Overview of the various methods used to assess walking ability in broiler chickens

Walking ability is a highly important animal-based indicator of welfare in broilers that warrants monitoring across commercial production.

A review of the technical and scientific literature on existing methods for assessing walking ability in broilers was conducted, and the reliability, validity and feasibility of the different methods were assessed when relevant information was available.

Visual gait scoring has high validity, minimal equipment needs and is relatively quick to perform; however, this method is subjective and requires extensive training. Due to this, more objective tests, such as the latency to lie test, have been developed, although more validation of these tests is required. Other identified methods, such as obstacle courses, the rotarod test and kinetic and kinematic approaches, require considerable amounts of equipment, making them impractical for use during on-farm inspections. Automated methods that rely on movement or activity data have potential for future development but currently lack the resolution of traditional gait scoring and require equipment such as cameras or accelerometers.

Objective, seemingly valid, repeatable and feasible options exist for the assessment of walking ability that would facilitate the monitoring of commercial broiler welfare; however, more validation of these methods is required, especially in commercial farm settings.