Animal welfare and sustainability are increasingly important to modern society. Better efficiency of existing farms is key to meeting the growing demand without ignoring societal concerns. Better animal welfare could improve tropical animal production in terms of volume and consumer acceptance.

Economic losses from necrotic enteritis have increased in the broiler industry with the removal of in-feed antibiotic growth promoters. The results of this study showed that feeding reduced-protein diets supplemented with citrulline was beneficial in promoting gut health and recovery from the necrotic enteritis challenge. This information may help control and/or mitigate the effects of necrotic enteritis in antibiotic growth promoter-free poultry production.

Necrotic enteritis has been considered a major threat in broiler chicken production. The results of this study showed that feeding reduced protein diets supported gut health of necrotic enteritis-challenged birds by reducing Clostridium perfringens in the caeca, and increasing total short-chain fatty acid concentrations in the ileum compared with standard protein diets. Also, in-part replacement of arginine by citrulline in reduced protein diets had beneficial effects on gut health during necrotic enteritis challenge.

Necrotic enteritis has been estimated to cause losses of US$6 billion annually to the global broiler industry. Feeding reduced protein diets may alleviate a decline in growth during subclinical necrotic enteritis by increasing gene expression of tight junction proteins compared with the standard protein diets. However, if birds are infected with a more severe form of the disease, additional supplementations of minerals and crystalline amino acids to the reduced protein diets are necessary to support the host immune response.

Livestock guardian dogs are increasingly important in preventing livestock predation around the world, including in protecting hens for free-range egg production. Using GPS tracking and cameras, we identified behavioural responses of four dogs to potential threat of fox incursion. Three dogs showed a strong bond with their chickens and spent more time around the chicken huts at night, increasing their activity on nights where they were exposed to fox cues. The fourth dog preferred spending time around people.