The welfare of meat chickens is important to chicken farmers, processors and consumers. The National animal welfare standard for the chicken meat industry describes agreed industry animal welfare outcomes expected from rearing to slaughter, including transport.
Other schemes that include welfare are the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme Standards for Meat Chickens and the FREPA Range Care – Chicken Meat Standards.
Welfare-related research projects funded by the AgriFutures Australia Chicken Meat Program include:
- National animal welfare standard for the chicken meat industry (PRJ-011513)
- National animal welfare standard for the chicken meat industry: Guidance material (PRJ-011513)
- Industry best management practice welfare manual: Chick handling at the hatchery, fit to load, lairage and live bird handling during processing (PRJ-011513)
- Undertake a comparative analysis of state legislation – project summary (PRJ-011665)
- Chicken welfare and carcass quality during transport – project summary (PRJ-010961)
- Electrolyte supplementation to alleviate the adverse effects of severe heat stress – project summary (PRJ-010953)
- Effect of an in-shed sprinkler cooling system on temperature, relative humidity, water usage, litter conditions, live weight and mortality – final report (PRJ-010245)
Chicken welfare goes hand-in-hand with chicken health and biosecurity—visit our health and biosecurity pages for more information.
