicators can be used to monitor welfare on farms or at slaughterhouses, with footpad dermatitis (FPD) being one of the most important indicators used in turkeys. Up to now, the severity of FPD has been measured by evaluating the size of altered lesions on the metatarsal pad of birds. However, such lesions are not only found on the metatarsal pads, but alterations can also occur on the digital pads of the animals, the latter is not included in the European standard scoring systems for turkeys so far. The aim of the present study was to give a detailed outline of alterations on the digital pads of turkeys and associate their occurrence to a standardly used five-point scoring system, which is based on alterations of the metatarsal pad only. Therefore, pictures of 500 feet of turkeys from 16 flocks at the end of the fattening phase were taken, using an automatic camera system. Based on these pictures, alterations on the digits were scored according to different parameters (lesions, swellings, and number of affected digits). Furthermore, detailed measurements were conducted using an imaging software. Results were compared with a standardly used five-point scoring system (standard FPD scoring system), based on the metatarsal pad as reference. Results provide no equivalence in occurrence and severity of alterations on the metatarsal pads compared to those found on the digits. Pathologic alterations on the digits were already present at standard FPD scoring level 0; no differentiation became obvious between the higher scoring levels 2–4. Strong correlations were found when comparing percentage of alterations of the standard FPD scoring system to those of a system including alterations on the digits and the metatarsal pad, using the total foot as a reference (rp = 0.9, p < 0.001). This was the first study conducting a detailed analysis of alterations on the digits of turkeys. In conclusion, results of this study show that including the evaluation of alterations on digits could refine the present FPD scoring system, especially when using FPD as an animal welfare indicator.

According to international housing recommendations, fattening bulls should not be housed in groups of more than 12–20 animals. However, there are no scientific studies supporting these recommendations as most studies on fattening cattle refer to smaller groups. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze and compare behavior and performance of 187 fattening bulls housed in different group sizes of 16, 22, and 33 animals. Behavioral observations were performed during three observation periods at an average age of 8.5, 13, and 17 months. Furthermore, body condition, health status and carcass weights were analyzed. Effects of increasing group size were observed regarding more synchronized lying behavior, longer lying durations and more undisturbed feeding and lying behavior. Interindividual variations in lying and feeding as well as mean and maximum percentages of animals participating simultaneously in interactions did not increase with group size. Health and growth performance were satisfactory in all group sizes. Therefore, the results of this study do not provide scientific evidence for the common argument that increasing group size leads to increased aggression. Furthermore, these findings indicate large group systems to be suitable for the housing of fattening cattle and to contribute to increasing animal welfare. Consequently, current recommendations should be revised.

In this study, a new housing system for broiler was tested. This system consisted of a slatted floor area and a littered area with the aim of improving litter quality. Two experimental broiler houses were provided. In house 1, a slatted floor was installed below the drinker and feedlines. Littered areas flanked the slatted floor. Broiler house 2 reflected conditions in commercial systems, consisting of a full littered area. Litter samples were taken at day 11 and at day 32 of the fattening period. Manure samples were taken at day 32. The total bacteria count (TBC), coliforms, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and ESBL-producing bacteria were determined. Furthermore, physical parameters (dry matter, water activity, pH) of litter and manure were measured. For statistical analyzes, a generalized linear mixed model (GLIMMIX procedure) was calculated. The floor did not show any significant effect on the bacteria content of the litter. Regarding TBC in litter, the floor showed a tendency for an effect (F = 5.42, p

Since the abolition of beak trimming in laying hens in Germany, the importance of adequate enrichment material to help reduce feather pecking and cannibalism has grown. Here we tested an automatic enrichment device dosing grain via rough-coated pecking plates (PPs) on an organic farm, comparing its offer in four winter gardens (WGs). Winter garden (WG) 1 served as the control area without an automatic enrichment device, while WGs 2–4 offered different quantities of PPs, with WG 2 offering double the amount of PPs as WGs 3 and 4. The number of laying hens (Lohmann Brown Lite) per m² and close to the enrichment device (one hen‘s body length around) was determined using photo records. The usage behavior of the hens differed in the four WGs and with the animals’ age. Over the whole husbandry period (60 weeks), on average, 1.48 hens/m² were detected in the control area (WG 1), and a mean of 2.27 hens/m² in the enriched WGs. Compared to WG 1, the number of hens per m² was higher in WG 2 (2.43 hens/m²) and WG 3 (2.59 hens/m²) (p < 0.05), but similar in WG 4 (1.79 hens/m²). At the end of the husbandry period, fewer animals (mean of all WGs: 1.43 hens/m²) used the WGs than from beginning to the middle of the laying period (mean of all WGs: 2.05–2.15 hens/m²; p < 0.05). Our data indicate that the automatic enrichment device positively influences the animals’ use of the WG.

