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Chicken Behaviour and Welfare

Approx. 10 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Learn everything you need to know about raising chickens from scratch with this comprehensive course. From choosing the right breed to building a coop and caring for your birds, you'll be well on your way to becoming a successful chicken farmer.

Key Learning Points

Discover the benefits of raising chickens for meat and eggs
Learn how to choose the right breed for your needs
Build a chicken coop and create a healthy living environment for your birds

Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have

- USA: $50,000 - $100,000
- India: INR 5,00,000 - INR 10,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €60,000
- USA: $50,000 - $100,000
- India: INR 5,00,000 - INR 10,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €60,000
- USA: $45,000 - $65,000
- India: INR 3,00,000 - INR 5,00,000
- Spain: €20,000 - €30,000
- USA: $50,000 - $100,000
- India: INR 5,00,000 - INR 10,00,000
- Spain: €30,000 - €60,000
- USA: $45,000 - $65,000
- India: INR 3,00,000 - INR 5,00,000
- Spain: €20,000 - €30,000
- USA: $40,000 - $60,000
- India: INR 3,00,000 - INR 5,00,000
- Spain: €20,000 - €30,000

Learning Outcomes

Understand the basics of chicken care and welfare
Select the right breed of chicken for your needs
Build and maintain a healthy living environment for your birds

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Access to a computer with an internet connection
Basic knowledge of animal care and welfare

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Self-paced
Online
Video Lectures

Similar Courses

Beekeeping Basics
Small Business Management
Sustainable Agriculture

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Joel Salatin
Lisa Steele

Related Books

Description

This course explains the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles are relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses.

Learning Objectives: at the end of this course, you will be able to - - Describe avian sensory perception and motivation - Explain the main behaviour patterns of poultry - Define welfare and explain the bases of welfare standards - Assess chicken welfare, using behavioural and physiological means - Understand common welfare problems of chickens This course is taught by staff from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), University of Glasgow, and St David's Poultry Team. You can follow us on Twitter! #chickenmooc © University of Edinburgh and Scotland's Rural College 2016 CC BY

Outline

Getting Started
Chicken Behaviour & Welfare Promo Video
Rules of engagement (from Animal Behaviour & Welfare course)
Finding more information

Introduction to Animal Behaviour: Domestication, Behaviour Development and Learning, the Senses
What is behaviour?
What is a chicken?
Domestication
Prehatch and hatching
Imprinting
Other types of learning
Hormones and Behaviour
Motivation
Vision
Hearing
Taste
Smell and Touch
Interview with Sarah Brocklehurst
What is a chicken? Some images
Smithsonian's How the chicken conquered the world.
Learning who is your mother
Exercise: how operant conditioning works
Article on vision
Domestication, Development and Learning, the Senses

Behaviour Patterns of Chickens, Part 1
Introduction To Maintenance Behaviours
Feeding Behaviour
History Of Feeding, Contrafreeloading
Motivation To Show Feeding Phases
Broiler Feeding Behaviour
Drinking Behaviour
Preening And Dustbathing
Perching
Stretching, Wing Flapping, Thermoregulation, Sleeping
Communication
Dominance Behaviour, Aggression, Bird-to-bird Pecking
Social Spacing
Article on feed choice in chickens
Drinking from a nipple drinker or dish
Distinction between preening, and oiling + preening
Aggression between males
Behaviour part 1

Behaviour Patterns of Chickens, Part 2
Introduction To Reproduction
Courtship
Mating Behaviour
Nesting and Laying Behaviour
Brooding Behaviour
Problems With Nesting And Laying Behaviour
Interview With Johnny - Breeding And Preparing For The Show Ring
Interview With Derek - Small-scale Commercial Broiler Incubation And Hatching
Feather Pecking And Cannibalism
Stereotypic Behaviours
Overdrinking (polydipsia)
Litter Eating
Transcript for interview with Johnny - Breeding and preparing for the show ring
Hens that go broody
How to assess developing embryos in eggs
Egg shell abnormalities
Egg eating
Different types of feather pecking
Behaviour part 2

What is chicken welfare? Defining "welfare", ethical obligations, and welfare standards
Defining Welfare, and the Five Freedoms
Ethics and Poultry Production
Welfare Organisations and Accreditation Schemes
Effects of Stressors
Assessing Welfare: Behavioural and Physiological Measures
Ruth Harrison
Article on a 'good life' for hens
Welfare accreditation schemes
Welfare, ethics, welfare standards
A Life Worth Living Exercise (just for fun)

Effects of housing, transport and slaughter on bird welfare
Egg Production: Furnished Cages
Egg Production: Free Range
Chicken (Broiler) Production
Interview With Barry: Is Free Range Always Best?
Introduction To Killing Sick Or Injured Stock
Methods Of Culling Poultry
How Do You Know A Bird Is Dead?
Introduction To Transport
Depopulation, Transport, And Lairage
Stunning And Slaughter
Laying hens: supplement to the Code of Practice
Article on welfare problems in meat chickens
Pullet rearing, pullet welfare issues
Housing, transport and slaughter

Summary of User Reviews

Discover the fascinating world of chickens with this comprehensive course. Users have praised the course for its engaging and informative content. Many have appreciated the emphasis on humane treatment of chickens.

Pros from User Reviews

Engaging and informative content
Emphasis on humane treatment of chickens
Good for beginners

Cons from User Reviews

Limited advanced information
Some technical issues with videos
Not enough hands-on activities

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