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Nesting behaviour of LSL hens from a deep litter house and from a battery system was compared. Every hen was tested in one of two trial chambers containing a wire mesh floor and a nest unit with 5 nesting materials: wire mesh, perforated plastic, synthetic grass, wheat straw and oat husk. Wheat straw and oat husk were preferred as nesting materials to perforated plastic, synthetic grass and wire mesh. The results from these trials were confirmed in a deep litter house. After the nesting material, oat husk, was changed in two of 10 communal nests the hens did not accept those two nests for the trial period of two weeks and laid elsewhere. Hens of the same breed and age reared together on deep litter showed no differences in nest site selection and nesting behaviour regardless of whether they had previously been housed in a deep litter house or in cages.

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Atmospheric dust is designated as the principal stress factor affecting animals and human personnel in poultry houses. In addition to its mechanical stress component, it also acts as a carrier agent for other factors such as micro-organisms, toxic gases, allergens and odours.In order to define the kinetics of atmospheric dust in poultry houses accommodating laying hens, air is extracted at six selected points in the poultry house and fed to a measuring instrument which operates continuously. The light scattering method guarantees maintenance-free and drift-free measurement.Detection of micro-organisms in the air cannot yet be performed continuously. Measurements of random samples using the atmospheric micro-organism collector provide a momentary record of airborne micro-organisms. The high rate of recurrence suggests, however, that this is a reliable method.Ammonia has an immediately unhealthy effect on mucous membranes and respiratory organs, while at the same time increasing the stress potential of the dust. Infrared techniques permit continuous, drift-free measurement of ammonia concentrations down to the ppm range. A personal computer controls the measurement of dust and ammonia, processes the data and stores them on floppy disks. The methods described for measuring atmospheric dust and ammonia, as well as microbial concentrations in poultry-house air, are expected to provide precise information on the quantity, the incidence throughout the day, and possibly the sources of these stress factors.These data are intended to offer an insight into the hygienic conditions prevailing in different types and poultry-house systems, and to give valuable assistance for further development and consultation.