Evaluating Pekin duck walking ability using a treadmill performance test

Abstract

Gait scoring is the most popular method for assessing the walking ability of poultry species. Although inexpensive and easy to implement, gait scoring systems are often criticized for being subjective. Using a treadmill performance test we assessed whether observable differences in Pekin duck walking ability identified using a gait scoring system translated to differences in walking performance. One hundred and eighty ducks were selected using a three-category gait scoring system (GS0 = smooth gait, n = 55; GS0.5 = labored walk without easily identifiable impediment, n = 56; GS1 = obvious impediment, n = 59) and the amount of time each duck was able to sustain walking on a treadmill at a speed of 0.31 m/s was evaluated. The walking test ended when each duck met one of three elimination criteria: (1) The duck walked for a maximum time of ten minutes, (2) the duck required support from the observer's hand for more than three seconds in order to continue walking on the treadmill, or (3) the duck sat down on the treadmill and made no attempt to stand despite receiving assistance from the observer. Data were analyzed in SAS 9.4 using PROC GLM. Tukey's multiple comparison test was used to compare differences in time spent walking between gait scores. Significant differences were found between all gait scores (P < 0.05). Behavioral correlates of walking performance were investigated. Video recorded during the treadmill test was analyzed for counts of sitting, standing, and leaning behaviors. Data were analyzed in SAS 9.4 using a negative binomial model for count data. No differences were found between gait scores for counts of sitting, standing, and leaning behaviors (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the amount of time spent walking on the treadmill corresponded to gait score and was an effective measurement for quantifying Pekin duck walking ability. The test could be a valuable tool for assessing the development of walking issues or the effectiveness of treatments aimed at promoting leg health.

Assessment of welfare of Pekin ducks reared in intensive production system in Poland using transect method

“…Comparable findings for intensively reared Pekin ducks on litter were documented by Karcher et al (2013), who noted a 1.1% proportion of ducks with limping or impaired walking due to crossed feet by the 32nd day of life. Conversely, Byrd et al (2016) reported a higher occurrence, with over 3% of ducks displaying stumbling issues. Also high rates of gait abnormalities have been reported in Pekin ducks: 14% of 23-day-old and 21% of 41-day-old Pekin ducks across 46 commercial flocks (Duggan et al, 2016).…”

“…Recognizing this gap, the European Commission tasked EFSA with reviewing available information and publications to establish a robust scientific foundation for revising proposals on the welfare of this poultry category (EFSA et al, 2023). However, the challenge lies in the scarcity of research on duck welfare, with only a few authors having published welfare-related findings for commercially raised ducks in recent years Fraley et al, 2013;Karcher et al, 2013;Colton and Fraley, 2014;Zeng et al, 2015;Byrd et al, 2016;House et al, 2021 a, b). Notably, only one of these studies utilized the TW method (Abdelfattah et al, 2020).…”

Welfare of ducks, geese and quail on farm

“…In an experimental study of Mule ducks, the prevalence of gait abnormalities was reported to increase from 3 to 5 weeks of age, while it decreased again from weeks 5 to 7 of age (Ahmed, 2022 ). It is known on individual level that the worse the gait score, the shorter distance the bird will walk on a treadmill (Domestic ducks: Byrd et al., 2016 ). Within age category, the body weight decreases as walking impairment measured as gait score increases, which may be due to reduced mobility, hindering the birds to access the feeder and waterer as much as otherwise wanted (Domestic ducks: Robison et al., 2015 ; Makagon et al., 2015 ).…”

Setting research driven duck-welfare standards: a systematic review of Pekin duck welfare research

“…While the topic of duck welfare assessment methodology is outside the scope of this review, it is worth noting that 10 of the 63 reviewed publications addressed questions related to the development and comparison of duck welfare assessment methods ( Campbell et al., 2014 ; Pritchett et al, 2014 ; Makagon et al, 2015 ; Robison et al, 2015 ; Byrd et al, 2016 ; Duggan et al, 2016 ; Duggan et al, 2017 ; Barrett & Blanche, 2019 ; Klambeck et al, 2019 ; Abdelfattah et al, 2020 ). Briefly, duck welfare can be assessed using animal-, resource-, and management-based indicators.…”

“…Whereas resource- and management-based indicators of welfare are likely to be measured in similar ways across species (e.g., linear drinker space available per animal), the way in which some of the animal-based indicators are assessed could vary. For example, differences in the structure of a chicken's strut and a duck's waddle have raised questions about the suitability of using a gait score system developed for broilers to assess duck gait ( Karcher et al, 2013 ; Makagon et al, 2015 ; Byrd et al, 2016 ).…”