Modified laying cages are being developed in a number of European countries in response to public and legal pressure for improvement of laying hen welfare. The Edinburgh Modified Cage (which has a perch, nest box, and dust bath) is one design which is practical for commercial production. The trial reported here was concerned with specifications …
Although they have many disadvantages for welfare, including for behavior, laying hen cages also have advantages. For example, aggression and cannibalism (or the need for beak trimming to prevent these) are usually less than in other systems, benefiting both the birds and the producer. There have been three approaches to reducing other behavioral problems. First, …
1. Limited information is available on how changes in horizontal and vertical space within enriched or furnished layer cages (as defined by Directive 1999/74/EC) influence hen behaviour. This study evaluated the effects of varying minimum cage heights and space allowances on the behaviour of laying hens housed in furnished cages. It was conducted on two …
1. Under Council Directive 1999/74/EC, minimum space allowances per laying hen range from 550 cm² in unfurnished cages to 1111 …
All intensive systems of management for domestic hens, except battery cages, involve the collection of eggs from nest boxes. Eggs …
Birds usually dustbathe in litter, but in the absence of this they sham dustbathe. The question addressed in this study was whether laying hens, Gallus gallus domesticus reared without litter and used to performing sham dustbathing consider this to be ‘real’ dustbathing and are satisfied with this or, if given the opportunity, would choose to …
Feather eating is related to feather pecking in laying hens. The aim of this study was to investigate the birds …
1. A leg band containing a transponder was fitted to 80 birds in a perchery containing 1000 birds. 2. The transponder emitted a unique identification number when a bird walked on one of 8 flat antennae on the floor. The recording apparatus was used to measure the amount of time that each of the tagged …
Abstract 1. ISA Brown laying hens (3000) were housed in a perchery in 10 pens, each with 300 birds. The …
1. Flocks of medium hybrid laying hens were housed in a modified deep litter system; the house was divided into 2, 3 and 4 pens in three successive years. Flock size was 300 or 370 and stocking density varied from 3.4 to 10.7 birds/m2. Higher densities used were above those recommended by the Ministry of …
In the near future EU-legislation will ban the use of conventional battery cages, while national legislation in some countries in Western Europe will ban beak trimming as well. The ban on battery cages and beak trimming causes an increased risk of feather pecking and cannibalism in laying hens. Many factors influence feather pecking behaviour, but this paper …
Adult laying hens from Rhode Island Red (RIR) origin both express lower levels of feather pecking and lower fear responses towards a novel object than laying hens from White Leghorn (WL) origin. The present study investigated whether mixed housing of RIR and WL laying hens would affect their behaviour in both an open field (at …
Variance components and selection response for feather pecking behavior were studied by analyzing the data from a divergent selection experiment. An investigation indicated that a Box-Cox transformation with power λ = −0.2 made the data approximately normally distributed and gave the best fit for the model. Variance components and selection response were estimated using Bayesian …
1. The objective of the present study was to examine the behaviour of laying hens in single-tiered aviaries with and …
This well attended Workshop stimulated lively discussion that continued throughout the Conference. It addressed a behavioural problem in laying fowl that causes concern from both welfare and economic standpoints, particularly in the context of the current trend towards alternative colony housing systems where its consequences tend to be more serious. The Workshop was structured around …