Vasdal Guro, Marchewka Joanna, Moe Randi O
Animalia, Norwegian Meat and Poultry Research Centre 0515, Oslo, Norway.
Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences 05-552, Magdalenka, Poland.
Poult Sci. 2021 Feb;100(2):412-419. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.010. Epub 2020 Nov 19.
To monitor animal welfare on a commercial scale, systematic collection and evaluation of slaughterhouse data is the most feasible method. However, we need to know whether slaughterhouse data retrospectively and reliably reflect information about the birds' welfare on-farm. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate associations between animal-based welfare measures in flocks of turkey toms at 11 wk of age recorded with the transect walk and slaughter data at 20 wk of age. A total of 20 commercial flocks of turkey toms were visited, where an observer walked the transects in a random order and recorded the total number of birds per transect that were immobile, lame, with visible head, tail, or wing wounds, small, featherless, dirty, sick, terminal, or dead. Slaughterhouse data were provided for each flock. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between on-farm and slaughterhouse measures. Increased prevalence of immobile toms at week 11 resulted in more birds rejected at slaughter owing to leg issues (P = 0.02) and airsacculitis (P < 0.001). More lame birds on-farm were associated with an overall higher rejection rate at slaughter (P < 0.001). Flocks with more featherless birds had significantly more birds being rejected at slaughter owing to skin issues (P = 0.02). More dirty birds at week 11 resulted in more birds being rejected owing to airsacculitis at slaughter (P < 0.001). A higher mortality on-farm was associated with more birds rejected for being too small (P = 0.04). In conclusion, significant associations between animal-based measures of turkey toms as assessed by the transect walk method on-farm at 11 wk and slaughter data at 20 wk were identified.
为了在商业规模上监测动物福利，系统地收集和评估屠宰场数据是最可行的方法。然而，我们需要了解屠宰场数据是否能追溯且可靠地反映农场中禽类的福利信息。因此，本研究的目的是调查在11周龄时通过样带行走记录的火鸡公禽群体中基于动物的福利指标与20周龄时的屠宰数据之间的关联。总共走访了20个商业火鸡公禽群，一名观察者以随机顺序沿样带行走，并记录每个样带中不动、跛行、有可见头部、尾部或翅膀伤口、体型小、无羽毛、脏污、生病、濒死或死亡的禽类总数。为每个禽群提供了屠宰场数据。使用单变量和多变量线性回归模型来研究农场指标与屠宰场指标之间的关联。11周龄时不动的公禽比例增加，导致更多禽类因腿部问题（P = 0.02）和气囊炎（P < 0.001）在屠宰时被拒收。农场中跛行禽类越多，屠宰时的总体拒收率越高（P < 0.001）。无羽毛禽类较多的禽群，因皮肤问题在屠宰时被拒收的禽类明显更多（P = 0.02）。11周龄时脏污的禽类越多，屠宰时因气囊炎被拒收的禽类就越多（P < 0.001）。农场中较高的死亡率与更多因体型过小被拒收的禽类有关（P = 0.04）。总之，确定了11周龄时在农场通过样带行走方法评估的火鸡公禽基于动物的指标与20周龄时的屠宰数据之间存在显著关联。
