The prevention and control of feather pecking: application to commercial systems

Studies on the prevalence of feather pecking in different commercial laying hen 23 systems and its welfare and economic impacts are reviewed in the following paper. 24 Current methods for controlling feather pecking include beak-trimming and alterations to light regimes, but these methods have significant disadvantages from the perspective of bird welfare. A substantial body of research has now identified risk factors for feather pecking during both the rearing and laying periods. It is argued that these findings can be translated into optimised management practices that can prevent and control feather pecking whilst simultaneously conferring welfare benefits. The genetic basis of feather pecking is considered, and studies that suggest group selection techniques could produce birds with a reduced tendency to feather peck in commercial flocks are highlighted. Keywords: laying hen; feather pecking; beak-trimming; light; risk factor; genetic selectio

Redox stability and high-temperature electrical conductivity of magnesium-and aluminium-substituted magnetite

Spinel-type magnetite-based oxides, possessing relatively high electrical conductivity, are considered as promising consumable anode materials for high temperature pyroelectrolysis, a breakthrough low-CO2 steel technology to overcome the environmental impact of classical extractive metallurgy. The present work was focused on the analysis of phase stability, thermal expansion and high-temperature electrical conductivity in (Fe,Mg,Al)(3)O-4 system under oxidizing and mildly reducing conditions. Metastable, nearly single-phase at room temperature (Fe,Mg,Al)(3)O-4 ceramics was obtained by sintering at 1753-1773 K for 10 h in argon atmosphere. Thermal expansion and redox induced dimensional changes were studied on heating, using TG, XRD and dilatometry. The results revealed that magnesium improves the tolerance against oxidative decomposition and minimizes unfavorable dimensional changes in ceramic samples upon thermal cycling. Co-substitution of iron with aluminium and magnesium was proved to be a promising strategy for improvement of refractoriness and phase stability of Fe3O4-based spinels at elevated temperatures, without significant reduction in the electrical conductivity. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Logistic regression to estimate the welfare of broiler breeders in relation to environmental and behavioral variables Regressão logística para estimativa do bem-estar de matrizes pesadas em função de variáveis comportamentais e ambientais

The increasing demand of consumer markets for the welfare of birds in poultry house has motivated many scientific researches to monitor and classify the welfare according to the production environment. Given the complexity between the birds and the environment of the aviary, the correct interpretation of the conduct becomes an important way to estimate the welfare of these birds. This study obtained multiple logistic regression models with capacity of estimating the welfare of broiler breeders in relation to the environment of the aviaries and behaviors expressed by the birds. In the experiment, were observed several behaviors expressed by breeders housed in a climatic chamber under controlled temperatures and three different ammonia concentrations from the air monitored daily. From the analysis of the data it was obtained two logistic regression models, of which the first model uses a value of ammonia concentration measured by unit and the second model uses a binary value to classify the ammonia concentration that is assigned by a person through his olfactory perception. The analysis showed that both models classified the broiler breeder's welfare successfully.<br>As crescentes demandas e exigências dos mercados consumidores pelo bem-estar das aves nos aviários têm motivado diversas pesquisas científicas a monitorar e a classificar o bem-estar em função do ambiente de criação. Diante da complexidade com que as aves interagem com o ambiente do aviário, a correta interpretação dos comportamentos torna-se uma importante maneira para estimar o bem-estar dessas aves. Este trabalho criou modelos de regressão logística múltipla capazes de estimar o bem-estar de matrizes pesadas em função do ambiente do aviário e dos comportamentos expressos pelas aves. No experimento, foram observados diversos comportamentos expressos por matrizes pesadas alojadas em câmara climática sob três temperaturas controladas e diferentes concentrações de amônia do ar monitoradas diariamente. A partir da análise dos dados, foram obtidos dois modelos de regressão logística, dos quais, o primeiro modelo utiliza um valor de concentração de amônia medida por equipamento, e o segundo modelo utiliza um valor binário para classificar a concentração de amônia, que é atribuída por uma pessoa através da sua percepção olfativa. As análises dos modelos mostraram que ambos classificaram satisfatoriamente o bem-estar