Physical Fitness in Poultry

[raingarden]

Is there such a thing as physical fitness in poultry?

Is it a good thing?

How would you know if it is a good thing?

How can you measure physical fitness in poultry?

How can you promote physical fitness in poultry?

Discuss.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes.
Yes
You would know because much like with humans fitness tends to promote health and longer life.
Difficult to measure although many people who used to cock fight managed to measure it.
Diet and physical activity. Free ranging certainly helps.

 

[LaFleche]

Is there such a thing as physical fitness in poultry?

Yes

Is it a good thing?

Of course

How would you know if it is a good thing?

No health issues, no parasites, lots of eggs and healthy chicks.

How can you measure physical fitness in poultry?

Great fertility rates, great hatching rates, no health issues, no parasites, lots of eggs and healthy chicks.
When the average age of your flock is 7-10 years without any health issues whatsoever (accidents excluded)and the hens still laying and hatching chicks.

How can you promote physical fitness in poultry?

Healthy and very spaceous living conditions (free ranging), healthy and natural diet.
No overcrowding and careful selection for social behaviour to avoid abuse and the resulting stress and health issues.

 

[Mrs. K]

Even if you keep them in a coop/run. So many people have two dimensional runs, ignoring all the space or the vertical space. Adding clutter, roosts, platforms allow birds to jump and fly up to these, a bit more exercise.

Free ranging will also help.

Space when brooding and time outside while brooding is very important. Many times in a mis-guided effort to keep chicks safe in too small boxes with too much heat. Keeping them that way until they are feathered out, is way too long. Watch a broody hen, she keeps them close to the nest 2-3 days. Then they are outside, climbing over stuff, fresh air and sunshine, with warm up times under the hen. Immitate that, and you will have healthier, stronger chicks.

Do note, that exercise can make for leaner but tougher meat.

Mrs K

 

[raingarden]

I want to try not to conflate overall health with physical fitness.

We humans, at those of us old enough to see cardiologist and other doctors, are given physical fitness tests and told to exercise to a cerrtain elevated heart rate for twenty to thirty minutes multiple times per week.. There are defined measures of physical fitness based on age and timed running and such. You can find them on the internet.

How would we know a bird is physically fit other than by the looks of it?

 

[LaFleche]

I want to try not to conflate overall health with physical fitness.

We humans, at those of us old enough to see cardiologist and other doctors, are given physical fitness tests and told to exercise to a cerrtain elevated heart rate for twenty to thirty minutes multiple times per week.. There are defined measures of physical fitness based on age and timed running and such. You can find them on the internet.

How would we know a bird is physically fit other than by the looks of it?

I'd say that a bird is physically fit when able to survive predator attacks for many years while free-ranging.

Or did you have some kind of agility/fitness-parcours for chickens in mind?

 

[raingarden]

I'm thinking a hundred yard dash and stopwatch.

 

[LaFleche]

Here you go...

 

[aart]

Anyone else picturing a chicken in a Jack Lalanne jumpsuit?

 

[Sally PB]

Oh, the places this thread could go!