ANSC 2307 Lecture 12: Farm Animal Welfare 1

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering domestication, farm classification types, poultry management standards (broilers vs. layers), housing systems, welfare metrics, and pododermatitis scoring from Lecture 12.

Domestication

A long-term evolutionary and selective breeding process through which wild animal populations adapt genetically over generations to live in proximity to humans, inheriting traits that make them more appealing and useful.

Taming

The behavioral conditioning of an individual wild animal to reduce natural avoidance or aggression toward humans, distinct from multigenerational genetic domestication.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

An intensive livestock production facility defined by the US EPA as holding a large number of animals confined in an operational feeding area for more than $45$ days.

Conventional Farming

An intensive agricultural system that raises thousands of domesticated animals using technological interventions—such as modern feeding equipment, high-yield genetics, antibiotics, and GMOs—to maximize production yield and affordability.

Organic Farming

A federally regulated agricultural system that prohibits synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, toxic persistent pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics, and growth hormones, while mandating pasture access and $100\%$ organic feed.

Ad Libitum

A feeding or watering practice where feed or water is made continuously and freely available at all times so that animals can consume as much as desired.

Five Freedoms: Freedom from Hunger and Thirst (Chickens)

A welfare standard achieved by providing water ad libitum alongside life-stage-specific diets (starter/grower, layer) and essential nutritional supplements such as calcium and grit.

Five Freedoms: Freedom to Express Normal Behaviors (Chickens)

A welfare standard achieved by providing conspecific access and environmental enrichment (physical, mental, olfactory, auditory, social) enabling birds to perch, nest, dust bathe, scratch, forage, and peck.

Layer

A hen raised specifically for commercial table egg production, kept for approximately $70$ weeks commercially (with a natural lifespan of $\sim 6$ years), fed diets that restrict excessive weight gain, and requiring dedicated nesting areas.

Broiler

A chicken breed selected specifically for rapid growth and meat production, raised for approximately $8$ weeks (with a natural lifespan of $\sim 7$ years), and fed high-energy, high-protein rations.

White Leghorn

A high-efficiency layer chicken breed known for laying $250\text{–}300$ white eggs per year.

Cornish Cross

A primary commercial broiler chicken breed selected for rapid weight gain and high breast meat yield.

Battery Cage (Conventional Cage)

An intensive multi-tier laying cage system housing $6\text{–}7$ hens per cage with $67\text{–}86\,\text{sq. in.}$ of space per bird, sloped wire flooring, automated feed/water lines, an egg belt, and a manure belt, lacking perches and nest boxes.

Furnished Cage (Enriched Cage)

An intensive laying cage system housing approximately $60$ hens per cage with $116\,\text{sq. in.}$ of space per hen, equipped with perches, scratch pads, and dedicated nesting areas with privacy curtains.

Aviary System (Cage-Free)

A multi-tier indoor non-cage laying system providing $144\,\text{sq. in.}$ of space per hen, multi-level perches, automated feed/water lines, communal nest boxes, wire platforms, and open floor/litter scratch areas.

Deep Litter System

An intensive poultry indoor housing system where birds are housed continuously on a concrete or earthen floor covered with a thick layer of absorbent bedding substrate.

Slatted Floor System

An intensive indoor housing design where poultry are held over slatted or perforated flooring to allow droppings to fall through, separating birds from manure.

Folding Unit

An extensive poultry housing enclosure consisting of a mobile wire pen with a small attached shelter that is moved sequentially across fresh pasture.

United Egg Producers (UEP) Housing Minimums

Space standards specifying a minimum of $1.0\,\text{sq foot}$ per hen in aviary and enriched cage systems, and $1.5\,\text{sq foot}$ per hen in conventional cages.

UEP Perching Minimums

Layer welfare guidelines mandating at least $6\,\text{inches}$ of usable linear perch space per bird, $20\%$ positioned at least $16\,\text{inches}$ high, set $7.5\,\text{inches}$ below the ceiling, and never located above feeders or drinkers.

UEP Nesting Minimums

Standards requiring $9\,\text{sq ft}$ of nesting area per $100$ hens (or $1$ nest per $5$ hens), furnished with privacy curtains and dividers.

American Humane Broiler Stocking Density

A weight-based space guideline requiring $1\,\text{sq ft}$ of floor space for every $7\,\text{lbs}$ of bird body weight, enforcing lower stocking densities as birds increase in size.

American Humane Broiler Litter Requirement

A broiler standard requiring clean, dry, friable bedding substrate maintained at a depth of at least $2\,\text{inches}$ without standing water.

Bumblefoot

An inflammatory condition or localized bacterial pododermatitis of the avian foot pad causing swelling, pain, lameness, and abscess formation.

Footpad Dermatitis Scoring Scale

A standardized visual assessment scale grading footpad lesions in poultry from Score $0$ (no visible lesion) to Score $4$ (deep lesion and ulceration on $> 50\%$ of the central footpad and toes).

Footpad Dermatitis Score 1

A classification characterized by superficial discoloration covering less than $10\%$ of the central footpad area.

Footpad Dermatitis Score 2

A classification characterized by superficial discoloration covering greater than $10\%$ of the central footpad area.

Footpad Dermatitis Score 3

A classification characterized by deep lesions and ulceration affecting less than $50\%$ of the central footpad and toes.

Footpad Dermatitis Score 4

A severe classification characterized by deep lesions and ulceration covering greater than $50\%$ of the central footpad and toes.

Beak Trimming (Debeaking)

An automated procedure performed on young chicks using heated blades or infrared technology to remove the tip of the beak in order to reduce feather pecking and cannibalism.

Red Mite

An ectoparasite of poultry that infests housing structures, presenting an elevated welfare and health risk in enriched cage and non-cage multi-tier systems.

Top Texas Agricultural Commodity

Cattle, which generates approximately $\$15.5\,\text{billion}$ in annual production value, leading Texas agricultural commodity revenue.