Comparison of plumage condition of laying hens with intact and trimmed beaks kept on commercial farms

Sepeur, None Svenja; Spindler, Birgit; Schulze-Bisping, Marlene; Habig, Christin; Andersson, Robby; M.Beyerbach,; Kemper, Nicole

doi:10.1399/eps.2015.116

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Staaveren et al (2021) found that the housing system affected plumage, and that plumage from cage systems had a poorer assessment of plumage compared to hens from non-cage housing systems, which is in accordance with the results obtained in this study. Perches and other equipment can lead to problems in plumage condition in laying hens (Sepeur et al, 2015). Significant deterioration of plumage was found with increasing age of hens, which is in accordance with the results of other authors (Rönchen et al, 2007;Distl, 2013, Schreiter et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Welfare parameters and keel bone damage in laying hens reared in different production systems

et al. 2021

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The aim of this study was to determine the effect of housing system and the age of hens on welfare parameters and the prevalence of keel bone damage in laying hens. In this study two housing systems were evaluated: aviary system and enriched cages. From each system and age, we used 50 randomly selected hens from different cages and tiers. The results showed significant differences between systems in the type of keel bone damage. There was no significant difference in keel deviation between systems, but the higher prevalence of keel fractures was found in aviary system. In addition, significant effect of the age of hens was found on the occurrence of keel fractures. Footpad dermatitis had statistically higher occurrence in enriched cages at 62 weeks of age. Hens from aviary system had significantly better plumage score compared to hens from enriched cages but only at 42 weeks of age.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Welfare parameters and keel bone damage in laying hens reared in different production systems

et al. 2021

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“…The Rhode Island White hens continued to maintain relatively good feather condition. As age progressed, the plumage status of the hens significantly deteriorated for both genotypes and for the three housing technologies, which corresponds to the literature data [21][22][23]. The relatively high level of deterioration can be partly explained by the fact that the animals were non-beaktrimmed, as the state of the plumage deteriorates to a greater extent in non-beak-trimmed flocks [24,25].…”

Section: Plumage Conditionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Investigation of the Plumage Condition of Non-Beak-Trimmed Rhode ISLAND-Type Pedigree Hens in Cages and Alternative Pens

Szász

Milisits²,

Orbán³

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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The extent of the feathers covering a bird’s body and the condition of the plumage largely determine the bird’s well-being and aesthetic condition. This investigation aimed to compare changes in the plumage status of laying hens in dissimilar housing systems in the egg-laying period. The experiment was carried out with 1460 non-beak-trimmed laying hens, provided by Bábolna TETRA Ltd., representing a part of the Rhode-type elite lines (Rhode Island Red (RIR) and Rhode Island White (RIW)) used for breeding brown layer hybrids. Hens were kept in the closed experimental laying house of MATE University (Kaposvár Campus), where the RIR and RIW hens were placed into three types of housing systems: EU standard furnished cage (EU) (7560 cm2; 10 hens/cage; 756 cm2/hen); Alternative pen (A) (5.52 m2, floor and litter combination, 53 hens/pen; 1040 cm2/hen); and Conventional cage (C) (3780 cm2; 6 hens/cage; 630 cm2/hen). The feathering status of the hens was examined at five body parts: neck, breast, wings, back and tail at 33, 45 and 61 weeks of age, which was evaluated on a four-grade scale by the same experienced scorer, and the cumulated plumage point (5–20) was calculated for each hen. The RIW genotype had a better plumage condition than RIR at each of the examined times (at the 33rd week: 19.0, 18.3; at the 45th week: 18.4, 17.4; at the 61st week: 17.2, 15.5). The status of the plumage of the RIR hens had deteriorated to a greater extent. As age progressed, the plumage condition of both genotypes significantly deteriorated in all the three housing technologies. The relatively high level of deterioration can be partly explained by the fact that the animals were non-beak-trimmed. At all test times, the total feather score of the birds in the alternative cage housing was significantly better (at the 33rd week: EU: 18.4, A: 19.1, C: 18.5; at the 45th week: EU: 17.6, A: 18.6, C: 17.4; at the 61st week: EU: 15.9, A: 16.9; C: 16.1). The condition of the neck plumage was better in group RIW than in RIR, and the best in the alternative housing at each test time. At the end, the high decomposition results were striking, since at the beginning there were values close to the maximum (3.98; 3.99). It can be concluded that the reason for the dominantly favorable aviary results is that the hens in this type of housing have to come into contact with fewer mechanical factors, their companions do not jump on their backs when changing places, they do not have to stick their heads out of the grid to collect feed, etc. In addition to all this, they also had a littered scratching area and a nest lined with artificial grass, where they could scratch and take a dust bath.

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“…However, a correlation between FP and the genetic background of the hens was also previously described (7,25,26). Observational on-farm studies showed that the prevalence of feather damage varied among different commercial high-yielding layer strains (27,28). Furthermore, a divergent phenotypic selection on FP behavior led to the high-and low FP chicken lines, which are used in fundamental research (26,29).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Pecking Behavior in Conventional Layer Hybrids and Dual-Purpose Hens Throughout the Laying Period

et al. 2021

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To avoid the killing of surplus male layer chickens, dual-purpose hybrids are suggested as an alternative approach. These strains may offer additional advantages compared to conventional laying hens, for instance, a lower tendency to develop injurious pecking behavior. The aim of this study was to assess the behavior, with focus on pecking behavior, of conventional layers (Lohmann Brown plus, LB+) and dual-purpose hens (Lohmann Dual, LD). About 1,845 hens per strain with intact beaks were housed in four stable compartments in aviary systems. Video-based scan sampling of general behaviors and continuous observations of pecking behavior were carried out between 25 and 69 weeks of life. With the exception of “dustbathing” and “scratching,” hybrid × time during the laying period affected all of the observed general behaviors [F(2, 89) = 3.92–10.81, P < 0.001–0.05]. With increasing age, the LB+ hens performed more general pecking, more locomotion and less comfort and sitting behavior. General pecking and comfort behavior did not change over time in the LD hens, whereas inactive behaviors increased with age. During continuous observations, a significant hybrid x period interaction was found for all forms of pecking behavior [F(2, 89) = 4.55–14.80, P < 0.001–0.05]. The LB+ hens showed particularly more severe feather pecking (SFP), which increased with age. In contrast, SFP remained exceptionally low in the LD hens throughout production. Therefore, dual-purpose hybrids should be considered as an alternative to both avoid the killing of surplus male chickens and the development of SFP in laying hen production.

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Comparison of plumage condition of laying hens with intact and trimmed beaks kept on commercial farms

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Welfare parameters and keel bone damage in laying hens reared in different production systems

Welfare parameters and keel bone damage in laying hens reared in different production systems

Investigation of the Plumage Condition of Non-Beak-Trimmed Rhode ISLAND-Type Pedigree Hens in Cages and Alternative Pens

Pecking Behavior in Conventional Layer Hybrids and Dual-Purpose Hens Throughout the Laying Period

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