Things I really enjoyed about this course: the videos were short and organized around one central topic. The explanations were clear and concise with just enough photos to illustrate a concept. The course began with an explanation of chicken evolution and common behaviors and then those concepts were referenced later in relation to housing and behavior of commercial poultry. I would recommend this course to anyone who works in commercial poultry to better understand animal welfare concepts or to anyone keeping a backyard flock. Well done.

Fantastic, detailed and mindfully planned course serving all those who connect their lives with the chicken ones. Very pleased with professional work performed by a very welcoming lector + finest extra interviews. I'd say that an additional week showing the basics of maintaining a proper small chicken barn or diving a bit deeper into organic chicken farming would make it even more great and useful. Warmest thanks anyway, couldn't help finishing the 5 weeks course in actual 2 - that fascinating it was.

I found the course excellent, but I was really confused about the fact that the course is talking about welfare and it have no problem to say that 50% of the chicks (male chicks) of the laying chicken breed are just destroyed after hatching, I don't know but I can't find this ethical or logical.

I'm very glad I took this course. I've kept chickens throughout much of my life since childhood and some of the information presented here made me go, "Oh! Now I get it." The course was well structured and presented in an informal yet professional manner that I found appealing. This was one of my first coursera classes so I don't know if it's already offered, but I would love to see this team put together a course on chicken breeds if they haven't already. The only downside to this class was that the last section (slaughter) seemed (to me) a bad note to leave on. Maybe add a bit about bringing in the new batch of chicks or just anything a bit more upbeat. Thanks to everyone involved for a job well done.

I have learned so much from this course that I hadn't even considered before attempting to raise layers. I especially appreciate the tips for rearing free ranged birds in an urban or small yard environment; expressly the difference in approach for broilers opposed to the layers. I will most definitely incorporate the tip about liming into our routine. I've used it in the past as it sweetens the soil and helps for a healthier lawn, but now I know it can help lessen events of worms. Couldn't be happier about the decision to take this class.

A very interesting and very developed course, wth so many concrete details ! Serious study in the depth of chickens life (backyard and commercial). Much useful, to be able to understand chickens, to evaluate their welfare, and then to improve it. I think that, thanks to this course, it's really possible to be a good stock keeper, and to have a happy flock ! Thank you so much for this precious help !

Really interesting and easy to follow. I was mostly learning with a view to owning a small backyard flock one day, but even so the information pertaining to commercial operations was important and easy to understand. A lot can be taken from that for a small set-up anyway.

Really insightful and useful - gave me some additional knowledge on how to care for my back yard chickens and also details on the supply chain of chickens raised for consumption.

Easy to follow videos and quizzes - would recommend to anyone with an interest in chickens!

I have a small flock of backyard chickens. I found your course to be very informative. I also felt that I could trust what I was reading, instead of relying on word of mouth and the internet. My hens thank you for educating their keeper.

Very, very interesting and informative. I've always wanted to raise chickens for small scale selling and consumption and this course has provided me with the tools to do so. Thank you

I found this course to be very informative for those who are beginning to learn about chickens or would like to expand their knowledge to improve conditions for their backyard flock.

this course is very gainful for any person who is involved in any type of poultry production system directly or indirectly i would instigate all to involve and complete this course.

I like how the view of this course is broad and handles the topic from everybody's point of view. Both the commercial view to the consumer view. I like how this course helps to increase consciousness about how the behaviour of animals can help us understand their suffering and enjoyment. Now that all the students in this course have the knowledge we can debate and propose new ideas to help improve this systems in a humane way. Thank you very much. It was a very enjoyable course and all the content is ultra high quality. Special thanks to the instructors who curated very carefully the content and it really reflects their effort and love in the process.

I like how the view of this course is broad and handles the topic from everybody's point of view. Both the commercial view to the consumer view. I like how this course helps to increase consciousness about how the behaviour of animals can help us understand their suffering and enjoyment. Now that all the students in this course have the knowledge we can debate and propose new ideas to help improve this systems in a humane way. Thank you very much. It was a very enjoyable course and all the content is ultra high quality. Special thanks to the instructors who curated very carefully the content and it really reflects their effort and love in the process.

