Optimization of broiler welfare and productivity in a commercial farm using precision feeding and environmental enrichment

Thesis Abstract

The intensive poultry sector faces ongoing challenges in balancing broiler welfare with productivity under high-density production, where conventional management often compromises behavioral needs and physiological well-being, potentially limiting feed efficiency and growth. This study addresses the gap by evaluating how precision feeding coupled with environmental enrichment can simultaneously enhance welfare indicators and production performance in a commercial broiler operation. The aim is (i) to determine the effects of precision feeding regimes on feed intake uniformity, growth rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality; (ii) to assess welfare outcomes including leg health, feather condition, stress physiology (corticosterone levels), and behavioral indicators (movement and exploration); and (iii) to examine interactions between dietary precision and enriched environments on productive efficiency and welfare metrics. Specific objectives include optimizing feeding schedules and ingredient delivery accuracy to reduce feed wastage and digestive disorders; implementing environmental enrichment devices (perches, pecking substrates, and dynamic indoors layouts) and measuring their impact on activity levels, stereotypic behaviors, and social dynamics; integrating welfare and productivity data to identify predictive relationships via multivariate modeling, and providing actionable recommendations for scalable industry adoption. The methodology deploys a quasi-experimental field design within a single commercial broiler farm operating in a controlled segment of 40,000 birds across two concurrent sheds. One shed serves as a control (standard feeding and no enrichment) and the other as the treatment (precision feeding with real-time sensors and a structured enrichment program) over a 42-day growing cycle. A stratified random sampling approach yields 400 birds per shed for welfare and production assessments. Data collection instruments include digital automatic feed dispensers with feed-on-off precision (±0.5 g accuracy), in-shed video analytics for behavioral measures, gait scoring and skin/feather condition rating scales, hematological assays for corticosterone, and standard production records (weight gain, FCR, mortality). Validity and reliability are ensured through instrument calibration, inter-rater reliability checks for welfare scoring (Cohen’s kappa > 0.8) and pilot testing of the enrichment protocol. Data analysis comprises mixed-effects linear models to evaluate growth and FCR, logistic regression for mortality risk, repeated-measures ANOVA for welfare indicators over time, and path analysis to explore causal pathways between feeding precision, enrichment, welfare states, and productivity. Theoretical grounding draws on the Welfare–Productivity framework and the Biopsychosocial Stress Model, with the interpretation informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand management practices influencing adoption of precision feeding and enrichment. A sensitivity analysis will test robustness across alternative model specifications. Expected findings include that precision feeding reduces feed wastage, improves intake uniformity, and accelerates weight gain with a more favorable FCR compared to controls. Welfare outcomes are anticipated to show reduced corticosterone levels, improved gait scores, lower incidence of feather damage, and increased exploratory behaviors in the enriched environment. The interaction of precision feeding with enrichment is hypothesized to yield synergistic benefits, amplifying production efficiency while elevating welfare indicators beyond additive effects. The study will quantify the economic implications of adopting precision feeding and enrichment, including capital and operating costs, payback periods, and risk considerations under market variability. The study contributes to knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the integrated use of precision feeding and environmental enrichment in commercial broiler production, clarifying mechanisms linking welfare enhancements to productivity gains, and offering a scalable, evidence-based framework for industry stakeholders. It advances methodological approaches by combining sensor-enabled phenotyping with behavioral observation and physiological biomarkers in a real-world setting. Based on findings, recommendations will address best practices for sensor integration, enrichment design, and management protocols, along with guidelines for cost-benefit analyses and policy implications to promote welfare-oriented productivity in high-density poultry systems. The conclusion emphasizes that synchronizing precise nutrition with targeted enrichment can unlock welfare-positive production gains, advocating for wider adoption in commercial operations and informing future research on long-term welfare sustainability and resilience to environmental stressors.