A comparison of two manual catching methods of broiler considering injuries and behavior

Wessel, Jenny; Rauch, Elke; Hartmannsgruber, Sandrina; Erhard, Michael; Schmidt, Paul; Schade, Benjamin und Louton, Helen (2022): A comparison of two manual catching methods of broiler considering injuries and behavior. In: Poultry Science, Bd. 101, Nr. 11

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the 2 manual catching methods in terms of injuries and behavior. Throughout 12 loadings on practical farms with the same standard, 1 container each was caught using the one-legged (1LCM) and 1 using the two -leg-ged catching method (2LCM). The animals were filmed during loading to evaluate their behavior and subse-quently examined regarding injuries. Wing flapping was observed more frequently in broilers caught with the 1LCM than 2 LCM. Carrying animals with neighbors (1 neighbor: P < 0.001;2 neighbors: P < 0.001) and a grasping position at or above the tarsal joint (P < 0.001;P < 0.054) reduced wing flapping in both methods. A short grasping duration (P = 0.004), settling the broilers into the crate (P = 0.005) and avoiding striking the broilers against the crate (P < 0.001) reduced the occur-rence of wing flapping. About 1.1% of 1LCM and 0.43% of 2LCM broilers were diagnosed with an epiphysiolysis. Catching with the 1LCM (P = 0.042), loading in lower crates (low vs. middle: P = 0.005;low vs. high: P = 0.008), a longer catching duration (p = 0.025) and female broilers (P = 0.007) had a higher chance for epi-physiolysis. Broilers loaded in lower crates (P = 0.007) and ones which showed more wing flapping (P = 0.015) had a higher chance for hematomas. A higher loading duration led to a higher risk of hematomas (prevalence: 1.5%) and a prevalence of 1.0% of broilers with severe injury in 2LCM in a simultaneously performed study (mechanical loading vs. 2LCM), in which manual load-ings of entire barns were evaluated. This may be caused by fatigue of the workers. In summary, the catching method or number of grasped legs is not the decisive fac-tor, but the compliance and implementation of the iden-tified risks and careful handling of the animals are determining factors to reduce wing injuries caused by loading and wing flapping.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Tiermedizin > Veterinärwissenschaftliches Department
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0032-5791
• Sprache: Englisch