In the last few years, regulatory focus has been on nutrient management from animal feeding operations with recent emphasis on air emissions. The main challenge is establishing current emission levels and determining best methodologies for measuring these accurately. Methodologies to measure air emissions under field and research conditions are currently available and are being further …
Ammonia gas is one of the most abundant aerial pollutants of modern poultry buildings. The current chronic exposure limit for ammonia of 25 ppm is set for human safety rather than animal welfare. This study assessed the behavioural preferences of laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) for different concentrations of ammonia found in commercial poultry houses. …
An observational study was carried out to investigate the level and variation of water input through fresh droppings to the litter in a tiered wire floor aviary housing system from 17 to 30 weeks of age of the hens. The mass balances of droppings (all excreta), manure on the belts and litter on the floor …
Experimental research was carried out with laying hens of 47-60 weeks of age to validate a physical model of the evaporation rate of water from litter in a tiered wire floor aviary system. Variation of the evaporation rate of water from the litter was achieved by varying air velocities above the litter between 0.07 and …
The effects of a litter drying system are reported on the composition of the litter and the emission of ammonia from a tiered wire floor aviary housing system for laying hens. Air velocities above the litter, a mixture of droppings and sand, were increased by means of air that was sucked from the top of …
Poultry farmers in the European Union and especially in Holland have been dealing with environmental legislation for some years already. The most important regulations are the directives 2001/81/EC; National Emission Ceilings for certain pollutants and 96/61/EC; Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). These directives state that the emission of ammonia …
Ammonia emission and nutrient load in outdoor runs oflaying hens were measured at a commercial farm with an outdoor run …
The study was composed of 480 hens housed in furnished 8-hen cages or in conventional 4-hen cages from 17 to …
With the introduction of alternative housing systems for laying hens in the EU, recent research has focussed on the bacterial …
1. The influence of housing system on the initial bacterial contamination of the eggshell was studied. Two long-term experiments were …
1. The hygienic properties of eggs produced in two designs of furnished cage were investigated and compared to two standard …
1. Conventional cages are to be replaced by furnished cages or aviary systems to improve the welfare of hens. We compared the performance and egg quality of hens reared in two designs of furnished cages and of two standard cages. We also explored the consequences of the absence of beak trimming when using these designs. …
The impact of animal welfare on the food chain is considerable. Firstly, an animal’s welfare, its health status, level of stress prior to slaughter etc. has a direct impact on the quality of the product from that animal. The second impact is via citizens, whose strong commitment to animal welfare has led to increasing EU …
Diet plays an important role in maintaining health. Among the different products delivering essential nutrients to the body, an egg …
1. Sixty-three laying hens were collected from 5 commercial farms experiencing outbreaks of cannibalism. It is known that cannibalistic behaviour varies strongly between hybrids and between individuals of the same hybrid. The aim of this study was to test specific hypotheses about the causation of cannibalism by comparing matched individuals varying in their cannibalistic behaviour. …
1. Mortality and causes of death were recorded over two trials with 13 045 Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL, white layer strain) and 4410 Lohmann Brown (LB) laying hens kept in furnished small group housing systems and furnished cages. In trial 1, hens were housed from weeks 19 to 71 (LSL) and 17 to 69 (LB). …
The distribution of cannibalism cases in a flock of 19,776 Babcock White Leghorns was monitored from 21 to 54 wk of age. The hens were kept in a single floor house consisting of four banks of two-deck stairstep cages. Each of the 4,944 cages held four hens at a density of 152 cm2 (60 inches2) …