Bone strength of laying hens kept in an alternative system, compared with hens in cages and on deep‐litter

Nørgaard-Nielsen, G.

doi:10.1080/00071669008417233

Cited by 61 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…One of the benefits of a multitier aviary system is the access to all three dimensions of the available space, which increase movement and consequently bone strength (Nørgaard-Nielsen, 1990;Michel and Huonnic, 2004). Carmichael et al (1999) found that of the space available to them in all three dimensions, the hens used about 80% of the pen volume independent of stocking density.…”

Section: Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of organic laying hens kept at different indoor stocking densities in a multi-tier aviary system. II: live weight, health measures and perching

Steenfeldt

Nielsen

2015

Animal

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Multi-tier aviary systems, where conveyor belts below the tiers remove the manure at regular intervals, are becoming more common in organic egg production. The area on the tiers can be included in the net area available to the hens (also referred to as usable area) when calculating maximum indoor stocking densities in organic systems within the EU. In this article, results on live weight, health measures and perching are reported for organic laying hens housed in a multi-tier system with permanent access to a veranda and kept at stocking densities (D) of 6, 9 and 12 hens/m 2 available floor area, with concomitant increases in the number of hens per trough, drinker, perch and nest space. In a fourth treatment, access to the top tier was blocked reducing vertical, trough, and perch access at the lowest stocking density (D6x). In all other aspects than stocking density, the experiment followed the EU regulations on the keeping of organic laying hens. Hen live weight, mortality and foot health were not affected by the stocking densities used in the present study. Other variables (plumage condition, presence of breast redness and blisters, pecked tail feathers, and perch use) were indirectly affected by the increase in stocking density through the simultaneous reduction in access to other resources, mainly perches and troughs. The welfare of the hens was mostly affected by these associated constraints, despite all of them being within the allowed minimum requirements for organic production in the EU. Although the welfare consequences reported here were assessed to be moderate to minor, it is important to take into account concurrent constraints on access to other resources when higher stocking densities are used in organic production.

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Section: Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of organic laying hens kept at different indoor stocking densities in a multi-tier aviary system. II: live weight, health measures and perching

Steenfeldt

Nielsen

2015

Animal

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“…These rearing conditions are reported to have a direct impact on the welfare of laying hens [8,39]. Such space restriction also limits the possibility of bird movement and consequently appears to be at the origin of weak skeletons [17,36,41]. In standard cages, hens are housed in an extremely bare environment, without a nest, litter and perches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humeral quality and adrenal responsiveness in laying hens reared in standard and furnished cages

Guesdon¹,

Leterrier²,

Constantin³

et al. 2004

Anim. Res.

