Rearing Laying Hens in Aviaries Reduces Fearfulness following Transfer to Furnished Cages

Brantsæter, Margrethe; Tahamtani, Fernanda M.; Moe, Randi Oppermann; Hansen, Tane Beate; Orritt, Rachel; Nicol, CJ; Janczak, Andrew M.

doi:10.3389/fvets.2016.00013

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Analysis of treatment effects on scores for Component 1 interpreted as fearfulness as discussed above, confirmed that aviary-reared birds housed in the more complex environment were less fearful than cage-reared birds at both ages. This corresponds well to findings by Brantsæter et al ( 32 ) in which cage-reared birds were more hesitant than aviary-reared birds to approach a NO in their home cage. The current study used PCA analysis to generate a fearfulness score that took account of six variables across two different test conditions in which birds were exposed to a variety of stimuli.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The current study used PCA analysis to generate a fearfulness score that took account of six variables across two different test conditions in which birds were exposed to a variety of stimuli. The PCA score used in the present study may be a better measure of fearfulness than the single response variable used by Brantsæter et al ( 32 ), as the latter may be more stimulus specific.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

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Exposure to Increased Environmental Complexity during Rearing Reduces Fearfulness and Increases Use of Three-Dimensional Space in Laying Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Brantsæter¹,

Nordgreen²,

Rodenburg

et al. 2016

Front. Vet. Sci.

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The complexity of the rearing environment is important for behavioral development and fearfulness. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that laying hens reared in a complex aviary system with exposure to mild intermittent stressors would be less fearful, less sensitive to stress, and would use elevated areas of the pen more often as adults than hens reared in a barren cage environment. Laying hens (N = 160) were housed in the same rearing house; half of the birds (n = 80) in an aviary and the other half (n = 80) in cages. At 16 weeks of age, the birds were transported to the experimental facilities. Their behavior was recorded at 19 and 23 weeks of age and analyzed by analysis of variance on individual scores for a fearfulness-related principal component generated using principal component analysis. The results indicate that aviary-reared birds have lower levels of fearfulness compared with cage-reared birds both at 19 weeks and at 23 weeks of age. When comparing the response induced by initial exposure to a novel object at 19 and 23 weeks of age, more aviary-reared birds tended to fly up at 19 weeks compared to the cage-reared birds, indicating a tendency toward a more active behavioral response in the aviary-reared birds than in cage-reared birds. There was no difference between treatments in the flight response at 23 weeks. The groups did not differ in defecation frequency or the concentration of fecal corticosterone metabolites at either age. At 19 weeks, observation of the spatial distribution in the home pens indicated that more aviary-reared birds spent time on the low perch, the elevated platform, and the upper perch, compared to the cage-reared birds. However, at 23 weeks of age, these differences were no longer detected. The results of this study support the hypothesis that increased environmental complexity during rearing reduces fearfulness of adult laying hens.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Exposure to Increased Environmental Complexity during Rearing Reduces Fearfulness and Increases Use of Three-Dimensional Space in Laying Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Brantsæter¹,

Nordgreen²,

Rodenburg

et al. 2016

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…Similarly, Hartcher and colleagues [11] found minimal impacts of enrichment with pecking strings, litter, and scattered oats on pullet responses in open field and tonic immobility tests. Aviary-rearing compared with cage-rearing reduced fearful responses toward novel objects in the first few weeks following transfer to a furnished cage system [12] and increased the use of the three-dimensional area in the experimental laying house [13]. However, there were no differences in faecal corticosterone metabolites, and the differences in system use were equivalent between rearing groups after four weeks in the new housing environment [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The least squares means ± SEM of body weight in pullets from three rearing enrichment treatments (control, novelty, structural) as measured at four different age points(5,8,12, and 16 weeks of age).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimal Effects of Rearing Enrichments on Pullet Behaviour and Welfare

Campbell

Gerber

Downing

et al. 2020

Animals

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In Australia, free-range pullets are typically reared indoors, which may hinder later adjustment to outdoor access. Rearing enrichments could optimise pullet development. Hy-Line Brown® chicks (n = 1700) were reared indoors across 16 weeks with 3 enrichment treatments: (1) a standard control; (2) novel objects (novelty) provided weekly or (3) perching structures (structural) provided. All pullets were weighed at 5, 8, 12, and 16 weeks old. Pullets (n = 87) were tested in a novel arena at 9 weeks and manual restraint (n = 90) at 16 weeks. At 15 weeks, lymphoid organs were extracted and weighed from 90 pullets. Pullets were transferred to the free-range facility at 16 weeks and housed in 9 identical pens within rearing treatments. Hens perching were counted via video recordings across the first week. The structural pullets had the highest relative adrenal weights (p = 0.03) but differences may not have been biologically relevant. Structural hens perched less than the novelty hens in the layer facility (p = 0.02). There were no other consistent rearing treatment differences. The rearing environments had minimal effects on pullet behaviour and welfare, but data from the adult hens did show some longer-term welfare impacts.

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“…Day-old chicks reared in either aviary systems or conventional cage systems (all birds kept on paper in cages up to 4 wk of age before aviary doors opened) were transferred to furnished cage systems at 16 wk of age (Brantsæter et al., 2016a,b). Fear of novel objects and humans was reduced in the aviary-reared birds when tested up to 5 wk following transfer compared to the cage-reared birds (Brantsæter et al., 2016a,b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of environmental enrichment for laying hens during rearing in relation to their behavioral and physiological development

2019

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Globally, laying hen production systems are a focus of concern for animal welfare. Recently, the impacts of rearing environments have attracted attention, particularly with the trend toward more complex production systems including aviaries, furnished cages, barn, and free-range. Enriching the rearing environments with physical, sensory, and stimulatory additions can optimize the bird's development but commercial-scale research is limited. In this review, "enrichment" is defined as anything additional added to the bird's environment including structurally complex rearing systems. The impacts of enrichments on visual development, neurobehavioral development, auditory stimulation, skeletal development, immune function, behavioral development of fear and pecking, and specifically pullets destined for free-range systems are summarized and areas for future research identified. Visual enrichment and auditory stimulation may enhance neural development but specific mechanisms of impact and suitable commercial enrichments still need elucidating. Enrichments that target left/right brain hemispheres/behavioral traits may prepare birds for specific types of adult housing environments (caged, indoor, outdoor). Similarly, structural enrichments are needed to optimize skeletal development depending on the adult layer system, but specific physiological processes resulting from different types of exercise are poorly understood. Stimulating appropriate pecking behavior from hatch is critical but producers will need to adapt to different flock preferences to provide enrichments that are utilized by each rearing group. Enrichments have potential to enhance immune function through the application of mild stressors that promote adaptability, and this same principle applies to free-range pullets destined for variable outdoor environments. Complex rearing systems may have multiple benefits, including reducing fear, that improve the transition to the layer facility. Overall, there is a need to commercially validate positive impacts of cost-effective enrichments on bird behavior and physiology.

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Rearing Laying Hens in Aviaries Reduces Fearfulness following Transfer to Furnished Cages

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Exposure to Increased Environmental Complexity during Rearing Reduces Fearfulness and Increases Use of Three-Dimensional Space in Laying Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Exposure to Increased Environmental Complexity during Rearing Reduces Fearfulness and Increases Use of Three-Dimensional Space in Laying Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Minimal Effects of Rearing Enrichments on Pullet Behaviour and Welfare

A review of environmental enrichment for laying hens during rearing in relation to their behavioral and physiological development

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