This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of a vancomycin pretreatment on the ability of marker (nalidixicacid resistant) Salmonella …
This paper assesses US resident support for mandatory labeling of animal welfare information on pork and egg products and outlines policy considerations for assessment prior to implementing any mandatory labeling policies regarding animal welfare practices. Results suggest consumers support mandatory labeling indicating use of gestation crates (stalls) and laying hen cages. Estimates suggest consumers would …
The use of pasture-based systems for poultry production is growing due to consumer demand for specialty ‘natural’ and ‘welfare-friendly’ meat and eggs. This paper discusses the various meanings of the term ‘pastured poultry’ and defines the different pasture-based poultry production systems. Considerations of poultry welfare standards provided through the specific system are also discussed. Production …
The aim of the study was to compare use of nests, production performance, and egg quality in 4 designs of …
Low rates of nest acceptance by laying hens are a major problem in commercial poultry farming operations with aviary systems, …
Pretesting farm animal housing systems that are intended for mass production is a practical way to increase and ensure product …
Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) dynamics in Shaver White hens (19–63 wk of age) were compared between enriched (EC) and conventional cage (CC) systems. Calcium and P intake and their levels in egg components and excreta were considered. Using commercial levels of production (4,836 hens), 10 test cages/system (24 hens/test cage) were used as replicate …
Within the European Union, the provision of dustbathing material in layer housing systems will be compulsory beginning in 2012. In cage systems, food particles are mainly used as litter material and are provided on scratching mats by an automatic transporting system. However, because dustbathing is a means for hens to remove stale lipids from their …
The aim of this study was to apply a life cycle assessment (LCA) method, from cradle to gate, to quantify the environmental burdens per 1,000 kg of eggs produced in the 4 major hen-egg production systems in the United Kingdom: 1) cage, 2) barn, 3) free range, and 4) organic. The analysis was based on …
1. Endotoxins as components of organic dust may have adverse effects on the respiratory health of workers in poultry buildings. …
The maintenance of bone strength has been an important issue in the debate over cage use for laying hens. Bone …
1. The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of keel bone deformities of laying hens in Switzerland. The keel bones of 100 end-of-lay hens from each of 39 flocks (3900 in total) were palpated. 2. On average, 25.4% of the hens had moderately or severely deformed keel bones and the overall prevalence …
The aim of this trial was to determine the effect of aerial perches on keel bone injuries and tibia 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 …
This paper assesses US resident support for mandatory labeling of animal welfare information on pork and egg products and outlines policy considerations for assessment prior to implementing any mandatory labeling policies regarding animal welfare practices. Results suggest consumers support mandatory labeling indicating use of gestation crates (stalls) and laying hen cages. Estimates suggest consumers would …
The major structural changes that have occurred in poultry production and marketing in recent decades have been driven by the …
The main objective of this work was to describe the characteristics of and major constraints to village chicken production in …
After more than ten years of circulation of the H5N1 HPAI virus, the number of endemically infected countries is increasing …
A breeding program has been established in 2008 to improve productivity of Horro chicken, an indigenous population in the western …