Effect of on-farm hatching and elevated platforms on behavior and performance in fast-growing broiler chickens.

ABSTRACT: Alternative hatching systems compared to conventional hatchery-hatched systems showed positive effects on welfare of broiler chickens. In order to investigate an additional positive effect of elevated platforms, two hatching methods (on-farm [OH] vs. hatchery-hatched [HH]) and two environments from the first day onwards (with elevated platforms [enriched] vs. without elevated platforms [control]) were combined and investigated using a 2 × 2 factorial design. In three consecutive trials, the combination of the four treatments were repeated eight times each. One thousand six hundred fast-growing broiler chickens (Ross strain) were reared in a mixed-sex system. Chick quality was assessed at hatch and performance parameters and behavior parameters were measured during the entire rearing period

SUBMITTER: Malchow J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11889558 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature