Lameness assessment with automatic monitoring of activity in commercial broiler flocks

Abstract

The possibility of using automatic recordings of broiler chicken activity in commercial flocks to assess the birds΄ walking ability (lameness) was investigated. Data were collected from 5 commercial broiler farms in 4 European countries, using 16 flocks and 33 assessment occasions. Lameness was assessed using established gait scoring methods (Kestin et al., 1992; Welfare Quality®, 2009) and took place at 3, 4, and 5 wk of age. Gait score (GS) was used to assess the birds' walking ability, and automatic recordings of bird activity were collected using the eYeNamic™ camera system before, during, and after an assessor walked through the house. The variables used to predict the level of GS extracted from the camera system were: baseline activity, time from assessor leaving the house to resumption of baseline activity, average activity over that period, and Δ Amplitude (difference between highest activity peak after assessor left the house and baseline level). Age (<0.001) and Δ Amplitude (P = 0.0002) were significantly related to GS, with the gait getting poorer with increased age and Δ Amplitude decreasing with declining walking ability. Both measures are thus included in a predictive equation. The results demonstrate a potential method using image analysis techniques to realize an automated assessment of the level of lameness in commercial broiler flocks. This could be of use in future animal welfare assessment schemes.

Review: Automated techniques for monitoring the behaviour and welfare of broilers and laying hens: towards the goal of precision livestock farming

“…Converting images into animal distribution index, the equipment failure in a broiler house could be found out in real time by the sudden changes of the distribution index (Kashiha et al, 2014). With a uniform moderate walking pace through the flock, four variables were derived from the changes in activity before and after walking, so that the gait score could be predicted automatically (Silvera et al, 2017). The occupation index was used instead of the distribution index, and the activity and occupation of the flock had correlation with the welfare scores for the footpad lesions and hock burns by human experts (Fernandez et al, 2018).…”

How Are Information Technologies Addressing Broiler Welfare? A Systematic Review Based on the Welfare Quality® Assessment

“…The analysis of movement, distribution, and activity of a flock can provide important information on the welfare status of the animals. Technology to capture broiler distribution was used to predict thermal comfort of young chicks [46]; to evaluate the relationship between individual behaviour and optical flow [47]; and to assess mortality, gait abnormalities, hock burn, and foot pad dermatitis on flock basis [23,[48][49][50][51][52][53]. Moreover, it was utilized to analyse poultry eating and drinking behaviour [24], to detect equipment malfunctioning [54], and to monitor animals in broiler houses [55] and as part of a set of technologies used to provide an easy tool for farmers to assess production, environmental, and behaviour data in a broiler house [28].…”

“…Algorithms were identified in 23 papers, representing 40.4% of total publications. They were primarily used to process image data involved with the detection and assessment of broiler lameness and/or leg disorders [23,[36][37][38][39][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]55], to characterize chick behaviour under different temperatures [46] and other environmental conditions [30], to detect equipment malfunctioning [54], and for early detection of sick broilers [69]. In addition, they were used to process sound data and to provide information about feeding and/or drinking behaviours [24,44], to automate the detection of footpad dermatitis along the slaughter line [68], to define the best positions to install CO 2 sensors in a broiler house [75], to control broiler chickens growth curve [81], and to develop an innovative image display tool that allowed farmers to assess broilers' living conditions [28].…”

Philosophy and animal welfare science

“…Other measures are straightforward measures of physical health, which is important if welfare is just health and biological functioning or natural behavior for an animal, which can require good health. Examples include body condition and blood serum levels indicative of muscle injury (Cattet, Boulanger, Stenhouse, Powell, & Reynolds‐Hogland, ), rates of injury such as due to tail biting in pigs (Valros, ), lameness in broiler chickens (Silvera et al, ), and parasite load in fish (Bui, Oppedal, Sievers, & Dempster, ). Insofar as negative health states are associated with negative subjective states, these measures of physical health are also relevant on the feelings view.…”