At the time of writing (and the Journal is always prepared several months before the print copy reaches our readers) I am sat in the cold wet winter of New Zealand. As such I am keeping warm and dry inside with the heating on full. You may think this is just some of my ramblings – $ but it does have a point – one of our papers this issue is a very interesting comparison of welfare between the different methods of poultry husbandry. As such, from this and other behavioural studies, it seems that people and chickens have certain aspects in common – we both prefer the indoors when its nasty or dangerous outside.

This issue covers areas including fertility, nutrition and alternative feed materials, specialist ingredients for growth and disease prevention. The WPSJ always strives for variety in the papers it publishes – hence if any members have a novel project ongoing, please consider us for publishing a review. In addition, some of you may have noticed that we are now using FirstView to get papers out online as soon as the editing has been completed – this will help get papers out earlier and as they are finished – no more waiting for the next print issue. These papers will still be assigned and cited for the issue they are ascribed to, and of course the print issue, for those members that need it, will still be posted out in the same way as before. In addition, after board meetings and dicussions with the FAO, it has been decided that INFPD papers, unless they have global appeal, shall be sent for FAO publication. Thanks to Drs Fallou Gueye and Olaf Thieme for their help in this. For anyone with local INFPD papers – please contact Fallou directly at [email protected].

I have been privileged to be invited to attend the PSA meeting in Kentucky in July and I am greatly looking forward to seeing many US based authors, editors, colleagues and friends during the conference. Many thanks to the organisers and those at WPSA US branch for arranging this. We are currently gearing up for the next board meeting – to be held at the Prague conference at the end of August. Looking forward to seeing many reviewers and authors there! Of course, this will already have happened by the time the September issue goes to print - such is the timescales of print publishing.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor