Effects of range access on behavioral-based welfare indicators and foot health condition of slow- and fast-growing broiler

Abstract

This study was made to investigate outdoor range access on behavio-ral-based welfare parameters and post-mortem foot health conditions of slow-and fast-growing broilers in experimental conditions. There were four treatment groups (two genotypes as fast-and slow-growing birds x 2 indoor housing systems with or without range access) with five repli-cates. The behavior of 200 male chicks in the groups was observed at 8 weeks of age. The foot health condition was determined after slaughter. Fast-growing broilers spent more time with feeding, drinking, and dust bathing (p & LE; .001, p & LE; .001, and p & LE; .006). The locomotion and standing behavior were found to be greater in slow-growing broilers than fast-growing broilers (p & LE; .001 and p & LE; .001). The birds in conventional deep litter spent more time with drinking (p & LE; .001) and lying behavior (p & LE; .046). The post-mortem incidence of the foot pad and hock joint dermatitis was found to be greater in fast-growing broilers in both housing groups (p & LE; .05). The results have shown that the broilers with outdoor access exhibi-ted more natural behavior such as preening and slow-growing birds spent more time performing locomotion and standing. Slow-growing broilers had also less post-mortem foot pad and hock joint lesions compared to fast-growing broilers.