Poultry

Novel Walking Platform to Assess Lameness in Broilers

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Abstract

Leg lameness is a significant welfare concern in commercial broiler chickens, with up to 30% of birds severely affected. The National Chicken Council (NCC) animal welfare guidelines and audit checklist for broilers recommend gait scoring 100 birds/flock using a 3-point scale within one week of slaughter. This 0-2 scale was adapted for use with a unique walking lameness assessment platform to provide a more exact measurement on a consistent walking surface. Through trial and error, a successful method for simultaneously scoring two to three individual birds was tested. A similar structure is recommended for use on-farm to consistently and efficiently assign lameness scores in commercial broilers.

How to Cite:

Meyer, M., Jespersen, J., Johnson, A. K. & Bobeck, E., (2019) “Novel Walking Platform to Assess Lameness in Broilers”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 16(1).