Broiler chickens in Europe are usually raised in a barren environment. Elevated perforated platforms address this problem and can positively influence animal health and welfare. To evaluate the effect of an elevated perforated floor on the behavior of broiler chickens, one of two barns was equipped with a perforated flooring system under the food and water supply. The second barn was used as a control. In total, three fattening periods were observed, with 500 broiler chickens (Ross 308 breed) kept in each barn. To compare the behavior of the birds in these groups, cameras were installed in the two barns. The videos were analyzed by counting the number of birds and observing focal animals while recording their behavior. More animals were observed on the perforated floor than in the littered control area (p < 0.001), but focal animals spent less time on the perforated floor compared to the observed littered area in the control barn (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the length of the recorded behaviors between the treatments. These findings suggest that, in general, the elevated perforated floor is attractive for the animals. However, it does not promote one of the recorded behavior patterns. Our results show that an elevated perforated floor could be an option for structuring broiler barns.

The assessment of foot pad dermatitis at slaughter is a suitable method to assess and monitor the welfare of broilers. The goals of this study were to define and validate a camera-based score that could identify macroscopic lesions of the foot pads, to identify errors, and to assess possible external factors that could influence the assessment. In the first phase 200 feet of broilers and in the second phase 500 feet were collected at slaughter, assessed visually, hung back into the evisceration line, and assessed by an automatic system. The camera score cut-off values were defined in the first (=calibration) phase. In the second (=validation) phase, the performance of diagnosis for these cut-off values was evaluated, and possible errors in the assessment of reference surface area and foot pad lesions were analyzed. The results showed that, in particular, Macro Scores 0, 2, and 3 could be identified with sufficiently high sensitivity. For Macro Score 1, the sensitivity of diagnosis was not sufficiently high in the two evaluated software versions. The current automatic assessment systems at slaughter could be adjusted to the cut-off values in order to classify foot pad dermatitis lesions. Furthermore, software updates can enhance the performance measures and lower the probability of errors.

This study aimed to develop a camera-based system using artificial intelligence for automated detection of pecking injuries in turkeys. Videos were recorded and split into individual images for further processing. Using specifically developed software, the injuries visible on these images were marked by humans, and a neural network was trained with these annotations. Due to unacceptable agreement between the annotations of humans and the network, several work steps were initiated to improve the training data. First, a costly work step was used to create high-quality annotations (HQA) for which multiple observers evaluated already annotated injuries. Therefore, each labeled detection had to be validated by three observers before it was saved as “finished”, and for each image, all detections had to be verified three times. Then, a network was trained with these HQA to assist observers in annotating more data. Finally, the benefit of the work step generating HQA was tested, and it was shown that the value of the agreement between the annotations of humans and the network could be doubled. Although the system is not yet capable of ensuring adequate detection of pecking injuries, the study demonstrated the importance of such validation steps in order to obtain good training data.

The usage of automatic feeding systems (AFS) in cattle offers multiple advantages, mostly due to the possibility of an increased feeding frequency. While it is gaining more and more importance in dairy farming, there is still a lack of experience and scientific knowledge regarding its use in fattening cattle. The aim of this study was to describe the behavior of 56 Simmental bulls fed with an AFS six times daily a total mixed ration. The animals arrived at the farm with an average age of 148 ± 11 days. They were housed in four straw-bedded pens in groups of 14 animals each. Their average slaughter age was 558 ± 20 days. Behavioral observations were made during three observation periods (OP) at an average of 11, 14, and 16 months of age. Using scan sampling, feeding, and lying behavior of all animals and the order of bulls feeding after feed delivery were recorded. Furthermore, body condition and health status were monitored and complemented with the carcass weights. Body condition, health status, and carcass weights of the bulls were found to be satisfactory: Mean body condition score increased from 2.8 ± 0.3 in OP1 to 3.0 ± 0.1 in OP3 and mean carcass weight was 432.71 ± 40.82 kg. No severe health problems occurred. The feeding activity of the bulls was spread out over the course of the day with peaks in the afternoon and evening. Percentages of bulls feeding per pen never exceeded 20%, animals feeding mostly alone (during 28.04 ± 2.15% of total observation time) or in groups of two to three (16.61 ± 2.00% and 6.74 ± 1.90%). The order of bulls feeding after feed delivery varied indicating that all animals had similar access to fresh feed. These results emphasize the importance of constant feed availability and quality at any time of the day, thus indicating the ability of an AFS with six daily feedings to ensure such a consistency.

