4.8
stars
1,050 ratings

Dr Victoria Sandilands

32,705 already enrolled

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Chicken Behaviour and Welfare

The University of Edinburgh

About this Course

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This course explains the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles are relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses. 
Learning Objectives: at the end of this course, you will be able to -
- Describe avian sensory perception and motivation
- Explain the main behaviour patterns of poultry
- Define welfare and explain the bases of welfare standards
- Assess chicken welfare, using behavioural and physiological means
- Understand common welfare problems of chickens

This course is taught by staff from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), University of Glasgow, and St David's Poultry Team.

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Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

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Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.84/5 (289 Ratings)

Dr Victoria Sandilands

Senior scientist

Avian Science Research Centre, SRUC

32,705 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

The University of Edinburgh

Since 1583 the University of Edinburgh has been influencing the world, from Nobel laureates and Olympic champions to space explorers and prime ministers. As a world-leading, research-intensive university, we are here to address tomorrow's greatest challenges. We do so with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships - both locally and globally.

Ranked in the top 50 universities in the world, the University of Edinburgh has been a leader in digital education since the earliest days of online learning. Embracing the technological and pedagogical opportunities of our digital age, the University provides an outstanding online distance learning experience as part of our commitment to making learning accessible to all. We offer free short online courses in a variety of subjects, all designed to build the skills of the global community, as well as degree-level education through our online masters programmes. Visit our website to browse our catalogue of online courses, and join our global network of 4 million learners to upskill and gain academic accreditation to boost your career. https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/online-learning

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(8,603 ratings)

Week

Week 1

18 minutes to complete

Getting Started

18 minutes to complete

2 videos (Total 8 min), 1 reading

2 hours to complete

Introduction to Animal Behaviour: Domestication, Behaviour Development and Learning, the Senses

Welcome to the first week of the Chicken Behaviour and Welfare Course. If you haven't seen it - watch the video which introduces you to the course: you can find it under "Getting Started; Welcome!" During this lesson, we will consider what makes a domestic animal, how behaviour develops in the chicken from before hatching and beyond, different types of learning and the senses - vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

2 hours to complete

13 videos (Total 28 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

13 videos

What is behaviour?1m

What is a chicken?1m

Domestication1m

Prehatch and hatching1m

Imprinting2m

Other types of learning3m

Hormones and Behaviour52s

Motivation4m

Vision2m

Hearing1m

Taste1m

Smell and Touch2m

Interview with Sarah Brocklehurst3m

5 readings

What is a chicken? Some images10m

Smithsonian's How the chicken conquered the world.10m

Learning who is your mother10m

Exercise: how operant conditioning works10m

Article on vision10m

1 practice exercise

Domestication, Development and Learning, the Senses30m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Behaviour Patterns of Chickens, Part 1

During this week, we will consider some of the major behaviour patterns of chickens, such as maintenance behaviours of chickens, and social behaviours. Maintenance behaviours means feeding, drinking, and comfort activities. Comfort activities include preening, dustbathing, and perching (among others). Social behaviours include communication, dominance, aggression, and spacing. This week will be a combination of video lectures, in-video quizzes and an interview with a backyard producer.

2 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 32 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

12 videos

Introduction To Maintenance Behaviours1m

Feeding Behaviour1m

History Of Feeding, Contrafreeloading3m

Motivation To Show Feeding Phases1m

Broiler Feeding Behaviour1m

Drinking Behaviour3m

Preening And Dustbathing4m

Perching1m

Stretching, Wing Flapping, Thermoregulation, Sleeping3m

Communication3m

Dominance Behaviour, Aggression, Bird-to-bird Pecking5m

Social Spacing1m

4 readings

Article on feed choice in chickens10m

Drinking from a nipple drinker or dish10m

Distinction between preening, and oiling + preening10m

Aggression between males10m

1 practice exercise

Behaviour part 130m

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Behaviour Patterns of Chickens, Part 2

2 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 40 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

12 videos

Introduction To Reproduction1m

Courtship54s

Mating Behaviour2m

Nesting and Laying Behaviour2m

Brooding Behaviour2m

Problems With Nesting And Laying Behaviour4m

Interview With Johnny - Breeding And Preparing For The Show Ring5m

Interview With Derek - Small-scale Commercial Broiler Incubation And Hatching9m

Feather Pecking And Cannibalism6m

Stereotypic Behaviours1m

Overdrinking (polydipsia)1m

Litter Eating58s

6 readings

Transcript for interview with Johnny - Breeding and preparing for the show ring10m

Hens that go broody10m

How to assess developing embryos in eggs10m

Egg shell abnormalities10m

Egg eating10m

Different types of feather pecking10m

1 practice exercise

Behaviour part 230m

Week

Week 4

2 hours to complete

What is chicken welfare? Defining "welfare", ethical obligations, and welfare standards

During this week, we will consider what we mean by "animal welfare", and how a set of criteria known as the Five Freedoms can help you assess it. Dr Dorothy McKeegan from the University of Glasgow will discuss what the ethical obligations are of meeting an animal's welfare needs, and we will explore some of the various welfare standards that exist. Finally, we will look at welfare indicators, and Dr Barry Thorp from St David's Veterinary Team will discuss with Vicky what signs to look for in chicken flocks to make a welfare assessment. This week's Learning Outcomes: •Define 'welfare' and the Five Freedoms •What drives our ethical choices, including cost-benefit analysis •Describe some welfare standards available worldwide and how they differ •Explain ways to assess welfare, using behavioural and physiological indices

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 16 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

5 videos

Defining Welfare, and the Five Freedoms2m

Ethics and Poultry Production4m

Welfare Organisations and Accreditation Schemes2m

Effects of Stressors1m

Assessing Welfare: Behavioural and Physiological Measures5m

3 readings

Ruth Harrison10m

Article on a 'good life' for hens10m

Welfare accreditation schemes10m

2 practice exercises

Welfare, ethics, welfare standards30m

A Life Worth Living Exercise (just for fun)30m

Reviews

4.8

386 reviews

5 stars
80.89%
4 stars
16.34%
3 stars
2.18%
2 stars
0.38%
1 star
0.19%

TOP REVIEWS FROM CHICKEN BEHAVIOUR AND WELFARE

by MBOct 10, 2017

thoroughly enjoyed this course. taught me a great deal about things I can and should be improving for my own. Helped me understand a lot more about the commercial side too.

by PFSep 13, 2017

Very useful in-depth information. A must for those interested in raising chickens - explaining the whys behind chicken behavior and how to correct or minimize unwanted behavior.

by NTJul 30, 2021

Thank you very much to the instructor at Duke University. This course has taught me a great deal of information. Things that I never knew before, it was interesting and rewarding. Thank you very much.

by CCMay 4, 2020

There is some super helpful information in this course, at times it was difficult to maintain concentration with the background noise of the chickens and a monotone speach delivery.

View all reviews

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Chicken Behaviour and Welfare

Chicken Behaviour and Welfare

About this Course