The impact that employee emotions and behavior, as well as a company’s culture, have on layer welfare was discussed by Dr. Shawna Weimer, University of Arkansas Assistant Professor, during the 2022 Virtual Shell Egg Academy on August 16, 2022.
Employees being aware of their own welfare and how they feel before going to care for birds is an important aspect of welfare for producers to account for.
“Your welfare affects animal welfare. Your welfare is your physical and mental state and employees need to take care of themselves mentally. If you are not taking care of yourself, how will you care for birds?” Weimer questioned.
“Everyone has good and bad days, but animals do not know that. It is important for employees to check themselves and remember that they are working with something living. You must have patience with animals because they can pick up on rough handling practices.”
Weimer added that a company’s culture could affect an employee’s behavior and how seriously they take animal welfare.
“Having a culture that is positive and treats people well means that the people will treat the animals well,” she said. “If an employee does not think that their company cares about them, their thought process is ‘why should I care about the animals?’”
In addition, the human-animal relationship can impact how animals respond to their daily caretakers. Abrupt movement, loud noises, bright lights and negative physical contact can scare hens. Walking and moving your arms slowly, minimizing talking or equipment noises, keeping the lighting low and gently handling the birds can mitigate welfare issues.
Weimer referenced a research study published in the Journal of Animal Behavior and Biometeorology which found that the two main factors that affect hen welfare during handling are human behavior and attitude.
“There's research that suggests that the animals do recognize certain people and can remember and discriminate between different people,” she added.