Case Study of an Automatic Enrichment Device for Laying Hens on a Free-Range Laying Hen Farm

Schmidt, Melanie; Stracke, Jenny; Kulke, Katja; Kemper, Nicole; Spindler, Birgit

doi:10.3390/agriculture9050091

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…dustbathing troughs, are stimulating this behaviour. Exemplary automatic systems have already been developed to promote the supply of loose, fresh bedding or occupational material (Baxter et al., 2018a ; Vasdal et al., 2018 ), and are currently being transferred into widespread practice (Schmidt et al., 2019 ). This can be reached by careful management of watering system (to avoid leaking), of appropriate ventilation, and by re‐littering when needed.…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of broilers on farm

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2023

EFS2

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This Scientific Opinion considers the welfare of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) related to the production of meat (broilers) and includes the keeping of day-old chicks, broiler breeders, and broiler chickens. Currently used husbandry systems in the EU are described. Overall, 19 highly relevant welfare consequences (WCs) were identified based on severity, duration and frequency of occurrence: 'bone lesions', 'cold stress', 'gastro-enteric disorders', 'group stress', 'handling stress', 'heat stress', 'isolation stress', 'inability to perform comfort behaviour', 'inability to perform exploratory or foraging behaviour', 'inability to avoid unwanted sexual behaviour', 'locomotory disorders', 'prolonged hunger', 'prolonged thirst', 'predation stress', 'restriction of movement', 'resting problems', 'sensory under-and overstimulation', 'soft tissue and integument damage' and 'umbilical disorders'. These WCs and their animal-based measures (ABMs) that can identify them are described in detail. A variety of hazards related to the different husbandry systems were identified as well as ABMs for assessing the different WCs. Measures to prevent or correct the hazards and/or mitigate each of the WCs are listed. Recommendations are provided on quantitative or qualitative criteria to answer specific questions on the welfare of broilers and related to genetic selection, temperature, feed and water restriction, use of cages, light, air quality and mutilations in breeders such as beak trimming, de-toeing and comb dubbing. In addition, minimal requirements (e.g. stocking density, group size, nests, provision of litter, perches and platforms, drinkers and feeders, of covered veranda and outdoor range) for an enclosure for keeping broiler chickens (fast-growing, slower-growing and broiler breeders) are recommended. Finally, 'total mortality', 'wounds', 'carcass condemnation' and 'footpad dermatitis' are proposed as indicators for monitoring at slaughter the welfare of broilers on-farm.

show abstract

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of broilers on farm

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2023

EFS2

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, inaccurate results could arise due to the relatively small sample size, which makes it hard to compare the different groups. Nevertheless, such sample sizes are common in on-farm studies and are widely seen as a good indicator for the occurrence of FP and cannibalism [ 24 , 34 , 36 ]. Even if the captured hens were randomly selected from all henhouse areas, it is still questionable whether they formed a representative sample of the actual population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The idea behind most automatic enrichment systems is to offer enrichment to a greater number of animals while at the same time reducing the farmers’ workload. Pipe systems that run through henhouses or winter gardens (WGs) and distribute feed or foraging materials, such as silage, grains, or litter material, have proven their potential to attract large numbers of hens and thus be a step towards increasing animal welfare in laying hen husbandry [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of an Automatic Enrichment Device on Laying Hen Behavior and Plumage Condition

Riedel

Canci

Spindler

et al. 2023

Animals

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Feather pecking and cannibalism are prominent problems in modern laying hen husbandry. Among the various approaches to address this issue, environmental enrichment plays a crucial role. In this on-farm study, four winter gardens of an organic farm henhouse were equipped with an automatic enrichment device. Different quantities of downpipes dosing grain on rough-coated pecking plates (PPs) were tested. One group served as a control (CG) without an automatic enrichment device, while the others were offered different numbers of PPs, with one equipped with a doubled amount of PPs (DEG) compared to the other two groups (SEG). Video analyses of the hens’ duration of stay and behaviors in the recorded winter garden area and around the PPs were performed, and regular assessments of the plumage condition were conducted. By the end of the production cycle, no hens with intact plumage were found, with hens in the CG and DEG showing worse scores and earlier deterioration in the plumage condition than in the SEG. The offer of PPs showed a significant influence on the duration of stay in the filmed area. Hens in the DEG stayed significantly longer (mean: 129 s, SD: 126 s) than those in the CG (mean: 79 s, SD: 91 s; p < 0.05) and SEG (mean: 75 s, SD: 83 s; p < 0.005). On the performed behavioral bouts per hen and minute (CG mean bouts/minute (SD): 5.47 (2.92); SEG mean (SD): 5.33 (2.76); SEG mean (SD): 5.81 (3.24)), no significant influences were detected. Environmental pecking was the behavior most frequently observed in all winter gardens, where, particularly around the PPs, pecking at the device was observed. Therefore, the enrichment device can be assessed as well accepted by the hens in winter gardens. The effect of the device on the plumage condition remains unclear, with external factors probably showing a greater influence than the enrichment.

show abstract