Effect of pecking stones and age on feather cover, hen mortality, and performance in free-range laying hens

Abstract

Severe feather pecking is frequently associated with impaired egg production, poor hen welfare, and increased mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of pecking stones to ameliorate the incidence of feather pecking. A total of 18 flocks of Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to control (n = 9 no pecking stone access) or treatment (n = 9 pecking stone access) flocks and housed in commercial fixed sheds (farm A, n = 10) or commercial mobile sheds (farm B, n = 8) differing in various housing conditions. Beak length, feather score, egg production, and mortality were evaluated at 16 wk of age and every 10 wk until at least 46 wk of age. On farm A, hens with access to pecking stones had significantly lower mortality than hens without pecking stone access ( P = 0.001). A significant interaction between pecking stone and age was observed on feather scores of wings of hens housed in farm A. Hens of the pecking stone group in farm A had higher wing feather score (indicating better feather condition) at the age of 56 and 66 wk than hens with no access to pecking stones (pecking stone × age, P = 0.002). The age of the hens was significantly associated with lower overall feather scores (poorer feather condition), reduced egg production, and higher mortality ( P < 0.05). Although pecking stones reduced some feather loss and mortality, this effect was only present on one farm and therefore may be related to farm management. Especially the impact of pecking stones on mortality was inconclusive as the cumulative mortality in farm B was nearly twice as high compared with that in control flocks. Further investigations are warranted including the effects of pecking stone provision at an early age such as during rearing (0–17 wk of age).

Edible Environmental Enrichments in Littered Housing Systems: Do Their Effects on Integument Condition Differ Between Commercial Laying Hen Strains?

“…The positive effects of EM on plumage condition over all strains confirm the results of previous studies [ 6 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. At the same time, the results are contrary to studies that did not observe such advantages of an EM supply [ 16 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Thus far, as the main reason for the inconsistent results between the studies, the different EM materials and their characteristics have been discussed [ 31 ].…”

“…Additionally, the GEIs between layer strains and housing systems for mortality were demonstrated within different brown egg-layer strains [ 66 ] and between white- and brown egg layers [ 67 ]. With the exception of the study by [ 31 ], the identification of GEIs in the supply of EM in littered housing systems has not yet been reported, because the majority of previous studies investigated only a single strain [ 6 , 16 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. In furnished cages that were enriched with sand or sawdust, behavior and integument-associated interactions were shown by [ 68 ].…”

“…Moreover, less plumage damage was observed due to the additional supply of maize silage, pea/barley silage, and carrots [ 30 ], as well as pecking stones and alfalfa bales [ 31 ]. On the other hand, other authors did not observe the positive effects of these EMs [ 16 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. However, none of these studies examined different genetic strains of white egg and brown egg-laying hens in parallel.…”

Effect of Different Percentage of Camelina sativa Cake in Laying Hens Diet: Performance, Welfare, and Eggshell Quality

“…Regarding welfare, the plumage condition was generally good for all treatments during the whole period. The slight reduction in the score seems to be more related to the age than to the diets [ 53 ]. Wounds were almost absent; plumage and footpad conditions were good, and the growth performance of the birds was similar to the control ( Table 5 ).…”

“…Regarding welfare, the plumage condition was generally good for all treatments during the whole period. The slight reduction in the score seems to be more related to the age than to the diets [53]. Wounds were almost absent; plumage and footpad Egg weight did not show any significant difference among treatments-neither to Hy-Line ® standard during the rearing period (Figure 3).…”