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-In order to find out whether furnished cages contribute to improving the welfare of laying hens, humerus quality and adrenal responsiveness were evaluated in laying hens reared in standard (S) and furnished cages (F). Four cage models were used: S5, a standard cage model with 5 hens per cage; S6, a standard cage model with 6 hens per cage; F7, a furnished cage model with 7 hens per cage (with a nest, dust-bathing box, two perches, and claw-shortening) and F15, a furnished cage model with 15 hens per cage (with a nest, dust-bathing box, two perches, and claw-shortening). At 72 weeks of age, maximal adrenal responsiveness was evaluated by measuring the changes in blood corticosterone level induced by the i.m. injection of 10 µg per hen of 1-24 ACTH (n = 15 hens per cage model). Hens (n = 15 to 23 hens per cage model) were slaughtered and the left and right humeri were used for measurement of weight, biomechanical characteristics in a flexion test, dry matter and ash percentage. Basal corticosterone levels did not differ significantly while the injection of ACTH produced a significant rise in corticosterone levels (P < 0.001) of similar amplitude for all cage models. Humeri weights, biomechanical characteristics (elastic strain, bioyield point, stiffness and breaking strength), dry weight and percentage of dry matter were not significantly different between cage models. The humeri ash percentage was significantly (P = 0.03) lower in birds from the S6 cage model (57.4%) than in birds from other cage models (S5: 59.0%; F7: 58.9%; F15: 59.7%). Adrenal responsiveness and major humeral characteristics were not significantly improved in furnished compared to standard cages in our experimental conditions. laying hen / furnished cages / exercise / bone / corticosterone / welfare Résumé -Qualité de l'os et capacité de réponse de la glande surrénale chez des poules pondeuses élevées en cages standard et en cages aménagées. Afin d'analyser si les dispositifs d'enrichissement apportés dans des cages aménagées contribuent à l'amélioration du bien-être chez la poule pondeuse, nous avons mesuré la réactivité des glandes surrénales et la qualité des humérus de poules pondeuses élevées en cages standard et en cages aménagées. Quatre modèles de cage ont été comparés : une cage standard à 5 poules S5, une cage standard à 6 poules S6, une cage aménagée à 7 poules F7 (avec un nid, un bac à poussière, 2 perchoirs, un système raccoucisseur de griffes) et une cage amé-nagée à 15 poules F15 (avec un nid, un bac à poussière, 2 perchoirs, un système raccourcisseur de griffes). La capacité de réponse maximale a été testée en comparant les corticostéronémies mesurées Quinze à 23 poules par modèle de cage ont été abattues à l'âge de 72 semaines. Le poids, les caractéristiques biomécaniques et la composition des humérus droit et gauche ont été mesurés. Les taux de bases de la corticostéronémie ne différaient pas significativement tandis que l'injection d'ACTH induisait une augmentation significative de la corticostéronémie (P < 0,001) ...

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“…A specific example of an effect on housing conditions that leads to poor welfare is the consequence of severely reduced exercise for bone strength. In studies of hens (Knowles & Broom, 1990;Norgaard-Nielsen, 1990) those birds that could not sufficiently exercise their wings and legs because they were housed in battery cages had considerably weaker bones than those birds in percheries where there was enough space to exercise. Similarly, Marchant and Broom (1996) found that sows in stalls had leg bones only 65% as strong as sows in group-housing systems.…”

Section: Welfare Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

<b>Welfare Assessment and Relevant Ethical Decisions: Key Concepts</b>

Broom

2008

Annu Rev Biomed Sci

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Broom DM. Welfare Assessment and Relevant Ethical Decisions: Key Concepts. ARBS Annu Rev Biomed Sci 2008;10:T79-T90. Animal welfare is the subject of rapidly increasing concern in most countries in the world and this concern is resulting in changes in the ways in which animal users keep and treat animals. The welfare of an individual is its state as regards its attempts to cope with its environment. This includes the state of all coping systems, including those responding to pathology, various behavioural and physiological responses and processes in the brain. Welfare includes health and the extent of positive and negative feelings. The statement that welfare means being in harmony with nature is not a definition of welfare that is usable in welfare assessment, whilst the view that welfare includes the extent to which the animal might be in that state in nature is incorrect. It is misleading to suggest that this definition of welfare is a functional one rather than one that refers to suffering and other feelings because feelings are a part of animal functioning. Assessment of welfare must take account of the wide variety of coping systems and coping strategies used. A range of measures of behaviour, physiology, brain function, immune system function, damage, strengths of preferences, etc. is needed. The ease or difficulty of coping should be interpreted within the framework of the abilities and needs of the animal. Ethical decisions about animal welfare generally involve a deontological approach, specifying actions that should never be taken, and a consequentialist approach in which costs and benefits are balanced but neither of these approaches is adequate by itself.

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Bone strength of laying hens kept in an alternative system, compared with hens in cages and on deep‐litter

Cited by 61 publications

References 16 publications

Welfare of organic laying hens kept at different indoor stocking densities in a multi-tier aviary system. II: live weight, health measures and perching

Welfare of organic laying hens kept at different indoor stocking densities in a multi-tier aviary system. II: live weight, health measures and perching

Humeral quality and adrenal responsiveness in laying hens reared in standard and furnished cages

<b>Welfare Assessment and Relevant Ethical Decisions: Key Concepts</b>

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