Animal Welfare Training  AWT

The Poultry Welfare Officer - Breeder & Hatchery training course ( PWOF - Breeder & Hatchery)  addresses key welfare and quality issues relating to  breeder bird management (broiler, laying hens, duck breeders, turkey breeders), egg collection and storage, setting, transfer, hatching, chick handling, dealing with cull chicks, chick storage, chick transport, arrival of chicks on farm.  

Each 2 day course deals with key welfare and quality issues at the breeder farm, and issues around egg and chick quality and welfare. 

These foundation courses enable delegates to understand the relevance of welfare and quality concerns around breeder, egg and hatchery production.

AWT has a large ( probably unique ) media library of high quality images and movies from animal systems around the world, which form the core of AWT training courses.

AWT courses are taken by a wide range of professionals, including those from the animal production sector, veterinarians, retail sector and company management, government staff, students of agriculture and animal management, and a wide range of other people engaged in practical animal welfare. 

Professionals from all areas are welcome to join AWT courses to gain detailed background knowledge and understanding of production welfare issues.

The presentations and discussion groups cover breeder bird management and production,  biosecurity, disease protection, medicine use and AMR, ventilation and air quality, feed and water, lighting, litter, animal outcome measures and key welfare indicators, dealing with sick animals, euthanasia. In the hatchery, the courses deals with egg storage and handling, setting, transfer and dealing with clears, hatching, chick handling systems, use of robots, dealing with ungraded chicks, methods for chick euthanasia, chick handling before transport, transport, arrival at farm. 

At each stage,  relevant legislation ( UK, EU, International regional ), codes of practice are referenced in order to explain the requirement of base and higher standards of welfare.

Delegates can subsequently progress to Senior Welfare Officer Farm - Breeder and Hatchery following attendance of core and elective modules.

Single species courses are available on request.

All broiler chicken PWOF courses are Poultry Passport approved ( UK ) and Poultry Training Record approved.