We examined effects of being moved and mixed with strangers on the incidence of aggression and cannibalism in caged White Leghorn hens with intact beaks. We predicted that mixing of strangers would increase rates of aggression and cannibalism. Hens were reared in 16 stable groups of four birds together since hatch. At 18 months of …
In young pullets, long bones elongate by endochondral growth. Growth plate chondrocytes proliferate, then hypertrophy, and are replaced by osteoblasts that form a network of trabecular bone. This bone is gradually resorbed by osteoclasts as the bone lengthens. Long bones widen, and flat bones are formed, by intramembranous ossification in which cortical bone formation by …
Cage layer fatigue was first noticed after laying hens began to be housed in cages in the mid-20th century. Hens producing eggs at a high rate were most susceptible to the disease. Early research revealed that cage layer fatigue was associated with osteoporosis and bone brittleness. Severe osteoporosis leads to spontaneous bone fractures commonly in …
1. Tibia and humerus breaking strength of Lohmann Silver hybrids kept in conventional cages, furnished cages and an aviary with …
Limited opportunity for movement and load-bearing exercise for conventionally caged laying hens leads to bone loss and increased susceptibility to …
1. As a baseline study of the nature and incidence of keel deformities in laying hens, keel condition was examined in three different strains of hen from a total of 4 different caged environments (two commercial farms and two experimental farms). Incidence of keel deformity on farms in end of lay hens ranged from 2.6 …
Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of beak trimmer blade temperature (BT) and age at precision beak trimming (PBT) on the performance of two commercial strains of egg layers: Babcock B300 and Hy-Line W36. The birds were housed in cages during the rearing and laying periods. In experiment 1, only feed consumption was …
The practice of beak trimming in the poultry industry occurs to prevent excessive body pecking, cannibalism, and to avoid feed wastage. To assess the welfare implications of the procedure, an emphasis of this paper has been placed on the anatomical structures that comprise the beak and mouth parts and a representation of the structures removed …
Commercial equipment used by the turkey industry at hatch sterilizes the germinal tissue of the claw with microwave energy and the beak tissue with infrared energy. This effectively trims the claws and beaks of the birds. Two strains of Leghorn chicks (1,200 each strain) were utilized to test this technique on chickens. Half were subjected …
Bird behaviour, production, physiological measurements of stress, and pain as indicated by neural transmission in, and anatomy of the trimmed beak have been used as criteria to determine if beak trimming compromises bird well being. In addition, the welfare of those hens that are pecked by beak-intact hens has been evaluated. The welfare of a …
Beak trimming is a routine practice used in laying hens to prevent feather pecking and cannibalism. The effect of beak trimming on bird well-being depends on multiple factors, including the amount of beak that is trimmed and the quality of the procedure. The aim of this work was to determine if a relationship existed between …
Infrared lasers have been widely used for noninvasive surgical applications in human medicine, and their results are reliable, predictable, and reproducible. Infrared lasers have recently been designed for the express purpose of providing a less painful, more precise beak-trimming method compared with conventional beak trimming. This study was designed to examine the potential of the …
Beak trimming is a management practise that has long been employed by the poultry industry to reduce the deleterious effects of cannibalism and feather pecking amoung flockmates of chickens. Most studies of beak trimming have concentrated on the production and economic performance aspects of this practise. Because of the current animal welfare debate, behavioural and …
Beak trimming is routinely practiced in the poultry industry to reduce the incidence of feather pecking, aggression, and cannibalism in egg layers. Feather pecking is painful to birds and potentially induces cannibalism. Cannibalism happens in all current housing environments, cage- and free-production systems, and is one of the major causes of bird death in commercial …
Report by Tina M. Widowski, Paul H. Hemsworth, Grahame J. Coleman, Michele Guerrin, Laura Dysart and John L. Barnett.
International Developments & Perspectives
A report prepared for the United Egg Producers (UEP) by Promar International as a result of an independent economic study that they commissioned.
A press release by United Egg Producers (UEP) as a result of an independent economic study by Promar International that they commissioned.