Animal Welfare Judging Competition November, 2010

Prepared by: E Distel & J Siegford

MEAT BIRD SCENARIO

© UGA Poultry Extension

Background

¨  Family operation, direct market their resulting products

¨  Manager has 30 years experience ¤  20 years with poultry ¤  10 years with meat bird

production

¨  Contract grower for large mid-west poultry company

¨  Grower has 4 year animal science degree and 15 years experience with meat birds ¤  Family members help on

days when birds arrive or are being shipped out

System 1 System 2

Overview

¨  1 house, 32 X 128 ft = 4,096 ft2 (9.75 x 39 m = 380 m2)

¨  ~3,000 birds per house

¨  Average weight at slaughter: 4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)

¨  Average profit per lb: $0.28

¨  4 houses, each 40 X 500 ft = 20,000 ft2 (12.2 x 152 m = 1,854 m2)

¨  ~26,000 birds per house

¨  Average weight at slaughter: 5.5lbs (2.5 kg)

¨  Contract rate per lb: $0.055

System 1 System 2

© MSU Poultry Farm

Chick Transport- System 1

¨  Chicks are held in stackable totes and delivered via passenger van

¨  100 mi (160 km) ¨  No food/water during

transport ¨  Mortality rate < 0.5% ¨  Unloaded manually ¨  Driver monitors temperature

and adjusts using vehicle heating system ¤  80-85°F (25.7-29.4°C)

Chick Transport- System 2

¨  Chicks are held in stackable totes and delivered via chick bus

¨  50 mi (80.5 km) ¨  Hydrating food supplement placed

in chick boxes ¨  Mortality rate < 0.3% ¨  Unloaded manually ¨  Vehicle heating system controls

temperature ¤ 85-90°F (29.4-32.2°C)

© Indiamart

Lighting

¨  Ceiling-mounted compact warm-white fluorescent lighting

¨  Natural light comes in through side curtains

¨  Ceiling-mounted incandescent lighting

System 1 System 2

System 1 Lighting Regime

Week Light Intensity Hrs of Light/Day

1 40 lux* 23

2 - 9 40 lux* 16

System 2 Lighting Regime

Week Light Intensity Hrs of Light/Day

1 25 lux 23

2 - 6 5 lux 23 *Lighting intensity from fluorescent source. Actual intensity may be greater during the day when natural light is entering the building

Litter Management

¨  Wood shavings ¨  Partial clean out and fresh

shavings added between flocks

¨  Complete cleanout twice a year

¨  Chopped straw ¨  Top dressing of fresh

straw added between flocks

¨  Complete cleanout once a year

System 1 System 2

Litter Characteristics System 1 System 2

Depth, entry 1 in (2.5 cm) 3 in (7.5 cm)

Moisture, entry 11% 12%

Moisture, wk 6 34% 45%

Litter caking, wk 6 18% 33%

Air Quality – System 1

¨  Side curtains and fans for ventilation

¨  Temperature monitored daily using hand-held reader ¤ 50-80˚F (10-27˚C) and 30-70%

humidity ¨  Ammonia levels monitored by

sniffing ¤ Fluctuates between 10 -35 ppm

¨  Diesel-powered backup generator

Air Quality – System 2

¨  Negative pressure ventilation system ¤  System has an alarm in the event of failure or loss of power

¨  Computer-controlled temperature and humidity monitors ¤  70-75˚F (21-23˚C) and 70% humidity year round

¨  Ammonia levels monitored by periodic assessment of air samples ¤ ~15-20 ppm year round

¨  Diesel-powered backup generator © UGA Poultry Extension

Housing Changes during Chick Growth

¨  Low-hanging propane gas radiant brooders provide heat ¤ Gradually raised as

chicks age ¨  Wood partitions confine

chicks to less space ¤  Partitions are moved

weekly ¨  No partitions or

brooders after week 3

System 1 © AUSA Services

© DBLR Supply

© Ceramic Heater

Housing Changes during Chick Growth

¨  Heat lamps are used when chicks are 1-2 weeks old

¨  Chicks are confined to area under the lamps during week 1 using cardboard partitions

System 2

© MSU ABWG

©U of California

Health Measures

System 1 System 2

Sudden Death Syndrome 0.6% 3%

Ascites 1.5% 4%

Mortality (Other Causes) 4% 2%

Foot Pad Dermatitis 7% 25%

Hockburn 3% 18%

Average Gait Score* 1.72 2.46

Morbidity (Other Causes) 2% 1%

On-farm Euthanasia Method for Sick/Injured Birds

Cervical dislocation Blow to head with blunt instrument

* 0-5 scale with 0 = normal and 5 = incapable of walking.

