Effect of environmental enrichment on the behavior production parameters and immune response in broilers

THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF 4 WAYS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT ON THE BEHAVOIR, PRODUCTION AND HEALTH OF 220 BROILERS DIVIDED IN TO FIVE TREATMENTS: BATH DUSTING BOX, TOYS AND ALFALFA, PERCHES, A COMBINATION, AND THE CONTROL ONE. INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOREVENTS WERE MEASURED AND RELATED TO PRODUCTION PARAMETERS SUCH AS LIVE BODY WEIGHT, FOOD EFFICIENCY AND INMUNE RESPONSE TO NEWCASTLE'S DISEASE VACCINATION. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TREATMENTS WITH JUST ONE ELEMENT NOT WITH THE COMBINATION OF TREATMENTS. THE FREQUENCY OF HEAD PECKING WAS LOWER IN THE TREATMENT WITH BATH DUSTING BOX (P- 0.05), AND THE HIGHEST LEVELS WERE FOUND IN THE TREATMENT WITH PERCHES, AS WELL AS IN THE GROUP WITH ALL ENRICHING DEVICES (P- 0.05). THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TREATMENTS REGARDING BODY WEIGHT AND FEED CONVERTION. INMUNE RESPONSE VALUES WERE SATISFACTORY IN ALL TREATMENTS, BUT DID NOT SHOW DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM. A NEGATIVE CORRELATION WAS FOUND BETWEEN TOYS AND ALFALFA PECKING BEHAVIOR, AND BODY CARE BEHAVIORS (P- 0.05). FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF ENVIROMENTAL ENRICHMENT AND EPIDEMIOLOGY IN COMMERCIAL FLOCKS.