Effect of space allowance and cage size on laying hens housed in furnished cages, Part I: Performance and well-being

Abstract

There are few published data on the effects of housing laying hens at different densities in large furnished cages (FC; a.k.a. enriched colony cages). The objective of this study was to determine the effects of housing laying hens at 2 space allowances (SA) in 2 sizes of FC on measures of production and well-being. At 18 wk of age, 1,218 LSL-Lite hens were housed in cages furnished with a curtained nesting area, perches, and scratch mat, and stocked at either 520 cm2 (Low) or 748 cm2 (High) total floor space. This resulted in 4 group sizes: 40 vs. 28 birds in smaller FC (SFC) and 80 vs. 55 in larger FC (LFC). Data were collected from 20 to 72 wks of age. There was no effect of cage size (P = 0.21) or SA (P = 0.37) on hen day egg production, egg weight (PSize = 0.90; PSA = 0.73), or eggshell deformation (PSize = 0.14; PSA = 0.053), but feed disappearance was higher in SFC than LFC (P = 0.005). Mortality to 72 wk was not affected by cage size (P = 0.78) or SA (P = 0.55). BW (P = 0.006) and BW CV (P = 0.008) increased with age but were not affected by treatment. Feather cleanliness was poorer in FC with low SA vs. high (P < 0.0001) and small vs. large FC (P < 0.0001). Feather condition was poorer in low SA (P = 0.048) and the best in small cages with high SA (P = 0.006), but deteriorated in all treatments over time (P < 0.0001). Treatments did not affect the breaking strengths of femur, tibia, or humerus, proportions of birds suffering keel deformations, or foot health scores. Overall, the SA studied in the 2 cage sizes in this trial had few effects on production parameters. However, stocking birds at the lower space allowance resulted in some measures of poorer external condition in both sizes of FC, which indicates that the welfare of hens housed at the lower space allowance may be compromised according to some welfare assessment criteria.

The effect of space allowance and cage size on laying hens housed in furnished cages, Part II: Behavior at the feeder

“…( 2009b ) did not find an effect of feeder SA on egg production, but decreased feeder space did decrease feed efficiency, which the authors anticipated was due to increased feed wastage. In our companion study, we did not find an effect of SA on BW uniformity, egg production, or feed consumption (Widowski et al., 2017 , submitted ).…”

“…Lohmann-selected Leghorn Lite hens were beak trimmed at the hatchery, reared in conventional cages, and housed in 24 Farmer Automatic Enrichable (Furnished) Cages (Clark Ag Systems, Ontario, Canada) at wk 18. A total of 1,218 hens was used as part of a larger experiment (see Widowski et al., 2017 , submitted ). In a 2 × 2 factorial experiment, 2 cage sizes (Large or LFC : 41,296 cm 2 ; Small or SFC : 20,880 cm 2 , custom built) and 2 SA (Low, 520 cm 2 /bird; High, 750 cm 2 /bird) were combined to create 4 treatment combinations and therefore 4 group sizes of 28, 40, 55, and 80 birds/cage (Table 1 ).…”

“…Nipple drinkers with cups were located above the auger down the middle of the cage, and over the scratch mat in small cages. Hens were fed a layer crumble diet from wk 18 to 72; feed was provided ad libitum and delivered every 3 h starting at 0500 h (see Widowski et al., 2017 , submitted for nutritional details). The feed trough was accessible from both sides of the cage, extending from the scratch corner area to the nest corner area.…”

“…The study reported here was part of a larger project that compared the effects of 2 different SA in 2 sizes of large furnished cages on productivity, behavior, and welfare of laying hens (Widowski et al., 2017 , submitted ). Our objective here was to compare the effects of feeder SA (8.9 vs. 12.8 cm) on feeder use and aggressive behavior at the feeder.…”

Comparison of Chinese Broiler Production Systems in Economic Performance and Animal Welfare

“…It is well documented that correct stocking density is necessary to obtain optimal broiler performance [34]. Higher density brings higher yield but low welfare [35,36]. In the current system in China, the stocking density of NFS is lower than the optimal stocking density, however, NCS and HCS are higher than the optimal stocking density.…”