Nutrition- System 1

¨  Water is provided using a nipple system (320/house)

¨  Feed is always available in plastic automatic feeders and metal troughs ¤ Wks 1-2: starter mash (2,950 kcal/kg, 21%

CP, 0.95% Ca, 0.42% P) ¤ Wks 3-4: grower mash (3,000 kcal/kg,

19.7% CP, 0.9% Ca, 0.4% P) ¤ Wks ≥5: finisher mash (3,050 kcal/kg, 18%

CP, 0.86% Ca, 0.38% P) ¨  Feeders and waterers cleaned between

flocks © C & H Livestock

CP = Crude Protein

©Crown Central Asia

Nutrition- System 2

¨  Water is provided using a closed nipple system (1,500/house)

¨  Feed is always available in plastic automatic feeders

¨  Fed a corn and soybean pellet ¤ 3200 kcals/kg, 20% CP, 1% Ca, .5% P

¨  Feed is always available ¨  Feeders and waterers are cleaned

between flocks

© Garden Small Holder

© Chore Time

CP = Crude Protein

Time Budgets*

System 1 System 2

Lying 64% 78.7%

Lying Eating 1.5% 6.2%

Standing Idle 8.1% 1.9%

Standing Preening 5.3% 2.6%

Standing Eating 10.2% 4.8%

Peck/Scratch Litter 2.7% 0.5%

Walking 3.9% 1.4%

Drinking 3% 3%

Dust Bathe 1% 0.3%

Sparring/Pecking Others 0.3% 0.6%

* Behaviors observed between 0800-1600

Catching- System 1

¨  Caught at the end of the night before lights come on ¤  Feeders and waterers are raised immediately before

catching begins ¤  Takes ~3-4 h to empty the house

¨  Birds are caught by hand and placed in plastic crates ¤ 1 bird/hand, held upbright ¤ 6.56 x 3.28 x 0.82 ft (2 x 1 x

0.25 m) ¤ ~23 birds/crate

© USDA

Catching- System 2

¨  Caught in low light at various times during the day ¤  Feeders are raised 12 h before catching ¤ Waterers are raised 1 h before catching ¤ ~3.5 h to empty each house

¨  Birds are caught by a mechanical harvester and placed in metal crates ¤ 4.27 x 2.30 x 0.82 ft (1.3 x .7x 0.25 m) ¤ ~16 birds/crate

© Bright Coop, Inc

© Bright Coop, Inc

Transport to Slaughter

¨  Transported on the bed of a flatbed truck

¨  Vehicle holds 1,000 birds

¨  No temp./humidity monitor in truck

¨  Transport duration: ~5 min

¨  Transported in a commercial semi truck with open sides

¨  Vehicle holds 5,000-6,000 birds

¨  No temp./humidity monitors in the truck bed

¨  Transport duration: ~3 h

System 1 System 2 ©Bob Conrad

Driver Experience

¨  Driver is also farm manager, has extensive knowledge of poultry welfare

¨  Driver doesn’t receive specific driving wage

¨  Driver has limited knowledge of poultry welfare

¨  Driver is paid by the trip

System 1 System 2

Holding/Handling on Arrival

¨  Crates are unloaded to indoor holding area

¨  Chickens remain in crates until slaughter

¨  98% of crates are in good condition, 100% of crates are dry prior to bird use

¨  Birds spend ~ 1-5 h in crates

¨  Crates are unloaded to indoor holding area

¨  Chickens remain in crates until slaughter

¨  85% of crates are in good condition, 90% of crates are dry

¨  All birds spend < 1 h in crates

System 1 System 2

© Santa Fe New Mexican.com

Holding/Handling on Arrival

¨  Birds removed from crates one at a time, right side up, by 2 legs

¨  0.01% of birds have broken bones/injury

¨  0.01% of birds dead/ill

¨  6-8 birds removed at a time, upside down, by 1 leg

¨  0.045% of birds have broken bones/injury

¨  0.3% of birds dead/ill

System 1 System 2

Slaughter Procedures

¨  No shackling ¨  No stunning ¨  Birds are slaughtered by

neck cutting ¤  Severing both carotid

arteries and jugular veins ¤  Then placed head down in

cones to bleed out ¨  Audited by USDA and 3rd

party certification program for humane handling

¨  Birds are shackled on a line

¨  Birds enter a water bath stunner (heads are immersed in brine solution with a current of 150 mA

¨  Mechanized neck cutter with manual bleeder

¨  Audited by USDA and FMI/NCCR*

System 1 System 2

*Food Marketing Institute/National Council of Chain Restaurants

Slaughter Measures

System 1 System 2

Time btwn Shackle & Stun n/a 30 sec

Time btwn Handling & Cut 5 sec n/a

% Struggle/Flap prior to Cut/Stun 0.05% 0.2%

Time to Loss of Consciousness 14 sec 3 sec

% Rendered Insensible 100% 99.5%

% Regain Consciousness 0% 2%

Time btwn Stun/Cut & Bleed 8 sec 21 sec

# Birds Killed/Min 8 170

Effectiveness of Bleed Cutting 100% 98%

Bleed Out Time 29 sec 80 sec

Uncut Birds Entering Scalder 0 1/600