Roosting on elevated perches is a behavioral priority in laying hens, which is well-investigated in both experimental and commercial settings. However, little is known about perching behavior and perch requirements of alternative hybrids, such as dual-purpose hens. The aim of the present study was to gain basic knowledge on linear space requirements and perching patterns of dual-purpose hens (Lohmann Dual, LD) by comparing them to a conventional layer line (Lohmann Brown plus, LB+). About 3,700 hens per genetic strain were housed in two consecutive batches in four compartments of an aviary system with metal perches at different heights above a grid tier. As an indicator for required perching space, the body widths of a sample of individual hens was determined by image analyses. In addition, the use of five differently located perches and one cross-brace (structural element of the aviary system) was assessed by photo-based observations during the light and the dark phase. The LD hens measured an average body width of 15.95 ± 0.08 cm, and thus occupied about 7% more linear space than the LB+ hens (14.77 ± 0.08 cm body width; P < 0.05). Overall perch use was higher during the dark compared to the light phase, both in the LB+ (3.89 ± 0.08 vs. 0.79 ± 0.03 hens/m, P < 0.05) and the LD hens (2.88 ± 0.06 vs. 0.86 ± 0.03 hens/m, P < 0.05). With a maximum of 8.17 hens/m, the LB+ hens preferred to roost on the highest perches available at night. In contrast, the LD hens also rested on the lowest perches, and showed a more even use of all perches provided. During the day, the LD hens seemed to need lower perches for easy access to the feeders, whereas more LB+ hens used the higher perches, presumably to avoid threatening conspecifics. The present results show that preferences for certain perch locations differed between conventional layers and dual-purpose hens, whereas diurnal patterns of perch use were similar in both hybrids. Therefore, perches should be designed and located in an aviary system to meet the specific preferences and behavioral needs of the hybrid housed.

A partially (50%) perforated flooring system showed positive effects on health- and behavior-based welfare indicators without affecting production performance. Ammonia (NH3) is the most common air pollutant in poultry production, with effects on animal welfare and the environment. The objectives of animal welfare and environmental protection are often incompatible. Therefore, this study addresses the question of how a partially perforated flooring system affects NH3 emissions. According to German regulations, three fattening periods were carried out with 500 Ross 308 broilers per barn (final stocking density: 39 kg m−2). The experimental barn was equipped with an elevated perforated area in the supply section, accessible by perforated ramps. The remaining area in the experimental barn and the control barn were equipped with wood shavings (600 g m−2). Besides the different floor types, management was identical. Air temperature (Temp), relative air humidity (RH), NH3 concentration, and ventilation rate (VR) were measured continuously. Furthermore, dry matter (DM) content, pH, and litter quality were assessed. Towards the end of the fattening periods, the NH3 emission rate (ER) of the partially perforated flooring system was higher compared with that of the littered control barn (all p < 0.001). This effect is mainly caused by the higher NH3 concentrations, which are promoted by the lack of compaction underneath the elevated perforated area and the increase in pH value under aerobic conditions. Nevertheless, the partially perforated flooring system offers different approaches for NH3 reduction that were previously not feasible, potentially contributing equally to animal welfare and environmental protection.

The available floor space is an important welfare factor for cull sows during transportation. Sows of modern genetics reach a size and weight far exceeding those of fattening pigs. In most countries, there are no binding, consistent regulations for the maximum loading densities, especially for sows during road transportation. As a first step towards such recommendations, the physical floor space requirement (static space) of 100 sows of a current breed, while standing and lying down, were determined using contrast-based planimetry. An average sow covered about 0.42–0.47 m2 (standing postures) up to 0.53–0.63 m2 (lying postures). The largest measured area was 0.72 m2 for a sow lying in the belly-chest position. We detected a significant dependency of the covered floor area and the live weight, which supports the common practice to derive space requirements and recommendations based on live weight. Also, our results suggest that especially heavy sows, under currently usual loading densities, are at risk of having insufficient floor space requirements during transport. The results cannot be used to define the space required by a sow to carry out movements or sustain the individual need for distance (social/dynamic space) but provide data on the static space covered by sows of current breeds.

