This paper covers the domestication and distribution of chickens in different parts of the world and describes the global data …
Appropriate emergency disaster preparedness is a key priority for agricultural agencies to allow effective response to serious avian disease outbreaks. There is a need to develop rapid, humane, and safe depopulation techniques for poultry that are widely applicable across a range of farm settings. Whole barn depopulation with carbon dioxide (CO2) has been investigated as …
Concerns regarding the welfare of laying hens have led to the ban of conventional battery cages in Europe from 2012 …
The aim of this trial was to determinethe effect of aerial perches on keel bone injuries andtibia bone characteristics in free-range laying hens. The relationship between keel bone injuries and individual bird parameters, such as weight, girth, wing:girth ratio,feather coverage, and tibia bone characteristics, was also assessed. Five commercial free-range houses, each containing between 7,000 …
The relationship between immune function and disease risk may be greatly influenced by an organism’s response to chronic stressors including …
This study investigates the influence of litter provision and linings used for nests and pecking and scratching areas on cage …
Within the last 10 yr, the US egg industry has grown significantly in the use of alternative systems of cage-free …
Hen performance can be affected by many interacting variables related to cage design, such as floor area, height, tier arrangement, and feeder and drinker type and placement within the cage. Likewise, features of house design such as waste management and lighting can also affect hen productivity. The influence of these design aspects on hen performance …
There is a desire by US consumers for eggs produced by hens in alternative production systems. Asthe retail shell-egg market …
These studies evaluated the bacterial level of unwashed and washed shell eggs from caged and cage-free laying hens. Hy-Line W-36 …
Microbial counts (aerobic bacteria, psychrotrophs, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Pseudomonas spp., Enterococcus spp.,Staphylococcus spp., and molds and yeasts) were obtained for the …
The public perceives that the nutritional quality of eggs produced as free range is superior to that of eggs produced …
Several studies have shown a high prevalenceof keel bone deformities in commercial layinghens. The aim of this project was to assess theeffects of perch material, a vitamin D feed additive(25-hydroxyvitamin D3; HyD, DSM Nutritional Products,Basel, Switzerland), and genetics on keel bonepathology. The study consisted of 2 experiments. In the first experiment, 4,000 Lohmann Selected Leghornhens …
The environmental contamination by salmonella was examined over a 12-month period in 74 commercial layer flocks from eight farms in …
In each of five sequential trials, laying hens (56–72 wk of age) were challenged with Salmonella and Campylobacter, and 1 …