Prevalence and factors affecting foot–pad dermatitis in broilers in Eastern Algeria

Abstract

The prevalence and severity of pododermatitis can be used as indicators of the husbandry conditions and animal welfare that were present during the production cycle. The objective was to assess the frequency and extent of pododermatitis in broiler chickens in the wilaya of Batna and to study the risk factors associated with these lesions. This study focused on 30 broiler chicken flocks from different regions and slaughtered in two poultry slaughterhouses. Pododermatitis was measured in slaughterhouses according to the Welfare Quality® method (2009) on a sample of 100 chickens/flock. At the same time, a survey was conducted among poultry farmers to collect the necessary information on the farms concerned. The results showed very high variability in the distribution of the scores of pododermatitis according to the region of production. The results also revealed poor rearing conditions and a high prevalence of pododermatitis, which amounts to about 78%, ranged from mild skin inflammation (score 1) to severe ulcers (score 4), while 22% showed no lesion (score 0). In conclusion, in order to reduce the frequency of pododermatitis, it therefore seems necessary to control the breeding conditions, in particular the state of the moisture litter, the environmental parameters and the breeding density.

Keywords

• Broiler
• pododermatitis
• lesions
• score
• welfare