This online course is designed as an introduction or refresher to animal welfare for meat chickens. It is based on the National Animal Welfare Standard for the Chicken Meat Industry and the Industry best management practice welfare manual.
It is open to people currently working in the Australian chicken meat industry and covers the key welfare considerations for meat chickens at each stage of production—hatchery, farm (broiler and breeder), pick-up and processing.
The course includes the following modules:
- Module 1 – Introduction to animal welfare for meat chickens
- Module 2 – Animal welfare legislation, standards and guidelines for meat chickens
- Module 3 – Egg and chick welfare at the hatchery
- Module 4 – Chicken welfare on farm
- Module 4.1 – Chicken behaviour and stockmanship
- Module 4.2 – Chick welfare at placement and during brooding
- Module 4.3 – Handling chickens – catching and holding
- Module 4.4 – Identifying sick and injured chickens
- Module 4.5 – Euthanasia or humane killing methods of chickens on farm
- Module 4.6 – Lameness and how to gait score chickens
- Module 4.7 – Footpad dermatitis and how to score it in meat chickens
- Module 4.8 – Meat chicken breeder welfare
- Module 5 – Chicken welfare at pick-up
- Module 6 – Chicken welfare at the processing plant
Those currently working in the Australian meat chicken industry can apply for enrolment via the link https://forms.office.com/r/kujm2qSxfz.
