Tackling the future challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry - vTI

RAHMANN G & GODINHO D (Ed.) (2012): Tackling the Future Challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry.
Proceedings of the 2 nd OAHC, Hamburg/Trenthorst, Germany, Sep 12-14, 2012
within the first three weeks of life. However, there was a difference between Austria and the two
other countries in that Austria had the same average weekly losses before and after access to freerange,
mainly due to killing of birds on some farms at the end of the rearing period. The causes of
losses were rarely documented. Losses due to infection were rarely reported and happened early
during rearing. Predators were seen as a problem by many farmers (Switzerland 34%, Austria 17%,
Denmark 56%). Incidences of antibiotic or antiparasitic treatments were low (0.02 to 0.05/rearing
period). Pullet weights reached similar levels in Denmark, Austria and Germany (no weights available
for Switzerland) and were on average above target weights. However, uniformity was on average
lower in Austria (79%) than in Denmark (84%) and Germany (82%, p = 0.037).
Vaccination is partly influenced by different national legal rules. Most vaccines were used in Germany
(6 to 9 different vaccines, 11 to 21 vaccinations plus vaccinations directly before restalling).
Switzerland had the lowest application of vaccines (3 to 5 different vaccines, 6 to 9 vaccinations).
Discussion
No indications for specific health problems due to free-range access for pullets could be detected.
However, the large variation in results hints at a possibly larger challenge regarding proper management
under free-range conditions. Especially, a non-adapted feeding management is a possible
cause of decreased uniformity. Pullets with low body weight in a flock can cause low laying performance,
feather pecking and cannibalism (Lugmair et al. 2005) and is therefore an economic and
animal welfare problem. Further management measures are necessary to limit risks of predation and
uptake of infectious agents. Based on the practical experiences in the surveyed countries, Keppler et
al. (2010) put forward recommendations concerning free-range management and design.
Table 2: Body weight, uniformity and mortality of pullets in Switzerland, Austria, Denmark
and Germany
Country Switzerland Austria Denmark Germany
Body weight
% of target weight
mean (min – max)
Uniformity (%)
mean (min – max)
Mortality
total (%)
mean (min – max)
% of total mortality before access to
free-range
mean (min – max)
weekly % before access to free-range
mean (min – max)
weekly % after access to free-range
mean (min – max)
-
-
3.1
(0.7 – 13.7)
75
(26 – 99)
0.31
(0.02–1.17)
0.07
(0.00 – 0.46)
105
(94 – 123)
79 (50 – 89)
2.5
(0.4 – 7.7)
77
(12 – 100)
0.13
(0.2 – 0.47)
0.07
(0.00 – 0.29)
105
(81 – 117)
86 (50 – 98)
3.1
(1.0 – 12.2)
82
(35 – 100)
0.34
(0.08 – 1.23)
0.05
(0.00 – 0.29)
* according to the references of the breeding companies ** unit with free-range 2.04 %
Suggestions to tackle the future challenges of organic animal husbandry
103
(94 – 111)
82 (72 – 91)
3.4
(1.7 – 12.2)**
-
Outdoor access is a central requirement of organic husbandry, but in specialized, concentrated production
systems such as pullet rearing, conflicts arise with the control of predation and infection
risks. However, with proper management good health and low mortality can be reached, although
this might be more difficult on large scale. In any case, birds should have outdoor climate and natural
day light from an early stage of life and in winter time by provision of a covered outdoor run.
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-
171