Improving poultry welfare

 Managing pododermatitis: a key indicator of animal welfare

Consumer expectations regarding animal welfare continue to grow, providing the poultry industry with a strategic opportunity to differentiate itself. In broiler production, the absence of lesions on the footpads—known as pododermatitis—is now recognized as one of the most objective indicators of animal welfare. This parameter is influenced 60% by husbandry practices and 40% by nutrition. High rates of pododermatitis also have negative consequences on performance: based on our experience, reducing pododermatitis from 80% to 30% results in a gain of 2 g/day in ADG and 3 FCR points for broilers. Mixscience addresses both of these factors by offering tools and services dedicated to managing pododermatitis.

Poultry

Optimizing farming practices for long-term comfort

Maintaining dry and comfortable bedding throughout the entire flock is essential for minimizing the occurrence of pododermatitis. The choice of bedding material, ventilation management, and controlling water intake are all critical factors. To support farmers in this process of improvement, Mixscience has developed PODOSCOPE, a digital technical audit tool. This tool assesses farming conditions to ensure that all technical parameters contribute to improving animal welfare by controlling pododermatitis. It also quantifies the potential for improvement based on the selected action plan. PODOSCOPE is a true ally for performance and animal welfare.

Managing pododermatitis through nutrition

Although pododermatitis is primarily influenced by farming conditions, feed formulation also plays a decisive role in preventing nutritional imbalances and improving animal welfare. Improved digestive comfort results in drier manure, thereby contributing to bedding quality.

 

Mixscience offers nutritional support structured around several complementary approaches:

  • Raw material selection: optimization of soybean characteristics and management of protein source diversification.
  • Precision protein nutrition: formulation aimed at reducing potassium intake, a factor influencing manure moisture content.
  • Enzyme selection: recommendations tailored to substrate types to improve digestibility and limit fermentable residues.
  • Optimization of feed formulations: industrial support via the TEC+ program to ensure feed stability.

This comprehensive approach not only supports animal welfare but also improves working conditions for farmers through better bedding management.

Our services

Feed formulation