Mejoramiento avícola para sistemas productivos semi-intensivos que preservan el bienestar animal

the poultry industry has been characterized by a change in farming systems from extensive animal production for multiple purposes to intensive systems, with specialized hybrids for meat or egg production, with a high level of integration and management in confinement. this "livestock revolution" changed the harmony between ethology and animal production and caused the traditional model of poultry meat was reconsidered by focusing the interest in systems that also consider animal welfare. the growing environmental awareness and the search for a better quality of life, increased preferences for natural products, among which are white meats. in argentina, assimilated races are used in breeding programs for the production of strains adapted to the technical and cultural production in rural areas. in a most ecological systems framework, the proposed semi-confined production requires genotypes adapted to that modality. campero inta emerged as a productive alternative that seeks to harmonize technological aspects, requirements and final product quality. it is expected that official research lines related to the topic of semi-intensive meat poultry rearing systems, currently implemented, will improved available genetic resources, by lowering their growth rate and so making them suitable for their use in semi-intensive systems.