This section on poultry health and welfare in organic poultry production systems is part of a compendium on animal health and welfare in organic livestock production. The other sections of the compendium are on cattle, sheep and pigs.

The poultry section has been divided into two parts. An introductory part, Health and Welfare outlines general health and welfare issues related to organic poultry production. Emphasis is placed on the requirements of organic standards in the approach to health and welfare problems. A second part, accessible via the Disease List deals in detail with the specific conditions affecting poultry. Each chapter on a specific condition is divided further into sub-sections on causes, symptoms, treatment, control, prevention, welfare implications and good practice based on current knowledge.

It should be emphasised that the compendium is not intended as a diagnostic or self-help tool for animal health management on the farm. Diagnosis should always be carried out by a veterinary surgeon, in response to problems seen on the farm (see: Disclaimers and Copyright).

The poultry section, at the time of publication, over 300 scientific references, most of which are supported by short abstracts from the CAB International Database, as well as a number of full advisory documents. Links in the text allow easy access to the abstracts and documents.

The authors of the poultry section are grateful for the support they have received in form of comments, suggestions and revision from many colleagues and organisations during the writing process (see: Acknowledgements).