Survey of chicken rearing conditions in Italy: effects of litter quality and stocking density on productivity, foot dermatitis and carcase injuries

Meluzzi, Adele; Fabbri, C.; Folegatti, Elisa; Sirri, Federico

doi:10.1080/00071660802094156

Cited by 103 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Previous studies (Al Homidan et al 1997;Meluzzi et al 2008) have shown reduced NH 3 emissions in response to increased litter depth with or without a change in stocking density, although this effect was not found by Elwinger and Svensson (1996). Considering the lack of response in ammonia emissions, and the elevated N 2 O in the present study, this approach was ineffective for mitigating GHG.…”

Section: Mitigation Of Gaseous Emissionscontrasting

confidence: 46%

“…Mitigation focussed on litter management by increasing the litter depth has shown reduced NH 3 emissions (Al Homidan et al 1997). Meluzzi et al (2008) found that increased litter and reduced stocking density corresponded to lower moisture content, N content and NH 3 emissions. However, the impact of changed litter depth or dietary CP on GHGs is unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane from Australian meat chicken houses measured under commercial operating conditions and with mitigation strategies applied

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions are important environmental impacts from meat chicken houses. This study measured ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ) in two trials from paired, commercial meat chicken houses using standard (control) and mitigation strategies. In Trial 1, emissions from houses with standard litter depth of 47 mm (LD 47 ) or increased litter depth of 67 mm (LD 67 ) were compared. When standardised to a 42-day-old bird, emissions were 11.9 g NH 3 /bird, 0.30 g N 2 O/bird and 0.16 g CH 4 /bird from the LD 47 and 11.7 g NH 3 /bird, 0.69 g N 2 O/bird and 0.12 g CH 4 /bird from the LD 67 . Emissions per kilogram of manure N were 0.14 and 0.11 for NH 3 -N, 0.003 and 0.005 N 2 O-N and CH 4 conversion factors were 0.08% and 0.05%. Total direct and indirect GHG emissions reported in carbon dioxide equivalents were found to be higher in LD 67 in response to the elevated direct N 2 O emissions. Trial 2 compared the impact of reduced crude protein (CP 19.8 ) and a standard diet (CP 21.3 ) developed using least-cost ration formulation, on emissions. Emissions per bird for the CP 19.8 diet were 7.7 g NH 3 /bird, 0.39 g N 2 O/bird and 0.14 g CH 4 /bird, while emissions from birds fed the CP 21.3 diet were 10.6 g NH 3 /bird, 0.42 g N 2 O/bird and 0.19 g CH 4 /bird. Significant differences were observed only in the NH 3 results, where emissions were reduced by 27% for the low-CP diet. Because of the low emission levels, total mitigation potential from indirect GHG emissions was relatively small in Trial 2, corresponding to 11 t carbon dioxide equivalents/year per million birds.

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Section: Mitigation Of Gaseous Emissionscontrasting

confidence: 46%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane from Australian meat chicken houses measured under commercial operating conditions and with mitigation strategies applied

et al. 2016

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“…In intensive commercial production the use of ventilation along with the adoption of curtains to increase the air speed has spread due to the beneficial effects on bird welfare in relation to the heat dissipation. The effect of stocking density on feed conversion rate is controversial since some authors found that this trait improved or worsened at high stocking densities whereas others did not observe any effect (Shanawany, 1988;Bessei, 1993;Meluzzi et al, 2008). Shanawany (1988) reported an increased mortality rate as stocking density increased.…”

Section: Stocking Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of broiler chickens

Meluzzi

Sirri

2009

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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Broiler chickens have been selected for their rapid growth rate as well as for high carcass yields, with particular regard to the breast, and reared in intensive systems at high stocking density ranging from 30 to 40 kg live weight/m 2 . These conditions lead to a worsening of the welfare status of birds. In Europe a specific directive for the protection of broiler chickens has been recently approved whereas in Italy there is not yet any regulation. The EU directive lays down minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production and gives indications on management practices with particular focus on stocking density, light regimen and air quality, training and guidance for people dealing with chickens, as well as monitoring plans for holding and slaughterhouse. In this review the rearing factors influencing the welfare conditions of birds are described and detailed information on the effects of stocking density, light regimen, litter characteristic and air quality (ammonia, carbon dioxide, humidity, dust) are provided. Moreover, the main health implications of poor welfare conditions of the birds, such as contact dermatitis, metabolic, skeletal and muscular disorders are considered. The behavioural repertoire, including scratching, dust bathing, ground pecking, wing flapping, locomotor activity, along with factors that might impair these aspects, are discussed. Lastly, farm animal welfare assessment through physiological and behavioural indicators is described with particular emphasis on the "Unitary Welfare Index," a tool that considers a wide range of indicators, including productive traits, in order to audit and compare the welfare status of chickens kept in different farms.

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“…a broiler production shed) by a 'heat wave' or long-term increase in maximum temperature exceed the ventilation capacity, then, in addition to potential heat stress on the birds, other variables will be affected. Water usage by the stressed birds will increase (May and Lott, 1992;Belay and Teeter, 1993), litter quality may deteriorate, this will result in increased incidence of pathology and losses (Bessai, 2006;Manning et al, 2007;Meluzzi et al, 2008;Alain et al, 2009;Kyvsgaard et al, 2013) and the final wet litter will present problems of emissions and disposal (Topper et al, 2008;Singh et al, 2009). Obviously, during animal transport (catching/handling/ loading/in transit) and the associated procedures, similar factors will determine the on-board environment for the animals and their effects.…”

Section: Thermal Stress -Impacts and Adaptationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal health aspects of adaptation to climate change: beating the heat and parasites in a warming Europe

Skuce

Morgan

Dijk

et al. 2013

Animal

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Weather patterns in northern European regions have changed noticeably over the past several decades, featuring warmer, wetter weather with more extreme events. The climate is projected to continue on this trajectory for the foreseeable future, even under the most modest warming scenarios. Such changes will have a significant impact on livestock farming, both directly through effects on the animals themselves, and indirectly through changing exposure to pests and pathogens. Adaptation options aimed at taking advantage of new opportunities and/or minimising the risks of negative impacts will, in themselves, have implications for animal health and welfare. In this review, we consider the potential consequences of future intensification of animal production, challenges associated with indoor and outdoor rearing of animals and aspects of animal transportation as key examples. We investigate the direct and indirect effects of climate change on the epidemiology of important livestock pathogens, with a particular focus on parasitic infections, and the likely animal health consequences associated with selected adaptation options. Finally, we attempt to identify key gaps in our knowledge and suggest future research priorities.

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Survey of chicken rearing conditions in Italy: effects of litter quality and stocking density on productivity, foot dermatitis and carcase injuries

Cited by 103 publications

References 26 publications

Nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane from Australian meat chicken houses measured under commercial operating conditions and with mitigation strategies applied

Nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane from Australian meat chicken houses measured under commercial operating conditions and with mitigation strategies applied

Welfare of broiler chickens

Animal health aspects of adaptation to climate change: beating the heat and parasites in a warming Europe

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