Welfare Indicators for Geese

1. Welfare Indicators for Geese Linda Keeling Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

2. Animal welfare is a characteristic of the individual animal ”The welfare of an individual is its state as regards its attempts to cope with its environment” (Broom 1986) ”Welfare is all about how an animal feels” (Duncan 1993) Indicators of animal welfareshouldreflect the state of the animal

3. Welfare outcome indicators The input based approach to welfareassessment The outcomebased approach to welfareassessment

4. The Five Freedoms (FAWC) Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom to express normal behaviour Freedom from pain, injury or disease Freedom from fear and distress

5. The Five Freedoms Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom to express normal behaviour Freedom from pain, injury or disease Freedom from fear and distress

6. Welfare Quality Thermal comfort Hunger Comfort around resting Thirst Good feeding Good housing Ease of movement Expressing social behaviour No painful management procedures Appropriate behaviour Good health Expressing other behaviour No disease Good human-animal relationship Positive emotional state No injuries

7. Thermal comfort Hunger Comfort around resting Thirst Good feeding Good housing Ease of movement Body condition Outcomemeasure Expressing social behaviour No painful management procedures Appropriate behaviour Good health Expressing other behaviour No disease Good human-animal relationship No fear No injuries 12 criteria of animal welfare from Welfare Quality

8. Thermal comfort • Hairless patches • Lesions (wounds, scabs) • Swellings • Lameness Hunger Comfort around resting Thirst Good feeding Good housing Ease of movement Expressing social behaviour No painful management procedures Appropriate behaviour Good health Expressing other behaviour No disease Good human-animal relationship Positive emotional state No fear No injuries 12 criteria of animal welfare from Welfare Quality

9. Welfare indicators should be…. • Valid • Reliable • Can be recorded by different people • Can be recorded by same person on different occasions • Are not affected by time of day or weather etc • Feasible, if going to be used in commercial practice

10. Good welfare No indicators of poorwelfare Manyindicators of poorwelfare Poorwelfare

11. Good welfare No indicators of poorwelfare Occasionalindicator of poorwelfare Someindicators of poorwelfare Manyindicators of poorwelfare Poorwelfare

12. Assessing overall welfare (on a farm)

13. Assessing overall welfare (on a farm) vs Assessing welfare in a specific situation (feather collection)

14. Welfare Quality X Thermal comfort Hunger Comfort around resting Thirst Good feeding Good housing Ease of movement Expressing social behaviour No painful management procedures Appropriate behaviour Good health Expressing other behaviour No disease Good human-animal relationship Positive emotional state No injuries

15. Thermal comfort Hunger Comfort around resting Thirst Good feeding Good housing Ease of movement Expressing social behaviour No painful management procedures Appropriate behaviour Good health Expressing other behaviour No disease Good human-animal relationship Positive emotional state No injuries

16. EFSA • Working group identified a series of potential welfare outcome indicators for geese • Discussed potential indicators with hearing experts • Classified them into short, medium and long term indicators

17. Timing of the collection of the welfare indicators Minutes after release Starting to catch Removing feathers Day after Week after

18. Potential welfare indicators for geese • Stress hormones • Heart rate • Fear defecation • Stress

19. Potential welfare indicators for geese • Stress • Stress hormones • Heart rate • Fear defecation Could be difficult in commercialpractice

20. Potential welfare indicators for geese • Stress • Disorientation • Lack of balance • Falling over • Bumping into objects Could be difficult to score

21. Potential welfare indicators for geese • Stress • Disorientation • Hanging wings Inappropriate feathers removed Count number of birds – ideal is zero

22. Potential welfare indicators for geese Count number of birds • Stress • Disorientation • Hanging wings • Dislocation • Broken bones • Dead animals

23. Potential welfare indicators for geese • Stress • Disorientation • Hanging wings • Dislocation • Broken bones • Dead animals • Skin injuries Count number of birds with wounds The number of wounds per bird Classifywoundsaccording to size or severity

24. Timing of the collection of the welfare indicators Minutes after release Starting to catch Removing feathers Day after Week after Hangingwings Skin injuries Larger skin injuries, dislocated and broken bones

25. Timing of the collection of the welfare indicators Minutes after release Starting to catch Removing feathers Day after Week after Hangingwings Skin injuries Larger skin injuries, dislocated and broken bones Wrongtype of feathers Blood on the feathers

26. Welfare Indicators for geese • They exist

27. Welfare Indicators for geese • They exist • They can be used at the time feathers removed or for a period of time afterwards

28. Welfare Indicators for geese • They exist • They can be used at the time feathers removed or for a period of time afterwards • Some are similar to those currently used in other farm animals (potentially as valid and reliable)

29. Welfare Indicators for geese • They exist • They can be used at the time feathers removed or for a period of time afterwards • Some are similar to those currently used in other farm animals (potentially as valid and reliable) • Allow quantification of the consequences of the process on the animal

30. Welfare Indicators for geese • They exist • They can be used at the time feathers removed or for a period of time afterwards • Some are similar to those currently used in other farm animals (potentially as valid and reliable) • Allow quantification of the consequences of the process on the animal • It is an ethical decision of where thresholds of acceptability lie