Influence of rearing and lay risk factors on propensity for feather damage in laying hens

Drake, Kelly; Donnelly, Christl A.; Dawkins, M S

doi:10.1080/00071668.2010.528751

Cited by 66 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In contrast, there was an increase in the prevalence of hens with keel bone damages as well as poor plumage condition on the body and back between the visits. This is in agreement with previous studies (Drake et al, 2010;Richards et al, 2012;Riber and Hinrichsen, accepted 1,2).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…This is the case for keel bone damages (Fleming et al, 2004;Richards et al, 2012) and plumage condition (Nicol et al, 2006;Drake et al, 2010). Damage to the plumage of pullets has been reported as a predictor for plumage condition in the laying period (Drake et al, 2010). The present study provides evidence that the plumage condition at the peak of lay can be a predictor for plumage condition at the end of lay.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Nevertheless, the end of lay visit was conducted at a younger age in single-tiered systems. This may have influenced the prevalence of hens with a poor plumage condition and with keel bone damages, as the prevalence of these variables increases with increasing age of the hens (Drake et al, 2010;Richards et al, 2012). An increased incidence of keel bone damages was indeed found in multi-tiered systems in the present study, which may be related to the higher mean age at the end of lay in the multi-tiered systems compared with single-tiered systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the prevalence of helminth infections increases with increasing age of the hens (Pennycott and Steel, 2001). Furthermore, the prevalence of keel bone damages and plumage damage increases with increased age of the hens (Nicol et al, 2006;Drake et al, 2010;Richards et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Associations between and development of welfare indicators in organic layers

Hinrichsen

Riber

Labouriau

2016

Animal

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The retail market share of organic eggs in Denmark is high, and the consumers expect high animal welfare standards in the organic production. Documentation of animal welfare is important, however, knowledge about the associations between animal-based welfare indicators is limited. The aims of the study were to investigate the associations between selected welfare indicators at two ages (peak and end of lay), and to examine the development with age of the chosen welfare indicators. The chosen welfare indicators were Ascaridia galli (roundworm) infection, Heterakis sp. (caecal worm) infection, keel bone damages, back feathering, body feathering, foot damages, comb colour and wounds on the body. An observational study with 12 organic egg farms was conducted in 2012 and 2013 with a total of 214 hens assessed individually at the peak and the end of lay. Insufficient data were obtained on helminth infection at the peak of lay. At the end of lay, all helminth infected hens were positive for A. galli, and only three of them had in addition a Heterakis sp. infection. Foot damages, pale combs and wounds on the body occurred at frequencies <5% and were therefore, together with the prevalence of Heterakis sp. infection, left out of the analysis of associations. A graphical model was used to analyse the associations between the remaining clinical welfare indicators, A. galli infection, housing systems and age of the hens at end of lay. A. galli infection was only directly associated with back feathering at end of lay (P = 0.011) with an increased incidence of A. galli infection in hens with good back feathering. Between the two visits, the prevalence of hens with keel bone damages increased (P < 0.001), and the plumage condition deteriorated (P < 0.001), whereas the number of hens with plantar abscess (P = 0.037) and pale combs (P = 0.020) decreased. No significant differences were found for other foot damages or for skin damage. In conclusion, back feathering at end of lay provided information about a possible helminth infection, but this is not a useful indicator in daily on-farm management. In addition, evidence was found that the deterioration of the plumage condition with age was not only due to accumulation of damage over time.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%