Ethological aspects of chickens welfare under different environmental conditions during summer time
2008
Bozakova, N.
During summer time the high air temperature humidity and constant exposure to ammonia concentrations are common phenomena in floor-reared birds. They results are the worsening of the poultry welfare and health. The purpose of the present study was to follow out the alterations in the broiler chickens welfare thought their behaviour under different environmental conditions during summer time. The study was performed on 108 broiler chickens reared under normal - control group and microclimatic conditions of high temperature humidity and concentration of ammonia - experimental group. The rearing period lasted from the age of 1 to 60 days. The broilers behaviour was monitored using ethogrammes. The ingestion of food and water the gregarious behaviour resting movements and dust bathing and the agonistic behaviour were observed. The worsened welfare of birds was manifested by increased number of water intake and decreased number of feed intake as well as by decreased number of resting birds limited episodes of dust bathing and reduced locomotor activity. More intensive agonistic behaviour and anxiety in experimental broilers are reliable indicators of the poultry welfare worsening.
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