Chickenstress

Because of the high demand for eggs, large numbers of hens are farmed in modern intensive egg production, which can cause concerns about their welfare. Higher welfare also leads to higher quality eggs, higher productivity, and lower incidence of disease and therefore lower need for antibiotics. 

This project aims to reduce the chronic stress experienced by hens. To this end, we will investigate the neurobiological, genetic and developmental factors that lead to higher stress resilience, and the environmental (housing) factors that lead to chronic stress. Europe has led the world in hen welfare with the complete ban of battery cages (European Union Council Directive 1999/74/EC). However, the replacement housing systems have their own potential welfare challenges. 

Our goal is to identify these challenges and develop improvements for implementation by industry. This Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network will train a new generation of innovative and entrepreneurial early-stage researchers, able to face different challenges related to poultry farming and to apply scientific knowledge and ideas to products and services for economic and social benefit. To do this, we will constitute an international network of groups with expertise in avian brain research, genetics, welfare and egg farming.

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More information

You can also read more about the project in this blog. To find out more, or if you think Noldus might be a good partner for your consortium, you can contact us directly.