High stocking density can lead to

• A. Increased risk of disease and stress
• B. Reduced stress and disease
• C. Increased growth rate only
• D. No effect

Answer: (A)

High stocking density raises the amount of animals per given space, leading to crowding, increased contact, and more waste buildup. This creates a stressful environment and makes it easier for diseases to spread, since pathogens transmit more readily when animals are close together, ventilation is challenged, and ammonia and moisture levels rise. The combination of physical stress, immune suppression, and competition for limited resources can also slow growth and reduce performance.

That’s why the best answer is that high stocking density increases the risk of disease and stress. The other options don’t fit because crowding typically raises, not lowers, stress and disease; growth isn’t automatically increased with crowding and is often reduced due to stress and competition; and there is usually some effect—crowding often changes welfare and performance rather than leaving it unchanged.