The use of antibiotics in intensive animal husbandry has been discussed in public for years. In addition to animal welfare aspects, issues such as environmental and consumer protection are also addressed, as well as the emergence of antibiotic resistance in human and veterinary medicine. The establishment of strict biosecurity concepts and vaccination schemes are needed, as well as other prophylactic measures, in order to be able to further reduce the use of medicines while maintaining a high health level in livestock farming at the same time.

The concept for antibiotic minimisation developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (Antibiotics Minimisation Concept of the 16th AMG Amendment, 1 April 2014) is intended to limit the development and spread of antibiotic resistance and to stop the administration of reserve antibiotics for humans to farm animals, thus preserving the effect of antibiotics as therapeutic agents for humans. The nationwide key figures on therapy frequency in farm animals have been significantly reduced since the start of the antibiotic study. While the amount of antibiotic treatment cycles in fattening pigs and fattening cattle have decreased significantly, treatments in broiler chicken farming have remained almost unchanged.

The aim of the project is to reduce the use of antibiotics in broiler chicken farming by using the "hatching in the shed" method. Generally, the chicks are being hatched in special hatcheries where they are sorted, vaccinated and prepared for transport. They may not have access to water and feed until 24 hours after hatching and transport to the holding and rearing farms. The procedures undertaken between hatching and entering the rearing farms (vaccination, transport) can be stressful for the chicks. Hatching them in the shed is intended to minimise this stress, improve general animal health, and minimise sources of infection. In the first phase of the project, farms with experience of hatching chicks inside their housing will be selected and accompanied. Based on these insights, the concept of in-shed-hatching will be implemented in conventional as well as organic model and demonstration farms during practical phase 2. In order to be able to compare animal health between the concept of “hatching in the shed” and the rearing of day-old chicks that are delivered to the farm, both methods will be applied to each farm and monitored over several fattening runs.

The staff of the Chair of Animal Health and Welfare are responsible for the hygiene aspects and the microbiological investigations. Dr. Birgit Spindler from the Foundation of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover is responsible for the project coordination and the survey on animal behaviour. The other cooperation partners are responsible for the climate of the animal housing and the economy.

The project is part of the Model and Demonstration Projects (MuD) Animal Welfare in the Federal Programme Livestock Production. Funding is provided by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag, the project executing agency is the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), (funding code 2820MDT243)".

The aim of this project is to investigate whether a gentling program for broiler chickens can reduce their fear of humans and their general anxiety and thus improve animal health and welfare.

In three fattening periods, two out of four groups receive a three-day gentling program in the first days of life and two remain ungentled as a control group and receive only minimal and necessary contact with humans.

To study the effect of the gentling program, various tests and examinations are done. Four different behavioral tests are carried out three times during the fattening period to assess the animals' general anxiety as well as their fear of humans. Since the light intensity on the one hand and the ability to walk on the other hand can have an influence on the animals' behavior, these influencing factors are also recorded.

At the end of the fattening period, we perform a test to assess the animals' fear of human handling. The advantage is that this test, unlike the others, is not based on the animals' ability to walk. The test handling consists of catching, carrying, petting, ringing and blood collection. In addition to the behavior during handling, corticosterone and the H:L ratio are determined from the blood as a short-term stress parameter.

Once a week, the behavior of the animals is recorded on video. The behavior of the animals in everyday life is observed, especially with regard to comfort, exploration, social behavior and activity.

As a parameter of animal health, the weight of the animals is recorded weekly and, in the second half of the fattening period, skin scratches, as the latter often occurs in association with fear behavior. Finally, examinations considering transport injuries and bone strength are done.

As a long-term stress parameter, feather samples are taken at the slaughterhouse for corticosterone determination and the pH value of the meat is measured.

In organic poultry nutrition, the supply of essential amino acids to meet the requirements of the animals represents a central challenge. In particular, the supply of sulphur-containing amino acids, especially methionine, is difficult to implement. Within the framework of the "Grünlegum" project, a high potential for the use of Alfalfa products as protein feed in the feeding of non-ruminants was demonstrated. Performance reductions were observed in broilers and laying hens, which could be attributed to the antinutritional saponins contained in the Alfalfa plant. On the other hand, it has already been shown that the antinutritional saponins contained in Alfalfa can reduce nitrogen (N) emissions (ammonia, NH₃) in livestock farming.

The goal of this project is the implementation of a "Controlled Atmosphere Stunning" (CAS) system as an innovative alternative to electrical bath stunning in the water bath of broiler chickens. Within the framework of the project, factors relevant to animal welfare and the carcass quality of the animals as well as the working conditions of the slaughterhouse staff will be investigated and assessed before and after the installation of a CAS stunning system. The study will consider the adjustment of the CO₂ with respect to the season, broiler breed/genetics, sex and weight class of the animals. In sub-project A, the scientific preparation and monitoring of the investigations will be carried out with the evaluation of the data, publication of the results and transfer of the knowledge from the project, among other things, with the implementation of a final workshop/"Open Day at the Slaughterhouse".

1. prevention of broilers striking/bumping into the container by the comparison of different container systems
2. the establishment of a suitable velocity of conveyor belts to minimize haematomas,
3. the evaluation of the influence of different broiler genotypes and
4. evaluation of the influence of the time of the year.

By an optimization of the mechanical harvester considering previously identified critical areas before the start of the examination/project, the risk of injuries shall be reduced. This includes the reflexive wing flapping of the animals and the resulting haematoma on the wing as well as the occurrence of fractures and injuries during the transition from the last conveyor belt into the containers. Since the speed of the conveyor belts of the catching machine can have an influence on the injury rate, an optimal conveyor belt speed is to be investigated within the framework of the project on the basis of the subdivision into the groups "slow" and "fast". The literature also describes other factors that can influence the occurrence of bruising, such as race and ambient temperature, therefore these factors will also be considered in the current project.