Assessment of welfare of Pekin ducks reared in intensive production system in Poland using transect method

The aim of this study was to evaluate the practical application of the Transect Walk (TW) method on a commercial farm, focusing on different ages of Orvia ST5 Pekin ducks. The study was conducted in four flocks of Orvia ST5 ducks, reared in two identical buildings. Flocks 1 and 3 were housed in Building 1, while flocks 2 and 4 occupied Building 2. A total of 8,000 ducklings were allocated to rearing, with 2,000 in each flock. The welfare of the ducks was assessed at 5, 6, and 7 weeks of age using the TW method, which involved assessing indicators such as immobility, lameness, dirtiness, small size, head wounds, back wounds, tail wounds, feather loss, illness, terminal illness, being flipped, or being deceased. Information regarding factors contributing to reduced carcass quality was gathered from the slaughterhouse. It was observed that all welfare indicators, except for head and tail wounds, were equally effective in assessing duck welfare and accounted for up to 82.13% of the variation in welfare. Lameness emerged as the most prevalent factor associated with reduced welfare, showing a strong correlation with immobility. Both indicators exhibited a significant interaction with age and flock (P = 0.001 and P = 0.029, respectively). Feather loss emerged as another crucial indicator of reduced welfare in the examined flocks. The percentage of featherless ducks varied from 0.29% to 3.50% and was significantly influenced by both duck age and flock (both P<0.001). Additionally, it showed a significant and positive correlation with immobility (P<0.05). The primary issues identified during duck culling were associated with skin problems and leg and joint issues. Statistically significant variations were noted among flocks concerning the frequency of indicators linked to reduced welfare. This variance was attributed to the specific building where the ducks were raised. The findings of this study suggest the incorporation of the TW method in future welfare assessments, utilizing the 10 welfare indicators employed while excluding head and tail wounds.