On organic and free-range poultry farms, a free-range is provided for animal welfare reasons. However, farmers report sightings of birds of prey and sometimes foxes or other predators within the free-range areas. In addition to seeing actual attacks,...
Human activities and the available resources influence the home range and activity patterns of free-ranging cats. Our objective in this study was to determine sex and breeding season vs. non-breeding season home range size, as well as activity patter...
In this study, the range use and behaviour of laying hens in commercial free-range flocks was explored. Six flocks were each visited on four separate days and data collected from their outdoor area (divided into zones based on distance from shed and...
Background: The gut microbiome is a large and complex organic assemblage with subtle and close relationships with the host. This symbiotic mechanism is important for the health and adaptability of the host to the environment. Compared with other rumi...
Recently, free-range poultry production has increased with notable benefits for animal welfare and meat quality traits. Geese, the third-most productive poultry species, have not been studied extensively. This study investigated the effects of differ...
Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as well as the wel...
Several countries and regions have regulations in place to provide standards for the welfare of production animals, which have implications for breeding, management and trade. In the chicken egg production industry, the welfare impacts of this are no...
Free-range chicken farming allows egg-laying hens to move freely through their environment and perform their natural behavior, including laying her eggs. However, it takes time to gather these eggs manually, giving rise to high labor costs. This stud...
Outdoor ranges in free-range laying hen systems are often underutilised, likely due to their open, uncovered nature. Given that the domestic chicken’s ancestor inhabits forests with high canopy cover, similar habitat preferences can be expected...
It is urgent to explore new ways to protect endangered wild animals and develop sustainable animal husbandry on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau due to its fragile ecological environment. Ruminants, raised in captivity and free-range, have important n...
Parasitic diseases cause significant economic losses in swine, including free-range swine farms, the number of which in Romania has increased in the last decades. The current study aimed to identify the parasitic profile of swine raised on two free-r...
Drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) represent an ideal environment for biofilm formation, which can harbor pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This study aimed to assess longitudinally the microbial community composition and anti...
Chickens raised in backyard free-range systems are confronted with a significant threat of parasitic infections. Among the parasitic agents, protozoa belonging to the genus Eimeria and helminths, including Ascaridia galli, Capillaria spp., Heterakis ...
Wild aquatic birds are the primary natural reservoir for influenza A viruses (IAVs). In this study, an A(H9N9) influenza A virus (A/duck/Bangladesh/44493/2020) was identified via routine surveillance in free-range domestic ducks in Bangladesh. Phylog...
Extensive pig systems are gaining importance as quality production systems and as the standard for sustainable rural development and animal welfare. However, the effects of natural foods on Salmonella epidemiology remain unknown. Herein, we assessed...
Extreme sunlight might be aversive to free-range laying hens, discouraging them from going outside. Range enrichment with artificial shelters may protect hens from sunlight and increase range use. The preferences of 34–40-week-old Hy-Line Brown...
Access to pasture is a main benefit of free-range broiler housing systems, yet the level of outdoor stocking density on broiler animal welfare remains unsettled. The growth, feather damage, pasture ranging and behaviors were assessed for 150 mixed-se...
Starting from October 2021, several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 were reported in wild and domestic birds in Italy. Following the detection of an HPAIV in a free-ranging poultry farm in Ostia, province of...
Local chicken breeds play a vital role in promoting sustainability by preserving genetic diversity, enhancing resilience, and supporting local economies. These breeds are adapted to local climates and conditions, requiring fewer external resources an...
As a core strategy for antibiotic replacement, probiotics have two advantages insofar as they enhance both animal productivity and pathogen suppression. In this study, we screened the intestines of antibiotic-naïve chickens for broad-spectrum an...
As part of the European Green Deal, the EU has recognised that there is a need to increase organic farming as well as improve animal welfare standards. The PIGLOW app was developed with these goals in mind and allows free-range and organic pig farmer...
The goal of this research was to determine the concentration of macro-, micro-, trace, and ultratrace elements in egg albumen and yolk of Green-Legged Partridge (GLP) hens (Polish native breed) maintained in a free-range system. The hens received two...
Despite the diversity of social situations in which cats live, the degree to which free-ranging cats (FRCs) are social is still debated. The aim of this review is to explore the literature on the social behavior of FRCs. A search of two major databas...
28 November 2023
Although current diet and nutrition trends in developed countries led the poultry industry to shift to alternative breeding/production methods, such as organic and free-range, limited data on the microbiology of alternative compared to conventional p...
Antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli isolates have emerged in various ecologic compartments and evolved to spread globally. We sought to (1.) investigate the occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-Ec) in feces from free-range chickens in a ru...
To address a gap in our understanding of viral infections in epidemiologically important rat species, we aimed to detect DNA viruses from the tissues of free-ranging rat populations in Hungary. DNA viruses were identified from the parenchymal organs...
