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 × 2 indoor housing systems with or without range access) with five replicates. 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 ≤ .001, p ≤ .001, and p ≤ .006). The locomotion and standing behavior were found to be greater in slow-growing broilers than fast-growing broilers ( p ≤ .001 and p ≤ .001). The birds in conventional deep litter spent more time with drinking ( p ≤ .001) and lying behavior ( p ≤ .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 ≤ .05). The results have shown that the broilers with outdoor access exhibited 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.