PPILOW scientific publications

1: Sows and piglets adjust their use of an outdoor paddock with season and piglet age during the first weeks of life in an organic farm – by Céline Tallet (INRAE)

A variety of systems allowing pigs to access outdoors does exist. Some farming systems allow animals to choose if they want to be in or outside, via access to a roofed outdoor run for example or a pasture, with advantages but also disadvantages for animal welfare. In order to understand piglet’s use of the outdoor space, INRAE and Aarhus University’s collaborators of the PPILOW project explored how piglets use the indoor space, and which factors drive them to stay indoors or go outside. In this project published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, they offered sows and their progenies access to a grassed outdoor on a voluntary basis and a protection in the form of a hut with deep straw bedding. The aim was to determine the factors influencing the use of outdoors and indoors spaces by piglets and the sow, in particular the age of piglets and the season of the year.

Sows and piglets adjust their use of an outdoor paddock with season and piglet age during the first weeks of life in an organic farm. A. Jahoui, J. Malmkvist, L. Juul Pedersen, B. Lieubeau, J. Hervé, C. Tallet. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol. 276, July 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106325

2: Effects of lighted incubation and foraging enrichment during rearing on individual fear behavior, corticosterone, and neuroplasticity in laying hen pullets – by Saskia Kliphuis (UU)

 Early life conditions can influence stress responsivity of laying hens throughout their lifespan. Therefore, there are opportunities to improve welfare through the incubation and rearing environment. In this study, a 12:12h green LED light-dark cycle during incubation and larvae provisioning as enrichment during rearing were tested as strategies to optimize early-life conditions and thereby decrease stress responsivity in ISA Brown laying hens. We measured neuronal, physiological, and behavioral indicators that may affect fear and stress. Light during incubation did not influence neuronal or physiological measurements in this study, but light-incubated chickens were less fearful towards humans in one of the behavioral tests. Access to larvae had no effect on chicken behavior. Our study showed minor effects of light during incubation and no effects of enrichment during rearing on stress responsivity of young laying hens. The small effects may be explained by the enriched conditions for all chickens in this experiment (small groups, natural daylight, and 24/7 classical music). Given the promising results of lighted incubation in other studies, which were mostly performed in broiler chickens, and evidence regarding the positive effects of enrichment during rearing, the potential of these strategies to improve laying hen welfare needs to be explored further.

Effects of lighted incubation and foraging enrichment during rearing on individual fear behavior, corticosterone, and neuroplasticity in laying hen pullets. S. Kliphuis, M. W.E. Manet, V. C. Goerlich, R. E. Nordquist, H. Vernooij, F. A.M. Tuyttens, T. B. Rodenburg. Poultry Science, Vol. 103, Issue 6, June 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103665

3: Face au changement climatique, quelles stratégies d’atténuation  et d’adaptation pour les productions avicoles  – by Anne Collin (INRAE)

In this review article in French published in INRAE Productions Animales, PPILOW partners INRAE and ITAVI show why Climate change is a major issue for poultry production, and how it must evolve on the one hand, in reducing its environmental impact and, on the other hand, in adapting to new climatic conditions. This involves co-adapting the animals and the breeding environment, reorganizing the sectors geographically and between production chains actors to face health threats while saving resources and limiting the production of greenhouse gases. Some animal-welfare friendly practices studied in PPILOW for low input outdoor and organic farms, such as alternative incubation strategies, the use of outdoor well-adapted breeds of broilers in interaction with the free range design, and of verandas for limiting the sanitary increasing threats on the layer flocks while preserving welfare during confinements, are part of the solutions proposed.

Face au changement climatique, quelles stratégies d’atténuation et d’adaptation pour les productions avicoles? A. Collin, V. Coustham, J. Kokou Tona, S. Tesseraud, S. Mignon-Grasteau, B. Méda, A. V. Carvalho, Y. Guyot, S. Lagarrigue, F. Pitel, T. Zerjal. INRAE Productions Animales, Vol. 37 n. 1, April 2024. https://doi.org/10.20870/productions-animales.2024.37.1.8069

4: High-throughput phenotyping to characterise range use behaviour in broiler chickens – by Julie Collet (INRAE)

Characterising individual range use in free-range chickens is limited with traditional methods. In the paper published this year by INRAE and JUNIA collaborators, in Animal – The international journal of animal biosciences a new method based on active Radio Frequency Identification technology enabled evaluating range use in situ, minimising any disturbance to chickens’ natural behaviour. They used Radio Frequency Identification technology in three broiler breeds used for outdoor production and provided two reliable and repeatable indicators to individually characterise range use.

