RVC publishes chicken-keeping research
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has published its research into chicken-keeping this month in the journal British Poultry Science. The study has revealed that chicken-keepers around Greater London have a lack of disease knowledge and insufficient awareness of laws, which could potentially have implications on disease control and animal welfare.
To conduct the research, some backyard chickens were kept in the Greater London urban area from May to July 2010. Researchers proceeded to collect data on welfare, biosecurity and diseases. Additional data was collated, including information on keeper and flock characteristics, housing and husbandry practices and owners’ knowledge of health problems in chickens. A welfare assessment protocol was developed and the flocks were assessed accordingly.
Our findings clearly indicate a communication gap between authorities and chicken keepers
It has been illegal to feed catering waste to farmed animals in the UK since 2001 because some disease agents can survive in food products and facilitate the spread of the disease.
The findings also show backyard chicken keepers lack knowledge about zoonoses. For instance, the presence of chickens shows a major risk factor for diarrhoea in children, due to the often-present disease agent Campylobacter jejuni, in their faeces. Since children were reported in more than a third of chicken-keeping households, they may be at risk.
Further findings concluded that almost half of the flock owners would not seek veterinary help in case of illness in the chickens. This raises questions regarding the adequate treatment of sick animals and related suffering in case of either incorrect or a lack of treatment.
Iveta Karabozhilova, an author of the study, said: “Our findings clearly indicate a communication gap between authorities and chicken keepers. Making information available and easily accessible through the most widely used channels is of high priority from a disease control perspective.
“Even though evidence from our study shows that flock owners provide enriched living conditions to the chickens, they ought to realise that their pets are a farmed species and are subjected to regulations.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
