Scientific study on the validity, reliability and repeatability of two visual scoring methods of assessment of the litter quality

The visual assessment of the litter quality in broiler chickens, valuable indicator of birds’ welfare, is commonly used in scientific studies or on-field in broiler chickens barns. Visual assessment of litter quality is highly feasible but it may be considered as subjective, depending on the assessor and not reflecting the evolution of physical parameters such as the litter moisture. This study aimed to evaluate the validity, the reliability between several assessors and the repeatability for a same assessor of three visual scores from the Welfare Quality (one score) and the ClassyFarm protocols (two complementary scores: Friability and Humidity scores).