Influence of housing systems on duck behavior and welfare

Abstract

Objective: This experiment was conducted to assess the effects of the housing system on the welfare and growth performance of the Muscovy duck. Materials and methods: A total number of 48 Muscovy duck aged 3-week old were divided randomly into two groups (24 duck on each): deep litter system and cage system. Each group was subdivided into three replicates (8 birds on each) were identified with wing rings. Results: The study showed that feeding and drinking behaviors significantly increased ( p < 0.05) in duck reared at the cage system. While there was no noticeable effect on lying and feather pecking, duck raised in the deep litter had better growth performance with a substantial difference, which achieve a higher feed conversion rate with lower feed efficiency. Physical conditions were significantly better at cage management. The level of stress indicating hormones indicating free Thyroxin was increased with the cage. Therefore, the litter system improves duck welfare and their performance. Conclusion: It is concluded that the duck managed under the litter system has more opportunities that facilitate the expression of more natural behavior, and thus improve their health and performance, as a result of improved feed conversion rate and feed efficiency.

Welfare of ducks, geese and quail on farm

“…Abdel‐Hamid et al. ( 2020 ) showed that Muscovy ducks foraged more when kept on littered solid floor than on perforated floor.…”

“…No difference in plumage damage was found in Mule ducks kept on solid floors with either sand or wood shavings (Mohammed et al., 2019a ). In Muscovy ducks kept either in a deep litter system or on perforated floor in a cage system, no difference was found in plumage damage (Abdel‐Hamid et al., 2020 ).…”

“…In a study of Mule ducks, neither flooring material (plastic slats vs. solid), litter type (sand, wood shavings) or absence of litter on solid floor affected foot‐pad dermatitis (Mohammed et al., 2019a ). Muscovy ducks kept in a cage system had a higher prevalence of foot‐pad dermatitis than in a deep litter system (Abdel‐Hamid et al., 2020 ). In quail, Mohammed et al.…”

“…Another indication of high motivation is redirected or sham behaviour in the absence of the resources. Where open water is not available, waterfowl may redirect their need for dabbling/sieving in water to some extent towards the litter on the floor (Molnár et al., 1998 , 2004 ; Bogenfürst, 1999 ; Abdel‐Hamid et al., 2020 ) or show sham bathing (Gillette, 1977 ; Jones and Dawkins, 2010b ; Makagon and Riber, 2022 ).…”

Effects of integrated rice-duck farming system on duck carcass traits, meat quality, amino acid, and fatty acid composition

“…In modern duck meat production, intensive systems reduce the welfare of ducks, as they are unable to exhibit their natural behaviors, such as swimming ( Raud and Faure, 1994 ; Jones et al., 2009 ; Abdel-Hamid et al., 2020 ). Although intensive production systems have improved the productivity of ducks, such as egg yield and weight gain ( Duru et al., 2006 ), these systems has been linked to increased incidence of feather pecking, skeletal injuries, contact dermatitis (foot, toe, hock, and breast lesions), and poor meat quality ( Dawkins et al., 2017 ).…”