Natural light with ultraviolet spectrum (UV) influences the birds´ perception, the reflectivity of their plumage and affects bird behavior. Therefore, in Germany, laying hens kept in barns should be provided with daylight inlets. Nevertheless, lighting in laying hen houses with a UV proportion is not common practice and little is known about the detailed effects of UV-A lighting during the entire rearing and production period. The present on-farm study examines the impact of light quality on plumage loss, skin injuries and production parameters of laying hens. Therefore, about 92,000 Lohmann Brown hens with untrimmed beaks were kept on a farm in two different groups. Half of them were housed in a barn containing 10 pens illuminated by additional UV-A light (simulate “daylight spectrum”). The other half in the second barn were equally grouped, but exposed to standard lighting for poultry houses. Health, production parameters and plumage condition were monitored during rearing and production. The study results reveal that additional UV-A light is associated with the occurrence of plumage damage and cannibalistic injuries during production. In all groups, the plumage condition of the hens was intact when the hens started laying and declined with age. Therefore, complex interactions alongside UV illumination, environmental enrichment, feed and feeding strategies as well as other management factors that possibly affected both feather damage and skin injuries must also be taken into account.

Currently, there is no consistent approach to on-farm and post-mortem foot pad (FP) assessment in turkey husbandry in sampling of both feet, sample sizes of birds and scoring schemes during the production period. Therefore, in a field study, 11,400 turkeys, i.e., 22,800 feet, were macroscopically scored at 4-week intervals, 60 birds per flock per date, in accordance with the scale system of Hocking et al. (1). Spearman's rho was calculated between the foot pad dermatitis (FPD) score of both feet of an individual turkey. Sample size for FPD monitoring was calculated for several flock sizes, considering expected FPD prevalence and the error and confidence level (α = 0.01, 0.05, 0.1). To compare macroscopic to histological findings, ten excised FPs were histopathologically investigated by hematoxylin & eosin staining. To align manual macroscopic FPD evaluations with a technical system, 20 photographic images of FPD were measured using the ImageJ program. The scores of both feet of an individual turkey correlated between r = 0.252 and r = 1.000. Thus, both feet of a bird should be monitored, while the worse foot should be evaluated. As an exemplary sample size for on-farm FPD assessment, 77 turkey poults were calculated in a flock of 4,000 birds with an expected FPD prevalence of 40% and α = 0.1. The sample size of monitored birds within a flock should differ and depend on flock size and expected FPD prevalence. Histopathological findings showed normal and non-affected structures of a macroscopic Score 0 and a moderate ulcer of the macroscopic Score 1 and Score 2. The applied assessment scheme should distinguish first alterations and scar tissue as separate scores to differentiate the need for management intervention vs. the success of management measures that were already implemented. FPD affected areas were given lower Scores and assessed to be healthier when evaluated by an image system, compared to a manual assessment. Furthermore, with regard to an increase in camera-based assessments, the boundary of the metatarsal pad needs to be clarified. In conclusion, a new scoring system is required, as the size of the FP cannot be clearly defined and different tissue textures, as well as valid sample sizes are not currently sufficiently considered.

In this study, the floor area covered by individual finishing pigs in various body positions was measured using a contrast-based planimetric method for computer-assisted analysis of two-dimensional images. Two hundred and thirty-two finishing pigs were weighed during the last fifth of the fattening period and measured in different body positions using contrast-based planimetry. Thirteen body positions were defined based on characteristic directions of the head, legs and body. The lowest average covered floor area was found for body position A (pig standing up straight, nose touching the ground) with 0.288 ± 0.026 m2. The highest average covered floor area for a standing pig amounted to 0.335 ± 0.030 m2 in body posture ES (pig standing curved sideways, head raised above the dorsal line) and, for a lying pig, 0.486 ± 0.040 m2 (posture LL, pig lying in fully lateral recumbent position). The covered floor surface significantly depended on the weight of the animal and the body posture. Allometric estimations previously described for calculating the floor area physically covered by a pig's body are not consistently precise in depicting the actual areas covered. The minimal floor area offered in animal transportation vehicles, according to European legislation, is insufficient in the case of all pigs lying in the fully recumbent position simultaneously, without the pigs being forced to partially overlap one another. Therefore, both allometric formulas and legislation should be modified on the basis of these results and further studies with pigs of modern genetic origin should be conducted.

