Effects of different broiler production systems on health care costs in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study analyzed the effects of different broiler production systems on health care costs in the Netherlands. In addition to the conventional production system, the analysis also included 5 alternative animal welfare systems representative of the Netherlands. The study was limited to the most prevalent and economically relevant endemic diseases in the broiler farms. Health care costs consisted of losses and expenditures. The study investigated whether higher animal welfare standards increased health care costs, in both absolute and relative terms, and also examined which cost components (losses or expenditures) were affected and, if so, to what extent. The results show that health care costs represent only a small proportion of total production costs in each production system. Losses account for the major part of health care costs, which makes it difficult to detect the actual effect of diseases on total health care costs. We conclude that, although differences in health care costs exist across production systems, health care costs only make a minor contribution to the total production costs relative to other costs, such as feed costs and purchase of 1-d-old chicks.

Comparison of Chinese Broiler Production Systems in Economic Performance and Animal Welfare

“…In addition, feed costs and chicken prices account for the largest proportion of total costs, which could partially explain why NFS systems in China have been replaced so quickly by NCS and HCS. The present results are consistent with many other studies [24,28].…”

Exploring the economic potential of reducing broiler lameness

“…To estimate the economic impact of different production practices, a partial budget-based economic farm model was developed from earlier models (Dijkhuizen and Morris, 1997;Gocsik et al, 2014). In the latter study, the approach was used to calculate the economic impact of the most prevalent endemic diseases in Dutch broiler production systems.…”

“…In the sensitivity analysis, the decrease of 10 g/d in daily weight gain was changed by ±5%. The decrease in daily weight gain due to lameness in conventional system was assumed to be 10 g/d (Gocsik et al, 2014).…”

“…This negative impact of lameness on production most likely reduces economic performance, i.e. production costs and returns (Bradshaw et al, 2002;Gocsik et al, 2014). Studies of onfarm risk factors and management practices that affect gait health (Butterworth and Haslam, 2009;Bassler et al, 2013) identified opportunities to improve welfare and reduce economic loss.…”

A Pictorial Guidebook on Poultry Diseases; Diagnostic Techniques and their Effective Treatment

“…On the other side, poultry birds are susceptible to several types of infectious and/or non-infectious diseases [8]. These diseases affect the fast growing broiler birds and laying chickens performances via decreasing feed intake, growth rate, weight gain, survival rate, egg production (impairment in nutrition digestion and absorption), higher mortality due to respiratory infection (plaques in trachea), enteritis (inflammation of intestine), bloody diarrhea, paralysis and prostration of the head and the neck and suppression of immune responses [5,9,10]. The above mention clinical sign cause huge production losses and enhance the production cost [11,12].…”