In total, 432 thirty-six-week-old laying hens were fed a basal diet supplemented with mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) or an essential oil mixture …
Commercial laying hens are commonly housed in noisy and dim environments, yet relatively little is known about whether these conditions, particularly in combination, have any effect on welfare or egg production.2. The study was designed to investigate whether chronic exposure to continuous noise (60 dB(A) vs.80 dB(A)) and/or light intensity (150 lux vs. 5 lux) …
Egg-laying strains of chickens are highly susceptible to osteoporosis, a non infectious disease characterized by a decrease in structural bone as hensage. To minimize the onset of osteoporosis, it was hypothesized that a delay in sexual maturity may allow a pullet to develop a stronger skeletal frame before egglaying, leading to improved skeletal mineralization atend …
Effects of different infrared beak treatment protocolson chicken welfare and physiology
In the commercial poultry industry, feather pecking leads to damage to the chickens and anincreased mortality rate. The effects of two (possible) feather pecking prevention methods,infrared trimming and maternal care, on production parameters, fear, sociality, learning,feeding behavior, and feeding motivation were examined in young Silver Nick hens. Thirty-nine Silver Nick hens were tested from the …
The H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype has become endemic in Israel since its introduction in 2000. The disease has …
Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis is the predominant serotype associated with egg-borne salmonellosis in humans. Apparently this serotype possesses particular characteristics …
The aim of this preliminary work is to reach to a cleaner production of intact shell-table eggs free from Salmonella …
This review highlights the possible pain experienced by layer and broiler poultry in modern husbandry conditions. Receptors which respond to noxous stimulation (nociceptors) have been identified and physiologically characterised in many different part of the body of the chicken including the beak, mouth, nose, joint capsule and scaly skin. Stimulation of these nociceptors produces cardiovascular …
This study was carried out to evaluate the performance and egg quality of laying hens in their second laying cycle submitted to different forced-moulting methods and three environmental temparatures. Six hundred layers were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with 15 treatments with five replicates of eight birds each, according to 5×3 factorial arrangement …
Behaviour in poultry is predominately visually mediated and vision is important to the welfare of poultry. The relationship between vision, behaviour and welfare has primarily been investigated in relation to artificial lighting. Genetically blind chickens provide an alternative experimental paradigm for further investigating the importance of sight. The primary aim of the study was to …
Laying hens usually select an elevated position for resting at night-time. A previous study showed that the position a hen …
In this study, the effects of the inclusion of different vitamin C levels in the diet on bone mineral density …
Birds dissipate considerable heat through respiratory-evaporative and cutaneous-evaporative mechanisms and sensible heat loss (SHL) via radiation, convection, and conduction. The significance of SHL in laying hens is still to be confirmed. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of ventilation on egg production and quality during exposure to high ambient temperature. Lohman laying hens were …
Prior to slaughter, most farmed birds move through a constant-voltage, multiple-bird, electrical water-bath stun system. Using this system subjects live …
In spite of the large amounts of money invested in research, breeding, and the improvement of commercial egg-type strains, high …
Commercial egg laying farms are under intense pressure to eliminate the practice of beak trimming due to the potential for acute and chronic pain to the trimmed birds. However, elimination of beak trimming may have severe implications for animal welfare, as pecking between untrimmed birds can result in body damage that can ultimately lead to …
1. The effect of light intensity on social communication in laying hens was investigated experimentally by comparing the transmission and …