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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Chicken Behaviour and Welfare by The University of Edinburgh

4.8
stars
1,131 ratings

About the Course

This course explains the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles are relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses. Learning Objectives: at the end of this course, you will be able to - - Describe avian sensory perception and motivation - Explain the main behaviour patterns of poultry - Define welfare and explain the bases of welfare standards - Assess chicken welfare, using behavioural and physiological means - Understand common welfare problems of chickens This course is taught by staff from Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), University of Glasgow, and St David's Poultry Team. You can follow us on Twitter! #chickenmooc © University of Edinburgh and Scotland's Rural College 2016 CC BY...

Top reviews

NT

Jul 30, 2021

Thank you very much to the instructor at Duke University. This course has taught me a great deal of information. Things that I never knew before, it was interesting and rewarding. Thank you very much.

RT

Feb 28, 2024

This course is well taught and I really enjoyed how they broke up the modules into little comprehensible lessons. I learned a lot. I wish there was more material because it was an interesting course.

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51 - 75 of 406 Reviews for Chicken Behaviour and Welfare

By Tamsin C

Feb 1, 2018

Excellent information on how chickens see the world and interact, the problems that can occur when keeping them and how to resolve these problems. Also the stark reality of modern farming. Recommended and required knowledge for all chicken owners and consumers.

By Susan E E

Feb 18, 2018

Second time taking the course. It's that good. Practical information and very well presented. I have put into practice (for my backyard flock) many of the practices covered. Videos great, reading material great, recommended book a super reference. Thanks!

By CIRO A

Aug 17, 2020

Cordial saludo.

El contenido del curso cumplió con mis expectativas, les agradezco que me haya permitido participar en el mismo.

Solo hablo español, pero pude acceder a los contenidos del curso usando el traductor de Google.

Atentamente

CIRO ALFONSO DÍAZ GALVIS

By Anna P P

Aug 20, 2018

If you are looking for very a very detailed knowledge about behaviour this is not what you are looking for, but if you want to have the general idea to start to get involved deeper in poultry farming is ideal, although it is perfect to start a backyard flock.

By Diego F P S

May 22, 2022

El curso brindó de manera muy facil un entendimiento de el comportamiento de las aves de producción, evaluacion de bienestar, como se produce el alimento desde los seres vivos hasta su sacrificio. Sería muy bueno que ofrezcan un curso de sanidad en las aves.

By Melanie D

Jan 26, 2021

Very interesting course, covering the many facets of chicken behavior & the many issues to be considered. A must course for anyone planning to raising chickens on a small or large scale. Especially appropriate for a person hoping to have backyard chickens.

By Tesla G

Sep 16, 2021

THANK YOU for not showing images of the stunning/slaughter process. Much appreciated. I learned a lot about chickens in this course. Thank you for sharing the knowledge and I hope all other countries can catch up with the EU when it comes to animal welfare!

By Christine C

May 13, 2021

I loved everything about this course. I've owned chickens for three years and learned a ton about behavior and welfare that I didn't know previously. This was like taking a master's course and the professor rocked this course. Thank you for offering this!

By Maho C

Aug 1, 2017

The course is very easy to follow and informative. The advice I received was timely and clear, so my learning experience here made it so easy. The course structure was very good, and the videos were helpful. The instructor is clear on her explanation.

By Scarlett M

May 27, 2021

This course was awesome, I'd really reccomend it to anybody who wants to keep chickens or who's just interested. The course includes good in-depth videos that explain the subjects really well and links to other informational sites and PDFs.

By Michele

Jun 4, 2017

I've raised chickens all my life. This course has given me much insight into the rearing of chickens for egg production and/or meat. I have been given a more in depth view of problems with raising chickens and their behaviors and causes.

By Patricia R

Jan 2, 2021

Very informative and easy to understand. I've gained knowledge and confidence that will benefit me and my backyard flock. I believe everyone that has a flock or is interested in getting a flock of any size would benefit from this course.

By Jill M

Dec 6, 2020

Excellent class! Really enjoyed the material. I would love to take a class that covers common chicken ailments and treatment at home (as well as when to consult a vet) - geared towards backyard chicken owners. Thank you for the course :)

By Melinda C

Sep 10, 2020

This is a very thorough course for the small amount of time it takes to complete. This course gave me alot of information that was not only useful to myself but to my clients as well. It allows you to take better care of your chickens.

By Belen V

Apr 6, 2020

This course taught me everything about chickens. I always wanted to start a farm and raise my own chickens but had no idea how, this course explains everything in detail on what a chicken is and the many ways to care for one or many.

By Muhammad U b S

Jul 21, 2021

I learned a lot from this course. All those who are interesting to switch their career into poultry industry should avail this fully informative course delivered by a beautiful and lovely teacher who speaks politely and beautifully.

By Chris K

Jul 8, 2020

Great course, very informative - I learned a lot of very useful information.

The format of the course material and delivery is brilliant, and enables quick, easy learning and retention.

Thank you for this and all your other courses.

By Stephanie A A

Oct 23, 2016

This is a great introductory course for anyone interested in raising chickens or working in poultry science. Doesn't go much into biology of chickens; just the methods of raising and drawing conclusions based on observations.

By Daniel D

Sep 13, 2016

This course was very very useful for my wife and I (backyard chicken owners). Dr. Sandilands's clear presentation makes it very easy to get the concepts and understand how to apply them in an actual flock. Highly recommended!

By Lillian L

Aug 24, 2017

This course was very interesting and educational. I learned a lot about chickens - why they do things and how to keep chickens healthy. I learned a lot about the welfare of chickens.

Thanks for the great course, Coursera!

By Elijah B

Sep 4, 2016

Very well-explained information is given. Anyone who is a chicken-lover or keeps chickens should take this course. It's not too much to learn. The videos are short and to the point, yet well-explained. A very good course.

By Michelle H

May 27, 2020

Dr. Sandilands is a fantastic instructor -- knowledgeable, great communicator and engaging. I signed up for this course just to see how the concepts were covered. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks!

By Claire M

Apr 18, 2020

Very good intro course about chicken welfare, behaviour, and overview of production industries, especially for animal science or pre-vet students like myself. Would highly recommend. I like that it is self paced too.

By Shannon R

Sep 19, 2019

This was a great intro course for someone interested in chicken behavior and welfare. Although geared more towards commercial farming, chicken hobbyists will still learn important things about keeping chickens.