LEGMONI, a ready-to-use tool for evaluating laying hen welfare at the slaughterhouse

Laying hens have a relatively long lifespan which is influenced by various factors (hatchery, rearing, egg production, transport and slaughterhouse). The welfare of hens can therefore be affected in many ways. In Flanders, all spent laying hens are slaughtered. Hence, the slaughterhouse seems to be a good location for welfare monitoring, both in terms of biosecurity and feasibility. The aim of this project was to develop a tool to evaluate laying hen welfare at the slaughterhouse. Therefore, a mobile application (LEGMONI) has been developed to assess the welfare of each flock with instant access to the results. The main animal welfare indicators (AWI) and the stage of production to which they can be associated, were determined through an experimental phase where assessments on 20 flocks were done during several stages (at the start and end of production, during catching and in the slaughterhouse). After statistical analyses (Pearson correlation) and consultations with the expert panel, a list of final AWI was compiled, taking into account assessment time and the most appropriate location in the slaughterhouse to measure. The final assessment is conducted in four questionnaires according to slaughterhouse location. The first questionnaire is taken in the lairage, focusing on climate and behavior (panting or huddling) in the crates. Those indicators mainly relate to the slaughterhouse, but the catching team can also have an impact. The next step is the assessment of 100 individual stunned hens for different AWI (feather score, injuries, footpad dermatitis, keel bone damage) which provide information on the production period. Afterwards, the defeathered hens are evaluated at the evisceration line during 2x5 minutes for bruises and fractures on breast, wings and legs. This mainly provides information on the catching process, but influences from farm management and the slaughterhouse can also be involved. Finally, the number of rejected hens, deaths on arrival and general information (farm management, transport time, contact information) is collected. The completed questionnaires can be uploaded and a report is immediately generated with calculated scores for the AWI and also benchmarking (as percentile) is displayed. A report is shared with all actors for a specific flock, and can also be consulted on the website by the involved parties. The generated results could lead to public statistics and the setting of thresholds for minimum scores. Assessing and benchmarking hen welfare encourages the whole chain to address points of attention, and attempts to increase chicken welfare over time.