Rearing system and behavioural adaptation of laying hens to furnished cages

Roll, Victor Fernando Büttow; Levrino, Gustavo Adolfo María; Briz, Ricardo Cepero

doi:10.1590/s0103-84782008000700031

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In contrast, in cage systems, excreta and other wastes drop to the ground, and the probability of chickens acquiring pathogens is lower. This observation is supported by the reports of [ 28 , 29 ], who observed higher morbidity and mortality in chickens reared on deep litter systems than those kept on cage systems.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Epidemiological investigations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli associated morbidity and mortality in layer chickens in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

Gedeno

Hailegebreal

Tanga

et al. 2022

Heliyon

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Epidemiological investigations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli associated morbidity and mortality in layer chickens in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

Gedeno

Hailegebreal

Tanga

et al. 2022

Heliyon

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“…Earlier transfer to laying cages reduces this effect however, and the time of transfer to the laying environment (16 weeks or earlier) has more influence on the numbers of floor eggs than the rearing environment alone. The use of dust baths in furnished cages has been found to be higher in floor-reared, as opposed to cage-reared, hens during the entire laying period (Roll et al., 2008 ). Indeed, cage-reared laying hens may not use dust-bathing substrate at all, as indicated by the accumulation of undisturbed materials in the litter pan in some furnished cages (A.M. Janczak, unpublished data).…”

Section: Rearing Conditions Affecting the Welfare Of Laying Hensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of rearing-related factors affecting the welfare of laying hens

2015

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Laying hens may face a number of welfare problems including: acute and chronic pain caused by beak trimming; exaggerated fearfulness that may cause stress and suffocation; difficulties in locating resources, resulting potentially in emaciation and dehydration; frustration and boredom, caused by an environment that is barren; feather pecking; cannibalism; foot lesions; and bone fractures. In Europe, a greater proportion of laying hens are housed in non-cage systems compared to the rest of the world. The extent of the different welfare problems may therefore vary between countries as the type of housing system influences the risk of suffering. More generally, many of these welfare problems are influenced by the rearing environment of the pullets. This article therefore focuses on welfare problems in laying hens that can be traced back to rearing. Factors that have been studied in relation to their effects on bird welfare include beak trimming, housing type, furnishing, enrichment, feeding, stocking density, flock size, sound and light levels, concentration of gasses, age at transfer from rearing to production facilities, similarity between rearing and production facilities, competence of staff, and interactions between bird strain and environment. The present review aims to summarize rearing-related risk factors of poor welfare in adult laying hens housed according to European Union legislation. It aims to identify gaps in current knowledge, and suggests strategies for improving bird welfare by improving rearing conditions. Two main conclusions of this work are that attempts should be made to use appropriate genetic material and that beak trimming should be limited where possible. In addition to this, the rearing system should provide constant access to appropriate substrates, perches, and mashed feed, and should be as similar as possible to the housing system used for the adult birds. Finally, young birds (pullets) should be moved to the production facilities before 16 weeks of age. The measures outlined in this review may be useful for improving the welfare of pullets and adult laying hens.

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“…Some authors concluded that there seems to be an association between an early start to perch use and later use of perches by laying hens for real nighttime roosting (Heikkilä et al, 2006). Roll et al (2008) showed that floor-reared hens spend more time perching in laying furnished cages than cage-reared hens (7.5 % versus 13.4 %). In this case, rearing condition has an impact on perch use, even if no perch has been provided during rearing.…”

Section: Management Aspects That Affect Perch Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Opinion on welfare aspects of the use of perches for laying hens

2015

EFS2

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This opinion investigated the use of perches for laying hens in cage and non-cage systems. It is based on various activities reviewing the effects of perch height and design on hen health and welfare. Systematic and extensive literature reviews were conducted to assess the scientific evidence about hen motivation to grasp and seek elevation, and the appropriate height of perches as well as other features (position, material, colour, temperature, shape, width and length). In addition, an expert knowledge elicitation (EKE) exercise was run with technical hearing experts to discuss and prioritise the various design aspects of perches. Overall, the body of literature on perches is limited. Relevant features of perches are often confounded with others. In the literature, the most commonly used animal-based measures to assess perch adequacy are keel bone damages, foot pad lesions and perch use by hens. Overall, hens seek elevation during the day as well as during the night, when they select a site for roosting. Elevated perches allow hens to monitor the environment, to escape from other hens, avoid disturbances and improve thermoregulation. For night-time roosting hens show a preference for perches higher than 60cm compared with lower perches. However, elevated perches can have negative consequences with increased prevalence of keel deformities and fractures. The risk of injury increases when hens have to jump a distance of more than 80cm vertically, horizontally or diagonally to reach or leave a perch, or jump an angle between 45 and 90° (measured at the horizontal plane). Material, shape, length and width of the perch also influence perch preference by hens. The EKE exercise suggests that an adequate perch is elevated, accessible and functional (providing sufficient overview). The opinion concludes that for the design of an adequate perch, different features of perches need to be further investigated and integrated.

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Rearing system and behavioural adaptation of laying hens to furnished cages

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Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

Epidemiological investigations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli associated morbidity and mortality in layer chickens in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

Epidemiological investigations of Salmonella and Escherichia coli associated morbidity and mortality in layer chickens in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

Review of rearing-related factors affecting the welfare of laying hens

Scientific Opinion on welfare aspects of the use of perches for laying hens

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