Commercial layer hybrids kept under organic conditions: a comparison of range use, welfare, and egg production in two layer strains

Wurtz, K.E.; Thodberg, Karen; Berenjian, A.; Foldager, Leslie; Tahamtani, Fernanda M.; Riber, Anja B.

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2022.102005

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 68 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…From the results of these studies, it is clear that groups size does not, in itself, determine the frequency of use of the outdoor range. Other factors such as the structure of the outdoor range (Buijs et al., 2020), early experience during the production phase (Rodriguez‐Aurrekoetxea and Estevez, 2016), genetic strain (Wurtz et al., 2022) and most likely, experience during early rearing are important factors determining frequency of range use. In addition, scientific results have consistently identified large interindividual variations in the level of use of the indoor (Hughes and Wood‐Gush, 1977; Rodriguez‐Aurrekoetxea and Estevez, 2016) and outdoor (Gebhardt‐Henrich et al., 2014; Larsen et al., 2017; Buijs et al., 2020) space.…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of laying hens on farm

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2023

EFS2

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This scientific opinion focuses on the welfare of laying hens, pullets and layer breeders on farm. The most relevant husbandry systems used in Europe are described. For each system, highly relevant welfare consequences were identified, as well as related animal‐based measures (ABMs), and hazards leading to the welfare consequences. Moreover, measures to prevent or correct the hazards and/or mitigate the welfare consequences are recommended. The highly relevant welfare consequences based on severity, duration and frequency of occurrence are bone lesions, group stress, inability to avoid unwanted sexual behaviour, inability to perform comfort behaviour, inability to perform exploratory or foraging behaviour, isolation stress, predation stress, resting problems, restriction of movement, skin disorders and soft tissue lesions and integument damage. The welfare consequences of non‐cage compared to cage systems for laying hens are described and minimum enclosure characteristics are described for laying hens, pullets and layer breeders. Beak trimming, which causes negative welfare consequences and is conducted to reduce the prevalence and severity of pecking, is described as well as the risks associated with rearing of non‐beak‐trimmed flocks. Alternatives to reduce sharpness of the beak without trimming are suggested. Finally, total mortality, plumage damage, wounds, keel bone fractures and carcass condemnations are the most promising ABMs for collection at slaughterhouses to monitor the level of laying hen welfare on farm. Main recommendations include housing all birds in non‐cage systems with easily accessible, elevated platforms and provision of dry and friable litter and access to a covered veranda. It is further recommended to implement protocols to define welfare trait information to encourage progress in genetic selection, implement measures to prevent injurious pecking, rear pullets with dark brooders and reduce male aggression in layer breeders.

show abstract

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of laying hens on farm

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2023

EFS2

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interestingly, we did not find any relationship between foraging behavior and range use, as previous seen for broilers ( Ferreira et al, 2021a ; Ferreira et al, 2022 ). These contrasting results reinforce that behavioral/cognitive predictors of range use may diverge between laying hens and broilers, but also among distinct strains ( Wurtz et al, 2022 ; Bonnefous et al, 2023 ), and that these differences need to be further investigated to understand how these traits shape how chickens perceive, interpret, and interact with their environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Early and late cognitive and behavioral aspects associated with range use in free-range laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Ferreira,

Seressia,

Même

et al. 2024

Poultry Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The laying hen hybrids used on organic farms are commonly the same as those used in other commercial egg production systems. Amongst these, there are strain differences in terms of, for example, fearfulness and fear responses (Nelson et al, 2020;Brown et al, 2022), immune function (Hofmann et al, 2021;Schmucker et al, 2021), levels of feather pecking (Brinker et al, 2014), susceptibility to keel bone damages (Stratmann et al, 2016), behaviour, and resource use (Ali et al, 2016), including use of outdoor areas (Wurtz et al, 2022). By choosing one hybrid over another, some welfare benefits might thus be acquired.…”

Section: Appropriate Breedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perks of being an organic chicken – animal welfare science on the key features of organic poultry production

Göransson,

Lundmark Hedman

2024

Front. Anim. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Modern poultry production entails a number of important animal welfare issues. However, welfare is often considered to be better in organic than in non-organic production, largely due to the focus on naturalness within the former which has been embedded within the EU regulations on organic production. The aim of this paper was to review the relevant scientific literature to assess (i) how animal welfare science relates to the key features of organic poultry production which originally stem from organic visions and ideological reasons, and (ii) whether there is scientific evidence to show that these key features, as stipulated in current EU regulations, contribute to higher welfare in organic poultry production. We identified seven key features that are intended to improve poultry welfare in organic production: appropriate breeds, no mutilations, outdoor access, natural light, perch space and raised sitting levels, provision of roughage, and lower stocking densities. In general, the animal welfare science available supports the potential for higher animal welfare in organic poultry production, based on the requirements as laid down in the current EU regulations. However, there is still room for improvement, and some aspects that may further improve animal welfare in organic poultry production include the use of alternative laying hen hybrids with the potential for better welfare, even more slow-growing broilers, appropriate management of the free-range areas in practice to ensure that they are used by the birds, additional raised sitting level space allowance for broilers, and the use of “dark brooders” for chicks.

show abstract

Commercial layer hybrids kept under organic conditions: a comparison of range use, welfare, and egg production in two layer strains

Cited by 7 publications

References 68 publications

Welfare of laying hens on farm

Welfare of laying hens on farm

Early and late cognitive and behavioral aspects associated with range use in free-range laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

The perks of being an organic chicken – animal welfare science on the key features of organic poultry production

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About