Levels of foot pad dermatitis in broiler chickens reared in 5 different systems

1. The prevalence and severity of foot pad dermatitis (FPD) was examined in 359 flocks of broiler chickens comprising about 3.93 million birds produced on 91 farms and reared under 5 types of system: standard intensive, free-range, organic, systems complying with the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme, and corn-fed. 2. The mean prevalence of FPD in standard systems was 14.8%. Flocks that had access to the outside (free-range and organic systems) showed higher prevalence of FPD than those kept entirely indoors (standard, corn-fed and Freedom Food systems). The lowest prevalence of FPD (9.6%) and severity of the lesions occurred in Freedom Food systems, and the highest prevalence (98.1%) and severity in organic systems. 3. The implication from the results is that there are large variations in the prevalence and severity of FPD in birds reared under different systems and this needs to be taken into account when assessing the overall welfare associated with each type of system.