African swine fever virus (ASFV), the cause of a devastating disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, has been present in Sardinia since 1978. In the framework of the regional ASF eradication plan, 4484 illegal pigs were culled between December 2017...
Infection with Blastocystis sp. has been reported in free-living and captive non-human primates (NHPs); however, surveys on Blastocystis sp. from north-western South America are scarce. This study aimed to identify Blastocystis sp. in free-ranging NH...
Using Indian free-ranging dogs (FRD) as a case study, we propose a novel intervention of social integration alongside previously proposed methods for dealing with FRD populations. Our study subsumes population dynamics, funding avenues, and innovativ...
In this exploratory study, we tracked free-range laying hens on two commercial flocks with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with the aim to examine individual hen variation in range use. Three distinct outdoor zones were identified at...
Aleutian Mink Disease Virus (AMDV) is the causative agent of Aleutian disease (AD). This progressive and chronic disorder significantly impacts the mink breeding industry, affecting farmed and free-ranging American and European mink. This study inves...
Understanding the natural behaviour of pigs in free-range conditions facilitates interpretation of their behaviour in intensive conditions. Studying six different farms over two years at different seasons, with climatic and management variations, all...
Mediterranean mountain landscapes are undergoing a widespread phenomenon of abandonment. This brings, as a consequence, the loss of traditional land use practices, such as transhumant pastoralism, as well as shrub and wood encroachment, with repercus...
Consumer interest in buying eggs from animal welfare-friendly systems with outdoor access is increasing, leading to an increase in the need for knowledge on genotypes suitable for free-range systems. Two Turkish laying hen genotypes, Atak-S (brown, n...
Free-range systems are considered to improve bird health and welfare, thereby satisfying consumer demands. Behavioral time budget, fear level and clinical welfare indicators were compared for two Turkish laying hen genotypes, Atak-S (brown) and Atabe...
This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with Boswellia serrata (Bs) and Salix alba (Sa) in Leghorn hens during the critical pre-laying and laying phases. A total of 120 pullets, 17 weeks o...
This study evaluates the effect of housing environment on the egg quality characteristics of brown egg layers as many different environments are currently used in the industry. Battery cages, barren colony cages, enriched colony cages, cage-free, and...
Ehrlichia minasensis, a recently described Ehrlichia species that is the most closely related to, but clearly distinct from, Ehrlichia canis, has been circulating in not only bovines, cervids, and dogs but also several tick species from Canada, Brazi...
The effect of production systems on the sensory quality characteristics of Dorper lambs was investigated. Sixty lambs (ewes, rams, castrates) were allocated into two production groups (feedlot or free-range) at weaning with equal numbers of each sex...
In recent years, the free-range system for laying hens has increased, driven by societal sensitivity to animal welfare. This study aimed to comparatively analyze the total lipid, cholesterol, and fatty acid composition of egg yolks of late-age laying...
Inconsistency between the environments of indoor pullet rearing and adult outdoor housing may increase the fearfulness in free-range hens. Rearing enrichments and/or range use may reduce adult fearfulness. Hy-Line Brown® chicks (n = 1700) were re...
It is of merit to study the appropriate amount of dietary fiber to add to free-range chickens’ feed to improve their microbial diversity and gut health in times of plant fiber deprivation. Lignocellulose is a useful source of dietary fiber, and...
The aim of the study was to determine the changes occurring in the eggs of helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) from free-range farming in relation to the laying season and storage time. The experimental material consisted of 360 guinea fowl eggs,...
Free-range laying hen systems provide individuals a choice between indoor and outdoor areas where range use may be socially influenced. This study used radio-frequency identification technology to track the ranging of individually-tagged hens housed...
Radio-frequency identification tracking shows individual free-range laying hens vary in range use, with some never going outdoors. The range is typically more environmentally complex, requiring navigation to return to the indoor resources. Outdoor-pr...
Identifying blood components influenced by rearing systems that serve as biomarkers to distinguish free-range from conventional broilers can improve animal health, welfare, and productivity. The current study aimed to evaluate specific blood paramete...
Two slower-growing hybrids (Rowan Ranger and Hubbard) are currently reared in organic broiler production in Sweden, but knowledge of bird welfare on commercial farms is limited. This study examined chicken behaviour, including free-range use and feat...
Hens in free-range systems are given enrichments to increase foraging and limit injurious pecking, but the efficacy of enrichment types requires investigation. We studied hen behaviour and feather cover in eight commercial free-range flocks each give...
N-alkanes offer a promising approach for assessing the nutritional contribution of external sources to the diets of laying hens in free-range production systems. However, traditional laboratory methods, involving extraction, purification and gas chro...
The welfare of laying hens in cage systems is of increasing concern. Represented by the European Union’s ‘End the Cage Age’ initiative, more and more countries have advocated cage-free farming. China, an important country for poultr...
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