Ranging Behaviour of Commercial Free-Range Laying Hens

Abstract

Simple SummaryCommercial free-range production has become a significant sector of the fresh egg market due to legislation banning conventional cages and consumer preference for products perceived as welfare friendly, as access to outdoor range can lead to welfare benefits such as greater freedom of movement and enhanced behavioural opportunities. This study investigated dispersal patterns, feather condition and activity of laying hens in three distinct zones of the range area; the apron area near shed; enriched zone 10–50 m from shed; and outer range beyond 50 m, in six flocks of laying hens under commercial free-range conditions varying in size between 4000 and 24,000 hens. Each flock was visited for four days to record number of hens in each zone, their behaviour, feather condition and nearest neighbour distances (NND), as well as record temperature and relative humidity during the visit. Temperature and relative humidity varied across the study period in line with seasonal variations and influenced the use of range with fewer hens out of shed as temperature fell or relative humidity rose. On average, 12.5% of the hens were observed on the range and most of these hens were recorded in the apron zone as hen density decreased rapidly with increasing distance from the shed. Larger flocks appeared to have a lower proportion of hens on range. The hens used the range more in the early morning followed by a progressive decrease through to early afternoon. The NND was greatest in the outer range and decreased towards the shed. Feather condition was generally good and hens observed in the outer range had the best overall feather condition. Standing, pecking, walking and foraging were the most commonly recorded behaviours and of these, standing occurred most in the apron whereas walking and foraging behaviours were recorded most in the outer range. This study supported the findings of previous studies that reported few hens in the range and greater use of areas closer to the shed in free-range flocks. This study suggests that hens in the outer range engaged more in walking and foraging activities and showed signs of better welfare than those closer to the shed. AbstractIn this study, the range use and behaviour of laying hens in commercial free-range flocks was explored. Six flocks were each visited on four separate days and data collected from their outdoor area (divided into zones based on distance from shed and available resources). These were: apron (0–10 m from shed normally without cover or other enrichments); enriched belt (10–50 m from shed where resources such as manmade cover, saplings and dust baths were provided); and outer range (beyond 50 m from shed with no cover and mainly grass pasture). Data collection consisted of counting the number of hens in each zone and recording behaviour, feather condition and nearest neighbour distance (NND) of 20 birds per zone on each visit day. In addition, we used techniques derived from ecological surveys to establish four transects perpendicular to the shed, running throu...

Individual Ranging Behaviour Patterns in Commercial Free-Range Layers as Observed through RFID Tracking

“…This technology provides several advantages over more traditional flock estimates of range use because it allows the investigation of more differences between individuals within a flock in terms of ranging patterns. In both flocks in this study, over 60% of the hens accessed the range every day, and 85.6% and 97.1% (Flock A and Flock B, respectively) accessed the range area at least once, which is in contrast to previous research using point sampling that reported that very few hens accessed the range [6,10,20,25,26]. The present results are similar to previous research using individual tracking of hens in both experimental and commercial conditions.…”

“…There was also a moderate correlation between the number of days on which hens accessed the range and the total number of zones hens accessed on the range; hence the more time hens spent on the range, the more likely they were to venture farther from the shed. Previous research found that, at farther distances from the shed, fewer hens could be seen in the range [5,10]. However, the far range in the present study was closer to the shed than in other studies [5,10]; therefore it is possible that fewer hens do access the most distant parts of larger ranges.…”

“…Previous research found that, at farther distances from the shed, fewer hens could be seen in the range [5,10]. However, the far range in the present study was closer to the shed than in other studies [5,10]; therefore it is possible that fewer hens do access the most distant parts of larger ranges. The flock sampling method used in previous research may also have underestimated the number of hens using areas farther from the shed.…”

“…The question of how many and how much hens access the range is central to free-range housing systems and has been investigated in a number of recent studies in both experimental and commercial flocks [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. Assessing the use of the range in hens has traditionally been done through point sampling observation methods of the entire flock at one point in time or an average over time.…”

“…It has also been widely demonstrated that the majority of hens will remain in the area closest to the shed [5,6,7,8,9]. For example, in a recent survey on six farms in the UK that assessed range usage, 43.2% of the hens observed in the range were within 10 m of the shed, 34.4% were within 10 to 50 m, and 22.4% were further than 50 m from the shed [10]. However, it is not always clear when assessing hen behaviour at flock level whether there are marked differences between individuals in terms of daily behavioural time budgets or whether hens in the same flock have similar patterns of behaviour.…”