Rethinking Poultry Welfare—Integrating Behavioral Science and Digital Innovations for Enhanced Animal Well-Being DOI Creative Commons
Suresh Neethirajan

Poultry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 4(2), P. 20 - 20

Published: April 29, 2025

The relentless drive to meet global demand for poultry products has pushed rapid intensification in chicken farming, dramatically boosting efficiency and yield. Yet, these gains have exposed a host of complex welfare challenges that prompted scientific scrutiny ethical reflection. In this review, I critically evaluate recent innovations aimed at mitigating such concerns by drawing on advances behavioral science digital monitoring insights into biological adaptations. Specifically, focus four interconnected themes: First, spotlight the complexity avian sensory perception—encompassing vision, auditory capabilities, olfaction, tactile faculties—to underscore how lighting design, housing configurations, enrichment strategies can better align with birds’ unique worlds. Second, explore novel tools gauging emotional states cognition, ranging from cognitive bias tests developing protocols identifying pain or distress based facial cues. Third, examine transformative potential computer bioacoustics, sensor-based technologies continuous, automated tracking behavior physiological indicators commercial flocks. Fourth, assess data-driven management platforms, underpinned precision livestock deploy real-time optimize broad scale. Recognizing climate change evolving production environments intensify challenges, also investigate breeds resilient extreme conditions might open new avenues welfare-centered genetic approaches. While adoption cutting-edge techniques shown promise, significant hurdles persist regarding validation, standardization, acceptance. conclude truly sustainable progress hinges an interdisciplinary convergence ethology, neuroscience, engineering, data analytics, evolutionary biology—an integrative path not only refines assessment but reimagines ethically scientifically robust ways.

Language: Английский

Selection for tameness alters play-like behaviour in red junglefowl in line with effects of domestication DOI

Rebecca Oscarsson,

Johanna Gjøen, Per Jensen

et al.

Biology Letters, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 21(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

The phenotypic alterations brought by domestication have been hypothesized to be driven selection for tameness. To explore this, we selected red junglefowl (RJF) high (HF) and low (LF) fear of humans 14 generations. We previously found that domesticated chickens performed more play-like behaviours during early ontogeny, therefore, in this study, explored potential effects Groups three four chicks were randomly created from each line, group was moved an enriched play arena twice per week, day 6 until 53 post-hatch. frequency different behaviours, categorized as locomotor, social object behaviour recorded 30 min at every observation instance. Every or birds constituted the independent statistical replicates measures averaged within groups. total well object, locomotor significantly higher LF, while common HF. This largely mirrors previous observations differences between ancestral chickens. Hence, our results support important role tameness evolution behaviour.

Language: Английский

Citations

1
From nature to nurture – how genes and environment interact to shape behaviour DOI Creative Commons
Per Jensen

Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 106582 - 106582

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Rethinking Poultry Welfare—Integrating Behavioral Science and Digital Innovations for Enhanced Animal Well-Being DOI Creative Commons
Suresh Neethirajan

Poultry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 4(2), P. 20 - 20

Published: April 29, 2025

The relentless drive to meet global demand for poultry products has pushed rapid intensification in chicken farming, dramatically boosting efficiency and yield. Yet, these gains have exposed a host of complex welfare challenges that prompted scientific scrutiny ethical reflection. In this review, I critically evaluate recent innovations aimed at mitigating such concerns by drawing on advances behavioral science digital monitoring insights into biological adaptations. Specifically, focus four interconnected themes: First, spotlight the complexity avian sensory perception—encompassing vision, auditory capabilities, olfaction, tactile faculties—to underscore how lighting design, housing configurations, enrichment strategies can better align with birds’ unique worlds. Second, explore novel tools gauging emotional states cognition, ranging from cognitive bias tests developing protocols identifying pain or distress based facial cues. Third, examine transformative potential computer bioacoustics, sensor-based technologies continuous, automated tracking behavior physiological indicators commercial flocks. Fourth, assess data-driven management platforms, underpinned precision livestock deploy real-time optimize broad scale. Recognizing climate change evolving production environments intensify challenges, also investigate breeds resilient extreme conditions might open new avenues welfare-centered genetic approaches. While adoption cutting-edge techniques shown promise, significant hurdles persist regarding validation, standardization, acceptance. conclude truly sustainable progress hinges an interdisciplinary convergence ethology, neuroscience, engineering, data analytics, evolutionary biology—an integrative path not only refines assessment but reimagines ethically scientifically robust ways.

Language: Английский

Citations

0