Project 10

Developing housing to improve the transition between the rearing and laying periods

Supervisors: Mike Toscano & Ariane Stratmann

Location: University of Bern (Switzerland)

Alex's first few months as an ESR.......

G‌reat to see our ESRs have a very good sense of humour !

Project Description:

Understanding how animals adapt to their surroundings is an essential aspect of animal welfare science and the goal of creating positive environments for animals. The early stages of an animal’s life are known to influence many aspects of development both in the long and short term, including cognitive and physical responses. This project will investigate how exposing specific stimuli to chicks can encourage performance of key behaviours and lead to improved musculo-skeletal health and cognitive abilities, as well as reduced incidence of bone fractures during adulthood. The project is intended to provide an improved fundamental understanding of how birds adapt to their environment as well as the applied benefits of rearing interventions on farm.