The occurrence of stereotypies in captive animals may indicate restrictions in animal welfare. In cattle, common stereotypies are tongue playing, manipulation of objects, or conspecifics. However, to our knowledge, the occurrence of stereotypies in fattening cattle was only analyzed in studies several decades old. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the prevalence of stereotypies in fattening bulls housed in different systems. On three German fattening farms, a total of 243 fattening bulls housed in groups of 14, 16, 22, and 33 animals in straw-bedded pens were observed. Behavioral observations were performed via video recordings during three observation periods distributed over the whole fattening period, using a scan sampling technique. In 234 of 243 bulls, stereotypies were observed at least once. During 15.9 ± 2.4% of the scan intervals, stereotypies were observed in at least one animal per pen. Average numbers of stereotypies per animal and hour ranged from 0.2 to 0.9. The most common stereotypy was manipulating objects, followed by tongue playing and manipulating conspecifics. These results indicate that stereotypies are highly prevalent in fattening bulls under current housing conditions. They underline the need for further studies to analyze the causation of stereotypies in order to reduce their frequency.

Wet litter is the most important cause of footpad dermatitis in poultry, this in turn being a highly relevant animal-related welfare indicator. This field study was subdivided into two experiments. In Experiment 1, the standard diet was supplemented by 0.2% enriched charcoal, being a non-specific absorber and therefore might be promising in reducing faecal moisture. In Experiment 2, the experimental group received a reduced crude protein diet during weeks 6−13, combined with a 0.2% enriched charcoal supplementation. The trials were each conducted with two batches on three farms under on-farm conditions. The animals were observed at 6, 10, 14 and 18 weeks of age to collect data on body weight and different health parameters. The mortality and litter samples were analysed after slaughtering. In Experiment 1, performance and health were not affected despite higher dry matter content of the litter. In Experiment 2, the weight of birds receiving the protein-reduced diet was decreased significantly throughout the experiment. However, the slaughter weight did not differ. The mortality was reduced by 0.5% in the experimental group. Therefore, it was concluded that 0.2% of enriched charcoal is not a valuable feed-additive regarding animal health, while temporary protein reduction might have positive effects.

Access to adequate foraging material can reduce the occurrence of feather pecking and cannibalism in laying hens. Technical devices may help farmers provide enrichment material more effectively. However, research in this field is rare. On a commercial free-range farm with 15,000 laying hens (Lohmann Tradition), an enrichment device was evaluated from the 30th to the 58th week of age (LW). It ran at five time points (TP) in the afternoon and offered five grams of dried maize silage per hen per day. The numbers of hens residing in defined scratching areas (ScA) either beneath the device (ScA 1 and 3) or in a similar area without the device (ScA 2) were determined. Significantly more hens were found in ScA 1 and ScA 3 when the device was running. On average, only 6.96 (±7.00) hens stayed in ScA 2, whereas 31.45 (±5.38) and 33.83 (±6.16) hens stayed in ScA 1 and ScA 3, respectively. The hen numbers for ScA 1 and ScA 3 did not differ significantly, nor did the TPs have an influence on number of hens within ScA 1 and ScA 3. The number of hens beneath the device can serve as a potential indicator of the device’s usage.

The assessment of plumage and integument condition in laying hens provides useful information about the occurrence of feather pecking and cannibalism. Although feather loss and skin injuries can result from mechanical abrasion or clinical diseases, they are valid animal-based indicators for behavioural disorders. This particularly applies to damage on the back and tail region of the hens. The aim was to evaluate the behaviour of dual-purpose breeds (Lohmann Dual, LD) and conventional layer hybrids (Lohmann Brown plus, LB+), and to compare a mere visual assessment (Visual Scoring, VSc), with a method involving the handling of individual animals (Hands-on Scoring, HSc). During weekly VSc, the hens’ plumage and integument were scored on five body parts. HSc was carried out on seven study days applying the same scoring scale as for VSc. In LB+ hens, minor plumage damage started at 25 weeks and increased to the 71st week. With 99.5% of LB+ showing feather loss to a different extent, the back was the most severely affected body part. In contrast, only between 4.5% and 7% of LD showed minor feather loss at the end of the study. Integument damage reached a peak, with 6% affected LB+ in week 66. Injuries were found only sporadically in LD hens. Spearman’s rho for the comparison of plumages scores given in VSc and HSc was >0.90 (p < 0.01) in both hybrids for most of the tested body regions and weeks, except for the breast/belly region. However, VSc and HSc were equally valid for detecting skin injuries of all of the body regions (rs > 0.86, p < 0.01). Damaging behaviour only occurred in the LB+ flocks, though both of the genetic strains were kept under the same conditions. The visual scoring method was suitable for detecting both plumage and integument damage.