scholarly journals Effect of Production Systems for Laying Hens on Hen Welfare

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Brian Tainika ◽  
Ahmet Şekeroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Positive Sign ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Materials Used

This review article discussed the effects of various production systems on the welfare of laying hens. The global egg production capacity has been increasing with the evolving production systems which are driven by the consumer preferences. In developed countries, the egg industry has shifted from focusing on quantity and quality of eggs to asking questions of how these eggs are produced. Animal welfare issues emphasized by consumers in these countries led to the banning of conventional cages as seen by European Union in 2012. Such legal measures have uplifted research in various alternative production systems which are thought to be animal friendly. Countries that have adjusted to alternative systems such as free range are registering an increase in the number of free range eggs which is a positive sign for an industry that is willing to adapt and move forward. However, in developing countries, conventional cages are still being used because they are fundamental to the quantity of egg production which is a success indicator of the egg industry. In addition, lack of awareness within the consumers and local producers that birds are sentient has not helped the poultry industry in such countries. However, the alternative production systems have also not fulfilled all the behavioural needs of the animals and, hen welfare issues such as keel and bone damage are common in enriched and perched systems. Also, the high prevalence of diseases and parasites are observed with significant levels in litter floor and outdoor systems an issue attributable to the direct contact between birds and soil or faces. Due to the continuing welfare issues in all laying hen production systems, it is suggested that in addition to genetic selection for traits like bone strength, reduced feather pecking, research should combine both the modification of equipment’s or materials used in each production system and environmental factors such as illumination and temperature as an alternative to improve hen welfare.

scholarly journals 228 ASAS-EAAP Exchange Speaker Talk: Big data and the development of resilience indicators for animal breeding

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 56-56
Author(s):  
Han A Mulder ◽  
Marieke Poppe ◽  
Tom V L Berghof
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Heritable Variation ◽  
Resilience Indicators

Abstract In their lifetime, animals experience various environmental perturbations, such as heat stress, a disease or a change in feed, which require a response. Animals differ in their capacity to respond to various perturbations; this is called resilience, which is the capacity of animals to be minimally affected by perturbations or to rapidly return to the state before exposure to perturbations. The main obstacle in research on genetics of resilience is how to define and quantify resilience. Big data offers great opportunities because longitudinal profiles of animals, such as feed intake, body weight, milk yield or egg production, contain information about how animals respond to perturbations. The objectives of our research were to define resilience indicators and estimate heritable variation in resilience indicators and to estimate associations with existing health and longevity traits to assess the utility of resilience indicators to improve resilience by breeding. The resilience indicators studied were log-transformed variance of deviations (LnVar), lag-1 autocorrelation (Auto) of deviations and skewness of deviations (Skew) based on daily milk yield in dairy cattle and four-weekly body weight measures in laying hens. In dairy cattle, we estimated a heritability of 0.20–0.24 for LnVar, a heritability of 0.08–0.10 for Auto, and a heritability of 0.01 for Skew. The strongest genetic correlations between a resilience indicator and existing health and longevity traits were found for LnVar with udder health (-0.22 to -0.33), ketosis (-0.27 to -0.33) and longevity (-0.29 to -0.34). In laying hens, we estimated similar heritabilities for the three resilience indicators: 0.10 for LnVar, 0.11 for Auto, and 0.09 for Skew. We found predictive value of LnVar breeding values for lesion scores after challenge with an E-coli infection. These results show that especially the variance of deviations is a promising resilience indicator to improve resilience and health in animals by genetic selection.

scholarly journals Production of laying hens in different rearing systems under hot weather

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 37677
Author(s):  
Daniel Araujo Netto ◽  
Héder José D'Ávila Lima ◽  
Julia Rodrigues Alves ◽  
Bianca Corrêa de Morais ◽  
Mauricio Silva Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Egg Yolk ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Weight Variation ◽  
Randomized Design

