In small-group furnished cages with nests lined with artificial turf, a high use of nest and acceptable egg quality are generally achieved. However, artificial turf has drawbacks, such as not letting manure through and not being cleanable in position. Therefore, a more perforated nest-lining material would be preferable given that nest acceptance and egg quality …
Using laying hens, we investigated whether position of a nest box, both within the pen and relative to other nest boxes, influenced the preference for a nest box, and how a sudden and marked change to the preferred box influenced the use of nest boxes by the hens. Groups (n = 12) of 15 Isa …
The United Egg Producers husbandry guidelines for cages recommend a minimum of 432 to 555 cm² (67 to 86 in.²) of usable space/hen, defined as floor space that is of sufficient height for hens to stand upright. Because there is neither a quantitative value given for cage height nor an established method for calculating usable …
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of cage density on laying hen performance, egg quality parameters, blood indices, and excreta mineral concentration. Eighty White Leghorns were housed at 4 cage densities of 2,000, 1,000, 667, and 500 cm² per hen, corresponding to 1, 2, 3, and 4 hens per cage. Throughout the study, …
Eggs are an increasingly significant source of protein for human consumption, and the global poultry industry is the single fastest-growing livestock sector. In the context of international concern for food security and feeding an increasingly affluent human population, the contribution to global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from animal protein production is of critical interest. We calculated …
Agricultural workers, and pig and poultry farmers in particular, are exposed to airborne contaminants including organic dusts, gases, fungi, bacteria, and endotoxins that can have adverse effects on their respiratory health. To date, data comparing the aerial dust concentrations in the different hen-housing systems used by commercial poultry farmers are scarce. An epidemiological study was …
Upcoming nesting behaviour traits, such as the exact oviposition time or the time spent in the nest, have a direct impact on economically relevant aspects. Hens which stay for a long time in the nest box, require more nest capacity which result in the higher investments for the farmer. This is simialr to flocks in …
The performances of adult laying hens, housed in either a basic or an enriched pen, were investigated in a cognitive bias and an anticipation test. Both tests were designed to measure the assumed emotional state of the birds. The behaviour of birds in each test was compared to see whether both tests provided similar evidence …
This study reviews all attributes of feed-food competition and enforced-demands of food of animal origin with the aim of delivering …
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 …
Gregarious nesting can be defined as a behaviour that occurs when a laying hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) given the choice …
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 …