Chicken Behaviour and Welfare

This course explains the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles are relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses.

Learning Objectives: at the end of this course, you will be able to –

– Describe avian sensory perception and motivation

– Explain the main behaviour patterns of poultry

– Define welfare and explain the bases of welfare standards

– Assess chicken welfare, using behavioural and physiological means

– Understand common welfare problems of chickens

This course is taught by staff from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), University of Glasgow, and St David’s Poultry Team.