 The environment is very important for the performance of laying hens; thus, techniques are required to improve production systems, providing better welfare for poultry and consequent increase in the quality of the final product, the egg. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rearing system, on the floor and in cage, on the performance and egg internal and external quality of laying hens. A total of 320 Hysex Brown laying hens, with 34-43 weeks days of age, was distributed in a completely randomized design, with two treatments, floor and cage, with 10 replicates each. The parameters evaluated were: individual feed intake, egg production per replicate, feed conversion per dozen eggs, egg weight; weight and percentage participation of shell, albumen and yolk, specific gravity, body weight variation and viability of birds. The results show that the birds raised on the floor showed best results as to egg production, besides the best internal and external quality, with greater weight of egg, yolk, albumen, shell and with lower losses of eggs. Because of the negative effects of the cage system, in general, hens presented lower results when compared to results of those raised on the floor. 

scholarly journals Dynamics of Salmonella Shedding and Welfare of Hens in Free-Range Egg Production Systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaibhav C. Gole ◽  
Rebecca Woodhouse ◽  
Charles Caraguel ◽  
Talia Moyle ◽  
Jean-Loup Rault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Most Probable Number ◽  
Probable Number ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Phage Types ◽  
Positive Correlations

ABSTRACT The current study investigated the effect of environmental stressors (i.e., weather changes) on Salmonella shedding in free-range production systems and the correlations with behavioral and physiological measures (i.e., fecal glucocorticoid metabolites). This involved longitudinal and point-in-time surveys of Salmonella shedding and environmental contamination on four commercial free-range layer farms. The shedding of Salmonella was variable across free-range farms and in different seasons. There was no significant effect of season on the Salmonella prevalence during this investigation. In this study, the combined Salmonella most probable number (MPN) counts in environmental (including feces, egg belt, dust, nest box, and ramp) samples were highest in samples collected during the summer season (4th sampling, performed in February). The predominant serovars isolated during this study were Salmonella enterica serovar Mbandaka and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium phage types 135 and 135a. These two phage types were involved in several egg product-related Salmonella outbreaks in humans. Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) results indicated that MLVA types detected from human food poisoning cases exhibited MLVA patterns similar to the strains isolated during this study. All Salmonella isolates (n = 209) were tested for 15 different genes involved in adhesion, invasion, and survival of Salmonella spp. We also observed variations for sopA, ironA, and misL. There were no positive correlations between fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) and Salmonella prevalence and/or shedding in feces. Also, there were no positive correlations between Salmonella prevalence and Salmonella count (log MPN) and any of the other welfare parameters. IMPORTANCE In this study, the welfare of laying hens and Salmonella shedding were compared over a prolonged period of time in field conditions. This study investigated the long-term shedding of Salmonella serovars in a free-range egg production system. Given that there is increasing demand for free-range eggs, it is essential to understand the risks associated with such a production system.

scholarly journals Egg production and welfare of laying hens kept in different housing systems (conventional, enriched cage, and free range)

2016 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 1564-1572 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Yilmaz Dikmen ◽  
A. İpek ◽  
Ü. Şahan ◽  
M. Petek ◽  
A. Sözcü
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Housing Systems

The population of laying hens loses important genes: a case history

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sørensen
Keyword(s):  
Laying Hens ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Considerable Change ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Production Potential ◽  
Strong Concentration ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Cage System

SummaryThe switch from keeping laying hens in a floor or free range system into a cage system led to a considerable change in the way that breeding and selection took place. In the past 40–50 years up to the present date, the increase in genetic improvement of the egg laying trait was substantial. However, cage-adapted populations of laying hens seem to have lost some of their abilities to an adequate performance when returned to the old floor\free range systems. The strong concentration of all parts of the poultry production has meant that less than 10 international breeding companies supply most hens for laying purposes in the world and they have very little interest in developing genetic material for the West-European region where there are marked consumer preferences for eggs produced in non-cage systems. A particular Danish line, of White Leghorn origin named “The Skalborg hen” seems to have survived during an era of cage production system and they seems to have a production potential at farm level.

