Impact of different range areas on behavior, welfare, and performance of Naked Neck chickens.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different environmental enrichment tools on behavior, welfare, productive performance, and egg quality traits of Naked Neck chickens. A total of 1080 Naked Neck female chickens (30 weeks old) were used in the present study. A completely randomized experimental design, with 3 treatments having 4 replicates of 90 birds each, was applied. Treatments consisted of 3 different range areas A (121.9 m2), B (152.4 m2), and C (190.5 m2). Behavior (walking, feeding/foraging, sitting, aggressiveness wing flapping, perching, dust bathing, and range use), welfare (foot pad dermatitis, lameness, gait score, and feather pecking), productive performance (egg weight, egg production %, egg mass, and feed intake), egg quality traits (morphometry, egg weight, shell, albumen, and yolk characteristics) were evaluated. There was no influence (P > 0.05) of different range area on bird's behavior, and egg quality traits except walking and rang usage. The range area C promoted productive performance including egg weight, egg production %, egg mass and feed intake, but it did not influence welfare traits. It might be concluded that Naked Neck chicken when reared in free range with different range enrichments did not reveal any difference regarding behavioral parameters, egg morphometry, and egg quality traits. The range area within minimum length and effectively used environmental enrichments (perching and dust bathing area) should be used for backyard poultry to obtain ideal performance.

Poultry consumption and perceptions in Tehsil Shakargarh, Punjab, Pakistan: Implications for public health during COVID-19.

This study investigated the habits and attitudes of individuals towards poultry consumption, utilizing primary data collected through a survey of 5 households from 285 localities in Tehsil Shakargarh, Punjab, Pakistan (n = 1425). Household selection was randomized, and personal visits were conducted for data collection via formal interviews employing a structured questionnaire. Coordinates for each site were obtained using a Garmin eTrex device, in conjunction with meteorological data, to determine global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. A notable portion of respondents (38.8 %) possessed basic knowledge, while the majority (61.2 %) demonstrated intermediate knowledge regarding commercial broilers (chickens raised for meat production). A significant proportion (70.3 %) harbored misconceptions about the inclusion of hormones/antibiotics in poultry feed, with a minority (0.2 %) misinformed about broiler chickens' leg weakness. Some respondents (17.3 %) held both misconceptions, while others (12.2 %) had none. The majority (97.6 %) favored egg consumption, with 51.7 % preferring commercial chicken eggs and 48.3 % opting for domestic chicken eggs. Preference for white-colored eggs (51.5 %) slightly outweighed that for brown-colored eggs (48.5 %). A minority (1.3 %) speculated that poultry consumption could be a potential cause of COVID-19, while the majority (65.7 %) disagreed, and a portion (33.0 %) remained uncertain. Nearly all respondents (99.9 %) believed in the immunity-boosting properties of protein intake, with 65 % associating such benefits with poultry meat and eggs. Similarly, 99.7 % did not encounter difficulties in accessing poultry products during lockdowns. Approximately half (46.3 %) of respondents believed that consuming well-cooked and safely handled poultry meat was safe during outbreaks. Poultry meat and eggs emerged as potentially efficient sources of nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for protein-deficient populations like Pakistan. Therefore, initiatives should focus on enhancing commercial poultry production and educating the populace about its advantages.