Christine Nicol – författare

Welfare research has established a range of scientific indicators of stress, welfare and suffering in animals that can be applied to all aspects of improving their welfare through good housing and management, and the topic continues to grow in importance among both professionals and the public. The practical focus of this authoritative, comprehensive encyclopedia aims to promote the understanding and improvement of animals’ behaviour without compromising welfare. Under the editorial direction of Professor Daniel Mills, the UK’s first specialist in veterinary behavioural medicine, over 180 international experts have contributed a wealth of fully cross-referenced entries from concise definitions to detailed short essays on biological, practical, clinical and ethical aspects of behaviour and welfare in domestic, exotic, companion and zoo animals.

Chickens are by far the world’s most widely farmed animal, kept for both meat and egg production. They are at the centre of many debates regarding housing and production systems, causing significant interest in what lies behind chicken behaviour. This accessible book covers sensory biology, behavioural development, preferences and aversions, social behaviour, learning and cognition, behavioural issues in different systems and solutions for behavioural problems. Authored by an authority on chicken ethology, it brings together the fields of animal behaviour, neuroscience, psychology and epidemiology to provide a comprehensive understanding of chicken behaviour and help improve the lives of farmed chickens around the world.

Chickens are by far the world’s most widely farmed animal, kept for both meat and egg production. They are at the centre of many debates regarding housing and production systems, causing significant interest in what lies behind chicken behaviour. This accessible book covers sensory biology, behavioural development, preferences and aversions, social behaviour, learning and cognition, behavioural issues in different systems and solutions for behavioural problems. Authored by an authority on chicken ethology, it brings together the fields of animal behaviour, neuroscience, psychology and epidemiology to provide a comprehensive understanding of chicken behaviour and help improve the lives of farmed chickens around the world.

"Each chapter provides an overview of current knowledge on the topic in question, accompanied by an outline of advances in both scientific and applied fields. The chapters are written by twenty-five authors, all scientific experts in the subject discussed… In conclusion, Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of chickens is an expertly written, widely accessible book for all professionals in the field, which should provide increased understanding of chicken behaviour and welfare." (Animal Welfare - Universities Federation for Animal Welfare)With rising consumer concerns about the welfare of farm animals, such as chickens, there is a growing urgency for the livestock production sector to ensure that welfare standards are met throughout the supply chain, from breeding to slaughter. Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of chickens offers a comprehensive summary on the wealth of recent research completed on understanding chicken behaviour and discusses how best to use this rich body of knowledge to optimise welfare management of broilers and layers. This collection features expert insights into the use of wearable, video and acoustic technologies as a means of monitoring behaviour, as well as improving current welfare protocols.With its distinguished editor and team of leading experts in their fields, Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of chickens will be a standard text for university researchers in poultry and veterinary science as well as ethology. The book will also be an authoritative reference for government and other agencies responsible for the poultry sector and farm animal welfare, as well as companies involved in rearing chickens and processing poultry meat and eggs.