Project helps farmers to prevent hen pecking

A project led by the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences aims to improve bird welfare through a new website on how to prevent hen pecking.

Pecking is an abnormal foraging behaviour which results in feather loss. As well as causing large economic losses to farmers, it is a serious animal welfare concern. The behaviour is commonly caused by a lack of foraging opportunities and poor litter quality.

The new website - FeatherWel - is a resource for farmers and veterinary surgeons looking for advice on reducing hen pecking in free-range systems.

It has been developed by scientists at the university, in collaboration with RSPCA Freedom Food, The Soil Association and the AssureWel project, which aims to improve farm animal welfare.

The focus is on providing management strategies to help prevent pecking damage, covering one-day old chicks through to laying hens.

Images and resources support the information, which covers all forms of harmful pecking - from gentle and severe pecking and vent pecking to cannibalism. Further, a forum allows users to share their experiences.

Dr Claire Weeks, who led the team at Bristol, said: "When it comes to abnormal pecking behaviour, most farmers are well aware that prevention is easier than cure.

"A trial of the advice in the management package on 100 farms as part of the Bristol Pecking Project found that using as many management strategies together as possible was the most effective way of achieving a fully-feathered flock."

The launch of the website comes after news of a possible ban on beak-trimming, a common practice used to reduce the damage caused by pecking behaviour.

The team at Bristol are trialling the management advice provided by FeatherWel on 20 commercial flocks where the birds are not beak-trimmed. Information gathered will then be used to aid the government's review in 2015.

Visit the FeatherWel website, or click here to view the university's Improving Feather Cover guide.