Advances in Poultry Welfare

Part One: Introduction
1. Overview of commercial poultry production systems and their main welfare challenges

Part Two: Management: Hatch to Slaughter
2. The effects of hatchery practices on the welfare of poultry
3. Rearing young birds for adaptability
4. Gas and low atmospheric pressure stunning

Part Three: Welfare Assessment on the Farm
6. Welfare assessment of poultry on the farm:
7. Poultry welfare assessment on the farm: Focusing on the individual

Part Four: Continuing Challenges
8. Skeletal problems in contemporary commercial laying hens
9. Feather pecking and cannibalism: can we really stop beak trimming?
10. Sustainability of laying hen housing systems
11. Stocking density: Can we judge how much space poultry need?
12. Understanding social behavior for better flock management
13. Welfare issues in turkey production

Part Five: Emerging Issues
14. The future of poultry pest management
15. Using genetic approaches to improve host responses to environmental stressors
16. Backyard flock production
17. Mass depopulation

Advances in Poultry Welfare provides a targeted overview of contemporary developments in poultry welfare. The reviews in the volume address topical issues related to poultry welfare research and assessment, with a focus on identifying practical strategies for improvement as well as information gaps that remain to be filled.

Part One provides an introduction to poultry production systems and gives a broad overview of current poultry welfare issues. Part Two moves on to review several aspects of poultry management, focusing on hatchery practices, early rearing, and slaughter. Part Three deals with welfare assessment on the farm, while Part Four explores continuing challenges, such as feather pecking and skeletal problems. This is followed in Part Five by a discussion of emerging issues, with chapters covering alternative parasite control methods, backyard poultry production, mass depopulation, and genetic approaches to reducing the impact of environmental stressors on welfare.

This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry.

With its expert editor and international team of contributors, Advances in Poultry Welfare is a key reference tool for welfare research scientists and students, veterinarians involved in welfare assessment, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in the welfare of poultry.

• Provides in-depth reviews of emerging topics, research and applications in poultry welfare
• Integral part of a wider series, Advances in Agricultural Animal Welfare, which will provide comprehensive coverage of animal welfare of the world’s major farmed animals
• Covers a range of topical issues within the field, from beak-trimming and skeletal problems, to early rearing and the design and management of poultry production systems
• Edited by a distinguished leader in the field

Animal Welfare research scientists as well as postgraduate students, Animal production researcher scientists, Practising vets involved in welfare assessment, NGOs interested in animal welfare