Defining Welfare, and the Five Freedoms

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來自 The University of Edinburgh 的課程

鸡的行为与福利

379 個評分

The University of Edinburgh

鸡的行为与福利

379 個評分

This course explains the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles are relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses. Learning Objectives: at the end of this course, you will be able to - - Describe avian sensory perception and motivation - Explain the main behaviour patterns of poultry - Define welfare and explain the bases of welfare standards - Assess chicken welfare, using behavioural and physiological means - Understand common welfare problems of chickens This course is taught by staff from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), University of Glasgow, and St David's Poultry Team. You can follow us on Twitter! #chickenmooc © University of Edinburgh and Scotland's Rural College 2016 CC BY

從本節課中

What is chicken welfare? Defining "welfare", ethical obligations, and welfare standards

During this week, we will consider what we mean by "animal welfare", and how a set of criteria known as the Five Freedoms can help you assess it. Dr Dorothy McKeegan from the University of Glasgow will discuss what the ethical obligations are of meeting an animal's welfare needs, and we will explore some of the various welfare standards that exist. Finally, we will look at welfare indicators, and Dr Barry Thorp from St David's Veterinary Team will discuss with Vicky what signs to look for in chicken flocks to make a welfare assessment. This week's Learning Outcomes: •Define 'welfare' and the Five Freedoms •What drives our ethical choices, including cost-benefit analysis •Describe some welfare standards available worldwide and how they differ •Explain ways to assess welfare, using behavioural and physiological indices

Defining Welfare, and the Five Freedoms2:41

Ethics and Poultry Production4:31

Welfare Organisations and Accreditation Schemes2:02

Effects of Stressors1:14

Assessing Welfare: Behavioural and Physiological Measures5:10

與講師見面

Dr Victoria Sandilands
Senior scientist
Avian Science Research Centre, SRUC

Welfare has several definitions, but Donald Broom,

a welfare scientists from the University of Cambridge summed it up nicely.

It is the state of an animal with regards to its ability to cope

with its environment.

Coping means sustaining both physical and mental fitness.

The environment includes not only the climactic conditions such as,

is it too hot, or too cold, but whether or not there is adequate shelter, food and

water, and if there are other chickens around, are there predators and so forth.

Another definition of animal welfare is a state of harmony between the animal and

its environment, whereby the animal is able to maintain or return to

a homeostatic state, which means one of balance, of equilibrium, of stability.

The concept of farm animal welfare really took off first in the UK in the 1960s,

after the publication of a book that was called

Animal Machines by Ruth Harrison, in 1964.

And this exposed the modern factory farming processes at the time.

This led to the formation of the Bramble Committee, which in 1965,

reported on farming practices and

made recommendations that animals should be, 1) free from pain,

injury and disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis of illness or injury.

2) free from fear and

distress, by ensuring conditions do not cause mental suffering.

3) free from thermal and

physical discomfort by providing suitable shelter and a comfortable resting area.

4) free from hunger and thirst, by providing fresh water and

a diet suitable to the animals needs.

and 5) freedom to perform most natural behaviors by providing,

for example, adequate space, facilities, and

substrates, and other chickens in this case.

These are known as the Five Freedoms and they

have been used as the basis from which to assess the welfare of animals ever since.

Meeting these five freedoms is a good guide to ensuring your

animal's well-being.

However, in recent years there has been development in the concept of welfare for

animals, and that we shouldn't just ensure that they are not suffering.

In other words, they might have an acceptable quality of life

on the scale that I'm going to show below, but in fact, they should have a good life.

Here's that scale, on which you might be able to assess how various housing methods

for chickens affect their quality of life.

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