Turkey welfare

 

 

The sub-page is dedicated to the welfare priority area 5. Turkeys on farm.

The sub-page includes welfare indicators, factsheets and methods, reports, experimental studies, good welfare practices, training, webinars, and guidelines (soon).

WELFARE INDICATORS

List of welfare indicators to assess turkeys’ welfare on-farm

Factsheets

Injurious pecking in turkeys
On-farm assessment of footpad dermatitis in turkeys

GOOD WELFARE PRACTICES

List of the identified potential demonstrators of examples of succes that is selected for visits
Captive bolt as a back-up stunning method during slaughter of turkeys
Environmental enrichment and winter garden in a turkey barn
An example of inspections of compliance with the transport regulation (COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No. 1/2005)
Automatic assessment FootPad Dermatitis

Report

Description of the main husbandry systems used for turkey farming in the EU

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES

The technical study aimed at evaluating the prevalence and the inter-observer repeatability of the most valid and feasible animal-based indicators of the state of consciousness after waterbath stunning in turkeys before bleeding (tonic seizure, breathing, spontaneous blinking, and vocalisation) and during bleeding (wing flapping, breathing, spontaneous swallowing, and head shaking). In addition, correlations among them were computed to better understand their relationship and offer better insight on reliability of indicators. This was aimed at proposing a refined list of indicators that can be used in commercial slaughterhouses ensuring consistency of assessments. Moreover, the effectiveness of stunning according to different combinations of waterbath electrical key parameters (frequency and current) used in different commercial slaughterhouses was assessed in order to provide general recommendations.

 

Training

Report about minimum standards for training courses on animal welfare assessment for official control of waterbath stunning of turkeys
Review of existing training courses for the turkey welfare on farm assessment

Webinar

Assessment of counsciousness after waterbath stunning of turkeys

Guidelines

Guidelines for the assessment of turkey welfare on farm using relevant welfare indicators to assess compliance with requirements laid down in Directive 98/58 EC

This area is updated regularly. 

Last updated on 01.10.2024.