Introduction:
Poultry welfare has been regarded as a controversial topic in modern animal agriculture because of the discrepancy of opinions regarding how animals should be treated and maintained. Part of this controversy is related to an apparent conflict of interest, as it is viewed (by many) that any improvements in animal welfare will necessarily lead to a reduction in economic profit. Behavioral research has been linked to this controversy as welfare and behaviour are commonly considered as nearly synonymous by industry and consumers alike. Certainly behaviour and welfare research are intimately connected, however, it is necessary to clarify that welfare issues can also be investigated from other angles (endocrinology, neurosciences, production) besides strictly behavioural. In this paper I would like to offer a different perspective of behavioural research (beyond the welfare aspects) by presenting behavioural research as an independent entity whose outcomes impact both welfare and production. In fact, behavioural research can be quite valuable, not only to address poultry welfare, but also to address some production issues and to improve management practices that may, eventually, lead to higher economic returns. Although this paper focuses mostly in broiler production, some of the examples highlighted in this paper may apply in similar terms to other poultry species.
Poultry welfare has been regarded as a controversial topic in modern animal agriculture because of the discrepancy of opinions regarding how animals should be treated and maintained. Part of this controversy is related to an apparent conflict of interest, as it is viewed (by many) that any improvements in animal welfare will necessarily lead to a reduction in economic profit. Behavioral research has been linked to this controversy as welfare and behaviour are commonly considered as nearly synonymous by industry and consumers alike. Certainly behaviour and welfare research are intimately connected, however, it is necessary to clarify that welfare issues can also be investigated from other angles (endocrinology, neurosciences, production) besides strictly behavioural. In this paper I would like to offer a different perspective of behavioural research (beyond the welfare aspects) by presenting behavioural research as an independent entity whose outcomes impact both welfare and production. In fact, behavioural research can be quite valuable, not only to address poultry welfare, but also to address some production issues and to improve management practices that may, eventually, lead to higher economic returns. Although this paper focuses mostly in broiler production, some of the examples highlighted in this paper may apply in similar terms to other poultry species.
