Virtual reality could boost poultry health

According to Iowa State University researchers, watching videos may boost hens’ welfare and health. The scientists simulated a free-range environment in laying hen housing using virtual reality (VR) technology....

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According to Iowa State University researchers, watching videos may boost hens’ welfare and health. The scientists simulated a free-range environment in laying hen housing using virtual reality (VR) technology. They found that showing hens VR scenes of chickens in more “natural” environments reduced indicators of stress in the hens’ blood and gut microbiota.

• The VR scenes also induced biochemical changes related to increased resistance to E. coli bacteria, posing health risks to poultry and humans who eat contaminated eggs.

The pilot study, reported in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers of Science, was led by Melha Mellata, associate professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Graham Redweik, a recent doctoral student in the Interdepartmental Microbiology Graduate Program at Iowa State, who is now at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

The multidisciplinary collaborative