Researchers from WUR-ABG contribute to new book on future perspectives in broiler rearing

The breeding industry has and will continue to play an important role in improving the health and welfare of broiler chickens. The chapter explores the history and development of broiler breeding goals, emphasising the shift from growth and feed efficiency to balanced breeding that includes health and welfare traits. It furthermore discusses global developments impacting broiler welfare, such as climate change and consumer concerns, and outlines future directions for breeding, including diversification, optimising breeding goals, phenotyping, improving genomic selection, and breeding for disease resistance. By addressing these challenges and opportunities, the broiler industry can continue to enhance the health and overall welfare of broilers, ensuring sustainable production practices that meet the demands of farmers and consumers worldwide.

The chapter can be found online here: Breeding for improved health and welfare in broiler chickens

While attention for broiler welfare is increasing, it can be difficult to frequently measure welfare indicators on large numbers of broilers. The chapter discusses different sensor technologies for monitoring broiler welfare indicators. A main distinction is made between body-worn sensors (e.g., accelerometers, radio frequency identification or ultra-wideband systems) and remote sensors (e.g., cameras or force plates), and the benefits and downsides of both types of sensors are discussed. Furthermore, potential applications of sensor technologies for recording broiler welfare in research, breeding and practice are highlighted. Two case studies – one on using body-worn sensors for locomotor activity tracking and the other on monitoring of walking ability using remote sensing – illustrate in more detail how sensor technologies can be implemented and what challenges may be faced along the way. Overall, by combining sensors and recording different aspects of welfare over time, we may enable future monitoring of broiler welfare continuously at the individual level and ensure a more sustainable broiler production in which the chickens experience good welfare.

The chapter can be found online here: Sensor technologies for monitoring broiler welfare indicators

Future perspectives in broiler rearing: Incorporating the broiler point of view provides a comprehensive overview of conventional broiler production and considers the measures required to build a more sustainable sector. The book addresses the range of environmental and genetic factors which can influence the development of a healthy broiler chick, as well as best practices for managing the needs and maintaining the health of broilers from the hatching stage through to end of life.