Contexte

In the broiler chicken industry the quality of the end product and animal welfare are two aspects that are closely related and increasingly demanded by both end consumers and the industry itself. Current legislation on the protection and welfare of broiler chickens establishes contact dermatitis (food pad lesions, hock burn and breast blisters) as one of the main criteria for the assessment of the incidence of lesions.
The quality of the litter, nutrition and digestive health of the chickens are the key aspects to prevent pododermatitis. In fact, any of the factors that can increase the humidity of the litter, such as its material and quality, the water supply system, the digestibility of the chicken feed and the presence of diarrhoea, may contribute to its appearance.
The majority of detected cases of pododermatitis lesions are caused by wet litter and excessive amounts of ammonia released from the nitrogenous faeces of the birds.
Accordingly, in order to reduce the incidence of pododermatitis at farms, a study is proposed to determine: (1) which materials are most suitable for the litter and how they should be handled, and (2) a nutritional diet to improve the health of the chickens.
A broiler chicken farm (AGROBAIONA), a major agribusiness company (CORPORACIÓ AGROALIMENTÀRIA DE GUISSONA) and the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) have joined forces to work on this project.