Effect of different catching practices during manual upright handling on broiler welfare and behavior.

The aim of this study was to identify the influence of different catching practices during manual upright handling on broiler welfare and behavior. Catching was examined in a total of 4,595 Cobb broilers with average live weight of 3.2 kg and 42 days old. Six catching practices were evaluated: shed curtain position, loading time, catching method, catching team, height of the crates from the floor, and placement of the bird in the crate. Behavioral welfare indicators were defined as follows: 1) broiler agitation in the catcher's hands, measured when the birds flapped their wings, kicked, or wriggled in the hands; 2) broiler striking the crate entrance as it was being placed in the crate, measured when the birds get the head, wings, or legs, hit at the crate entrance; and 3) broiler agitation in the crate, measured when birds flapped the wings or jumped inside the crate for 3 s or more after placement in the crate. A logistic regression model was used to calculate the chance of occurrence of each behavioral welfare indicator due to the handling factors. All catching practices evaluated in the present study influenced the birds' welfare and behavior. Thus, some procedures during broiler catching potentially improved their behavior, making them less prone to accidents, and consequently improved their welfare. The catching process should be performed with the curtains in the closed position, carrying one broiler per catcher in an upright position while containing its wings, carefully placing the birds inside the crates, and with the crates being positioned at a height of at least 21 cm from the ground. Additionally, it was concluded that more attention should be given to the broiler catchers, since the position of the curtain, loading time, and position of the crate during handling can influence the work done by them, affecting the welfare and behavior of both humans and birds.

Genetic association between temperament and sexual precocity indicator traits in Nellore cattle.

The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic associations between temperament and sexual precocity indicators in Nellore cattle. Temperament was evaluated at approximately 550 days of age, using three traits: i) movement score (MOV), recording the animals' movement inside the crush; ii) temperament score (TS) for assessing the reactions of animals in a corral pen; and iii) flight speed test (FS), recording the speed (in m/s) at which the animals exit the crush after being weighed. Three sexual precocity indicators were used: i) age at first calving (AFC, in days); ii) occurrence of precocious pregnancy (OPP, as a binary trait); and iii) yearling scrotal circumference (SC, in cm). The (co)variance and genetic parameters were estimated by Bayesian Inference via Gibbs sampling, assuming a linear animal model for FS, AFC and SC and a threshold animal model for MOV, TS and OPP in multitrait analyses. The mean posterior heritability estimates for MOV, FS, TS, AFC, OPP and SC were 0.11 ± 0.03, 0.27 ± 0.07, 0.16 ± 0.09, 0.09 ± 0.01, 0.44 ± 0.06 and 0.43 ± 0.02, respectively. The mean posterior correlation estimates were: 0.13 ± 0.14 (MOV-AFC), -0.03 ± 0.16 (MOV-OPP), 0.08 ± 0.10 (MOV-SC), 0.14 ± 0.11 (FS-AFC), -0.19 ± 0.15 (FS-OPP), -0.07 ± 0.08 (FS-SC), 0.09 ± 0.09 (TS-AFC), -0.03 ± 0.09 (TS-OPP) and -0.28 ± 0.08 (TS-SC). These results indicate that all the traits had sufficient genetic variability to respond to selection. The low magnitude of the genetic correlations indicated that selection for improvements in sexual precocity would not change the temperament of Nellore cattle. In order to obtain genetic progress in cattle temperament, direct selection for these traits is recommended.

Strategies to promote farm animal welfare in Latin America and their effects on carcass and meat quality traits.

Several initiatives, including research and development, increasing stakeholders' awareness and application of legislation and recommendation, have been carried out in Latin America to promote animal welfare and meat quality. Most activities focused on the impact of pre-slaughter conditions (facilities, equipment and handling procedures) on animal welfare and meat quality. The results are encouraging; data from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay showed that the application of the improved pre-slaughter handling practices reduced aggressive handling and the incidence of bruised carcasses at slaughter in cattle and pigs. These outcomes stimulated some to apply animal welfare concepts in livestock handling within the meat production chain as shown by the increasing demand for personnel training on the best. To attend this demand is important to expand local studies on farm animal welfare and to set up (or maintain) an efficient system for knowledge transfer to all stakeholders in the Latin America meat production chains. However, it is clear that to promote the long-term progress in this field is important to deliver practical solutions, assuring that they match the technical and financial conditions of those who are the target of training programs.