Perimeter paving of broiler barns

The BroilerNet project involves a bottom-up approach to identify challenges and innovation needs for broiler farmers in Europe, and to collect promising and already successfully implemented Good Practices to meet the challenges in questions. The top Good Practices selected by experts within the three thematic areas (animal health management, animal welfare and sustainability) have been summarized in factsheets. Enhancing biosecurity is not merely a goal for improving animal health; it also directly impacts production sustainability by averting losses stemming from health issues and declines in productivity. Concurrently, we must acknowledge that optimal poultry welfare hinges on ensuring their peak health. Therefore, any actions taken to enhance the farm's biosecurity contribute to both its sustainability and animal welfare. A crucial aspect of improving biosecurity is paving the perimeter of broiler barns. This measure stands out as one of the simplest to implement, facilitating the execution of necessary practices to uphold a high level of biosecurity, especially during the introduction of animals at the beginning of the cycle and the loading of birds at the cycle's conclusion. The wider the paved surface, the more effective the measure, although a width of 5 meters is generally deemed sufficient.