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The Effect of a ‘Freedom Food’ Enrichment on the Behaviour of Broilers on Commercial Farms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

A Kells ,
M S Dawkins  and
M Cortina Borja
A Kells*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford 0X1 3PS, UK
M S Dawkins*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford 0X1 3PS, UK
M Cortina Borja
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, University College, London WC1N 1EH, UK
*
*Present address: Biodiversity and Ecology Division, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton S076 7PX, UK
† Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

The effect of an environmental enrichment — straw bales — on the behaviour of growing broiler chicks was investigated by comparing the behaviour of broilers kept in matched pairs of houses on commercial farms with and without bales. The birds provided with bales perched on them and clustered around them. The most striking result, however, was that, even away from the bales, birds in the enriched houses were more active (showing more walking and running and less sitting) than birds in unenriched houses. The study provides support for the ‘Freedom Food’ recommendation that activity in commercially kept indoor chickens can be increased by providing environmental enrichment in the form of straw bales.

Keywords

animal welfarebroilerschickensenvironmental enrichmentpoultry
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , November 2001 , pp. 347 - 356
Copyright
© 2001 UfAW, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Herts ALA 8AN, UK

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