This chapter describes the effects housing systems on the behaviour and welfare of hens kept for egg production and for broilers kept for chicken meat production. Welfare problems in breeding hens, in the rearing of young chickens and in rearing turkeys, ducks and geese are also discussed.

All farmed animals are regarded as sentient beings, so their welfare is a matter of much public concern. Positive and negative aspects of the welfare of animals during transport should be assessed using a range of behavioural, physiological and carcass quality measures. Health is an important part...

In this chapter variations in the environments which can cause mastitis such as bedding types (straw, sawdust, and shaving, sand, ash, shredded paper, mats and mattresses, bedding amounts, cubicle sanitizers, and space allowances), ventilation, cubicle (free-stall) systems (size, division height,...

This chapter describes the growth and development of Pekin ducks raised for meat production, including feathering, and the effects of high or low temperature, space and lighting on feed intake, growth and behaviour. The sources of variation, the reduction of these variations and improvement of...

A simulation model that predicts the performance of a population of growing pigs when raised under given dietary, physical and social environmental conditions has been constructed. The aim was to investigate through the model the impact of between-animal variation on the response of a population to ...