High-throughput phenotyping to characterise range use behaviour in broiler chickens. J. M. Collet, C. Bonnefous, K. Germain, L. Ravon, L. Calandreau, V. Guesdon, A. Collin, E. Le Bihan-Duval, S. Mignon-Grasteau. Animal, Vol. 18, Issue 3, March 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2024.101099

5: Effect of genotype and outdoor enrichment on productive performance and meat quality of slow growing chickens – by Cesare Castellini (UNIPG)

The optimization of animal welfare, meat quality, environmental impact, and economic sustainability in alternative poultry farming can be achieved by improving the synergy between the chicken genotype and the outdoor environment. The objective of the study is to characterize four slow-growing chicken strains reared free range. Eight hundred chickens of 4 slow-growing genotypes (25 chickens/replicates/genotype/enrichment) were reared and slaughtered at 81 d: Red JA57 (RJ), Naked Neck (NN), Lohmann Dual meat-type (LD), and an Italian crossbreed (Robusta Maculata x Sasso, CB). The grazing areas were alternatively provided with enrichment constituted by strips of sorghum plants (ENR) or only grass (NO ENR). Productive performances (daily weight gain – DWG, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio – FCR, live weight) were recorded weekly. Behaviour observations (walking and grass pecking), carcass and meat quality (physico chemical evaluations, oxidative status, and fatty acid profile of breast and drumstick) were assessed. Results demonstrated that both LD and CB showed the highest walking activity, but the different strains differently finalise this activity in acquiring feed resources (pecking grass). The better productive performance was recorded in RJ followed by NN, CB and LD. In LD and CB, the different walking activities also affected the physico-chemical profiles (lower pHu, WHC, and lipids) of the breast and drumstick. The oxidative status was worse in CB than in the other groups (lower Tocols, higher Carbonyls). Fatty acid profile was also related to the genetic strain: a higher amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was recorded both in the breast and drumstick of RJ and NN. The health quality index resulted excellent in all the chicken genotypes. In conclusion, the environment/animal interaction resulted as an important factor affecting the adaptability of genotypes to free range. All four genotypes, to different extents, showed good adaptation and production performance, with the exception of LD and CB, which were too light for the commercial supply chain.

Pictures, carcasses (with cm scale) and meat cuts (breast, thigh and drumstick) and of four chicken genotypes reared in an outdoor system with (ENR) or without (NO ENR) pasture availability

Effect of genotype and outdoor enrichment on productive performance and meat quality of slow growing chickens. S. Mattioli, E. Angelucci, C. Castellini, A. Cartoni Mancinelli W. Chenggang, F. Di Federico, D. Chiattelli, A. Dal Bosco. – Poultry Science Vol. 103, Issue 10, July 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.104131

6: In vivo assessment of the antiparasitics effects of Allium sativum L. and Artemisia absinthium L. against gastrointestinal parasites in swine from low-input farms  – by Mihai‑Horia Băieş (USAMV)

Ethno-veterinary practices could be used as a sustainable developmental tool by integrating traditional phytotherapy and husbandry. Phytotherapeutics are available and used worldwide. However, evidence of their antiparasitic efficacy is currently very limited. Parasitic diseases have a considerable effect on pig production, causing economic losses due to high morbidity and mortality. In this respect, especially smallholders and organic producers face severe challenges. Parasites, as disease causing agents, often outcompete other pathogens in such extensive production systems. A total of 720 faecal samples were collected in two farms from three age categories, i.e. weaners, fatteners, and sows. Flotation (Willis and McMaster method), modified Ziehl–Neelsen stained faecal smear, centrifugal sedimentation, modified Blagg technique, and faecal cultures were used to identify parasites and quantify the parasitic load. The examination confirmed the presence of infections with Eimeria spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Balantioides coli (syn. Balantidium coli), Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum spp., Strongyloides ransomi, and Trichuris suis, distributed based on age category. A dose of 180 mg/kg bw/day of Allium sativum L. and 90 mg/kg bw/day of Artemisia absinthium L. powders, administered for 10 consecutive days, revealed a strong, taxonomy-based antiprotozoal and anthelmintic activity. The results highlighted the therapeutic potential of both A. sativum and A. absinthium against gastrointestinal parasites in pigs. Their therapeutic effectiveness may be attributed to the content in polyphenols, tocopherols, flavonoids, sterols, sesquiterpene lactones, and sulfoxide. Further research is required to establish the minimal effective dose of both plants against digestive parasites in pigs.

In vivo assessment of the antiparasitic effects of Allium sativum L. and Artemisia absinthium L. against gastrointestinal parasites in swine from low-input farms. Băieş MH, Cotuţiu VD, Spînu M, Mathe A, Cozma-Petruț A, Bolboacǎ SD, Engberg RM, Collin A, Cozma V. (2024) BMC Vet Res., 20(1):126 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-03983-3.