Excellent and well done. More challenging than I thought it would be. The quizzes were hard but fair. The "pick all of the correct answers and miss even one and you are wrong" questions are annoying but they teach the material. The questions change if you retake the test so just writing down wrong answer will not help you unless you study the material. I am also pleased the instructor did not require a peer-reviewed assignment. Some courses just don't need them, they are silly, and the peer-reviewers don't have the knowledge to review them. I can just imagine what a peer-reviewed chicken project would have looked like. LOL.

As an ultimate beginner in chicken keeping (just got my first 3 pullets) I find this course an absolute necessity for all beginners. I have never thought much about where do my eggs and chicken breasts come from. Also, the factory farming has been demonized so much that it really was an eye opener for me to see that in big farms everything really is regulated and controlled, keeping the chickens welfare in mind.

I now know more what to pay attention to and how to make my chickens feel welcome and promote their natural healthy behavior. Thank you for creating this course!

The course explain the commercial chicken raise method, types, problems, and solutions (kind of). Through the course, I have learnt a lot of new knowledge about chickens! My mom planned to raise some chicken and through this course, I see tons of limitation in her plan and be able to make some improvement. However, the course is mostly for stock, not for a small amount of chicken in the backyard (though there is an interview about it and plenty reference links), so I am not sure if you only like to raise chicken in your backyard, is it a worthy course.

I would like to thank University of Edinburgh and Coursera for organizing free and such a nice, informational course in this pandemic. I had refreshed my basic knowledge and gathered very useful information especially regarding UK poultry industry. The videos and provided material is very good, scheme of study was well managed and well covered I must say... Thanks again and i wish that we may got access to more such courses so that the process of learning and sharing remains continue.... Have a nice time

I loved this course. This course covers everything from the fields of study used for behavior to end-of-life situations, including slaughter. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the videos in the last week, as I don’t care to learn how to slaughter these wonderful birds. Well worth the money if you want the certificate. I most appreciated the discussion of incorporating natural behaviors into the commercial raising of chickens and how studies of such behaviors led to the changing of laws.

I learned a lot from this course: what is normal and necessary behavior for chickens, what they require for welfare, EU regulations, how modern farming methods may fall short of providing true welfare, the challenges of transport, what is required for humane culling and slaughter, and how selective breeding based on human convenience can lead to welfare issues for the birds. Most important: I learned a lot about what my two backyard girls need to be happy.

As a seasoned exotic poultry breeder, I honestly didn’t expect to learn much from this but gave it a go anyway. Much to my surprise, I learned a ton and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to any and all poultry owners, regardless of the size of your flock. Both you and your birds will greatly benefit from this class. It takes a lot of the guess work out of good poultry husbandry. - Noelle Reagan, Native Colors Exotics, Wisconsin, USA

This is an extremely interesting course. Practical material is presented in a straight forward manner. It is excellent to see real life footage of laying and broiler hens and the environment they are kept. This course is useful for those interested in learning more about their backyard chickens and the type of conditions they require. It is also use for those with an interest in animal welfare in general.

I come from a family of farmers (both sides) and had not the slightest idea that health issues could arise from raising chickens in a free range, or even organic, system. Fantastic course for anyone looking to get into agriculture/farming, such as myself. The University of Edinburgh should be proud of how well their faculty and partners assembled this course. Thank you!

This was brilliant for me as I struggle with reading and a lot of this was done by audio.

I have gained even more knowledge to help me maintain my flock and hope to use this knowledge to progress in the future.

Many thanks to all the staff and teams that made this online course available and flexible.

No doubt ill be back to learn some more :)

I LOVED this course. I don't have chickens, nor do I have much experience with them, but I want to keep them in the future for our own personal egg production (not commercially). This helped me really understand what I'm in for, and helped me understand different parts of poultry anatomy, behavior, and what I need to do to care for them.