scholarly journals Respon Pemberian Tepung Daun Kelor (Moringa oleifera) pada Pakan Ayam Petelur terhadap Penampilan Produksi dan Kualitas Telur

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edi Wahyu Satria ◽  
Osfar Sjofjan ◽  
Irfan Hadji Djunaidi
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Moringa Oleifera ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Leaf Powder ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
Range Test

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Moringa leaf meal (Moringa oleifera) in feed on production performance and egg quality of laying hens. The materials used 120 laying hens of Isa Brown breed in 38 to 42 weeks age. The method used an experimental trial by Moringa oleifera addition in the basal feed. The experiment were devided into four groups i.e. without Moringa oleifera as control (P0), with Moringa oleifera 0.5% (P1), 1% (P2), 1.5% (P3) and 2% (P4). Variables observed were the appearance of egg production and quality. The data was analyzed by Completely Randomized one way design. The mean differences were calculated by the Duncan Multiple Range Test. The results showed that administration of Moringa leaf powder can increase the production and quality of eggs in laying hens. Addition of 2% Moringa leaf powder in the feed gives the best effect on the appearance and quality of production and egg. This research suggested the addition of 2% Moringa leaf powder was recommended in order to obtain the finest appearance and quality of production.

scholarly journals The Influence of Housing for Laying Hens on the Economics of Egg Production

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Ondrašovičová ◽  
Katarína Veszelits Laktičová ◽  
Mária Vargová ◽  
František Zigo
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Stable Production ◽  
Industry Sustainability

The poultry sector plays an important role in animal production in terms of maintaining a stable production of healthy food for the population. With regard to the egg industry, sustainability refers to the treatment of laying hens and especially the systems used for hen housing. The conditions of welfare and housing of laying hens in the production of table eggs are currently of interest to most egg sellers as well as consumers as they directly affect the economy of their production and their price. At present, consumers have a choice of four types of eggs on the shelves. They can come from the cage, litter, free-range or organic farming. Each farm has well-defined rules that it must follow. Customers are increasingly interested in where and under what circumstances are produced the eggs which they bring home from the store. In addition to price, customers look for a story behind the package and make their decisions accordingly. Although recognizing that issues such as environmental consequences, food safety, and humane treatment of hens are also important, this article focuses on the relationships between hen housing and economy and market eggs production.

Free-range laying hens: using technology to show the dynamics and impact of hen movement

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 2046
Author(s):  
I. Ruhnke ◽  
J. Boshoff ◽  
I. V. Cristiani ◽  
D. Schneider ◽  
M. Welch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radio Frequency Identification ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Free Range ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Frequency Identification ◽  
Under Performing ◽  
Open Floor ◽  
And Performance

Free-range laying hens are provided with the opportunity to access various structural areas, including open floor space, feed areas, water lines, next boxes, perches, aviary tiers, winter gardens and ranges. Different individual location preferences can lead to the development of hen subpopulations that are characterised by various health, welfare and performance parameters. Understanding the complexity of hen movement and hen interactions within their environment provides an opportunity to limit the disadvantages that are associated with housing in loose husbandry systems and aids in decision-making. Monitoring hen movement using modern technologies such as radio-frequency identification (RFID), optical flow patterns, image analysis and three-dimensional (3D) cameras allows the accumulation of big data for data mining, clustering and machine learning. Integrating individual-based management systems into modern flock management will not only help improve the care of under-performing hens, but also ensure that elite hens are able to use their full genetic potential, allowing an ethical, sustainable and welfare friendly egg production. This review highlights the dynamics and impact of hen movement in free-range systems, reviews existing knowledge relevant for feeding hens in non-cage systems, and outlines recent technological advances and strategies to improve the management of free-range laying hens.

scholarly journals Egg production and egg quality in free-range laying hens housed at different outdoor stocking densities

2017 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 3128-3137 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.L.M. Campbell ◽  
C. Lee ◽  
G.N. Hinch ◽  
J.R. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Free Range
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