Animal welfare related quality parameters

The trend towards larger flock sizes, while often perceived as undesirable from an animal welfare point of view, coincided with more professional practices being introduced into the organic poultry industry, especially with respect to food safety and HACCP based quality assurance systems. However, it did result in a decrease in time spent on individual animals and their welfare. 

The SAFO Poultry Working Group also identified the need to address the following main welfare-related challenges in many parts of the organic poultry industry (Zollitsch, 2003)  

The provision of sufficient supplies of essential amino acids for poultry is a specific organic farming issue and results from (i) an insufficient supply of suitable protein crops (especially organically grown soya) for the expanding organic poultry sector and (ii) the prohibition (or restrictions) on the use of 

In broilers of modern fast growing, meat production genotypes, most deaths are due to sudden heart failure and parasite infections (see also Chapter 12). Also such genotypes suffer from leg disorders (perosis, tibial dyschondroplasia, etc.) and muscle diseases to such an extent that they have difficulty in walking normally. They are thought to suffer severe pain and consequently spend much longer lying down. This in turn may lead to serious breast blisters. 

Laying hen Egg production capacity age at point of lay, laying peak, 

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