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Montalcini CM, Toscano MJ, Gebhardt-Henrich SG, Petelle MB. Intra-individual variation of hen movements is associated with later keel bone fractures in a quasi-commercial aviary. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2377. [PMID: 36759525 PMCID: PMC9911743 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29587-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Measuring intra- and inter-individual variation in movement can bring important insights into the fundamental ecology of animals and their welfare. Although previous studies identified consistent differences in movements of laying hens within commercial aviaries, the level of consistency was not quantified, limiting our capacity to understand the importance of individual movements for welfare. We aimed to quantify the scope of intra- and inter-individual differences in movements of commercial laying hens and examined their associations with indicators of welfare at the end of production. We quantified individual differences in one composite daily movement score for 80 hens over 54 days post-transfer to a quasi-commercial aviary. Results showed consistent inter-individual differences in movement averages, explaining 44% of the variation, as well as individual variation in predictability and temporal plasticity (at the population-level, hens increased their movements for 39 days). Hens that were more predictable in their daily movements had more severe keel bone fractures at the end of production while we found no such correlation between daily movement averages (individual intercept) and welfare indicators. Our findings highlight the importance of inter-individual difference in intra-individual variation of movements to improve poultry welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille M Montalcini
- ZTHZ, Division of Animal Welfare, VPH Institute, University of Bern, 3052, Zollikofen, Switzerland.,Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael J Toscano
- ZTHZ, Division of Animal Welfare, VPH Institute, University of Bern, 3052, Zollikofen, Switzerland
| | | | - Matthew B Petelle
- ZTHZ, Division of Animal Welfare, VPH Institute, University of Bern, 3052, Zollikofen, Switzerland.
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Bari MS, Kheravii SK, Bajagai YS, Wu SB, Keerqin C, Campbell DLM. Cecal Microbiota of Free-Range Hens Varied With Different Rearing Enrichments and Ranging Patterns. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:797396. [PMID: 35222302 PMCID: PMC8881003 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.797396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Free-range pullets are reared indoors but the adult hens can go outside which is a mismatch that may reduce adaptation in the laying environment. Rearing enrichments might enhance pullet development and adaptations to subsequent free-range housing with impact on behavior and health measures including gut microbiota. Adult free-range hens vary in range use which may also be associated with microbiota composition. A total of 1,700 Hy-Line Brown® chicks were reared indoors across 16 weeks with three enrichment treatment groups: “control” with standard litter housing, “novelty” with weekly changed novel objects, and “structural” with custom-designed perching structures in the pens. At 15 weeks, 45 pullet cecal contents were sampled before moving 1,386 pullets to the free-range housing system. At 25 weeks, range access commenced, and movements were tracked via radio-frequency identification technology. At 65 weeks, 91 hens were selected based on range use patterns (“indoor”: no ranging; “high outdoor”: daily ranging) across all rearing enrichment groups and cecal contents were collected for microbiota analysis via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing at V3-V4 regions. The most common bacteria in pullets were unclassified Barnesiellaceae, Prevotella, Blautia and Clostridium and in hens Unclassified, Ruminococcus, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, unclassified Bacteroidales, unclassified Paraprevotellaceae YRC22, and Blautia. The microbial alpha diversity was not significant within the enrichment/ranging groups (pullets: P ≥ 0.17, hen rearing enrichment groups: P ≥ 0.06, hen ranging groups: P ≥ 0.54), but beta diversity significantly varied between these groups (pullets: P ≤ 0.002, hen rearing enrichment groups: P ≤ 0.001, hen ranging groups: P ≤ 0.008). Among the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the propionic acid content was higher (P = 0.03) in the novelty group of pullets than the control group. There were no other significant differences in the SCFA contents between the rearing enrichment groups (all P ≥ 0.10), and the ranging groups (all P ≥ 0.17). Most of the genera identified were more abundant in the indoor than high outdoor hens. Overall, rearing enrichments affected the cecal microbiota diversity of both pullets and adult hens and was able to distinguish hens that remained inside compared with hens that ranging daily for several hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Saiful Bari
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Armidale, NSW, Australia
- Department of Dairy and Poultry Science, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram, Bangladesh
- *Correspondence: Md Saiful Bari,
| | - Sarbast K. Kheravii
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Yadav S. Bajagai
- Institute for Future Farming Systems, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia
| | - Shu-Biao Wu
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Chake Keerqin
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Dana L. M. Campbell
- Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Armidale, NSW, Australia
- Dana L. M. Campbell,
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Campbell DL, Whitten JM, Slater E, Lee C. Rearing enrichments differentially modified hen personality traits and reduced prediction of range use. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Gray H, Davies R, Bright A, Rayner A, Asher L. Why Do Hens Pile? Hypothesizing the Causes and Consequences. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:616836. [PMID: 33363246 PMCID: PMC7758342 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.616836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Piling is a behavior in laying hens whereby individuals aggregate in larger densities than would be normally expected. When piling behavior leads to mortalities it is known as smothering and its frequent but unpredictable occurrence is a major concern for many egg producers. There are generally considered to be three types of piling: panic, nest box and recurring piling. Whilst nest box and panic piling have apparent triggers, recurring piling does not, making it an enigmatic and ethologically intriguing behavior. The repetitive nature of recurring piling may result in a higher incidence of smothering and could have unconsidered, sub-lethal consequences. Here, we consider the possible causes of recurring piling from an ethological perspective and outline the potential welfare and production consequences. Drawing on a wide range of literature, we consider different timescales of causes from immediate triggers to ontogeny and domestication processes, and finally consider the evolution of collective behavior. By considering different timescales of influence, we built four hypotheses relevant to the causes of piling, which state that the behavior: (i) is caused by hens moving toward or away from an attractant/repellent; (ii) is socially influenced; (iii) is influenced by early life experiences and; (iv) can be described as a maladaptive collective behavior. We further propose that the following could be welfare consequences of piling behavior: Heat stress, physical injury (such as keel bone damage), and behavioral and physiological stress effects. Production consequences include direct and indirect mortality (smothering and knock-on effects of piling, respectively), potential negative impacts on egg quality and on worker welfare. In future studies the causes of piling and smothering should be considered according to the different timescales on which causes might occur. Here, both epidemiological and modeling approaches could support further study of piling behavior, where empirical studies can be challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Gray
- Asher Behaviour Lab, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Davies
- Asher Behaviour Lab, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Ashleigh Bright
- FAI Farms Ltd., The Barn, Wytham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Ann Rayner
- FAI Farms Ltd., The Barn, Wytham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Asher
- Asher Behaviour Lab, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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5
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Keel bone fractures are associated with individual mobility of laying hens in an aviary system. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Karcher D, Jones D, Robison C, Eberle K, Gast R, Anderson K. Production and Well-Being Resulting From Delayed Movement of Pullets to the Hen Facility. J APPL POULTRY RES 2019. [DOI: 10.3382/japr/pfy068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Using Radio-Frequency Identification Technology to Measure Synchronised Ranging of Free-Range Laying Hens. Animals (Basel) 2018; 8:ani8110210. [PMID: 30453521 PMCID: PMC6262442 DOI: 10.3390/ani8110210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Free-range laying hens can choose to be indoors or outdoors. Individual hens vary in their ranging choice and this behaviour could also be affected by their flock mates. Radio-frequency identification tracking of individual hens in experimental free-range pens with group sizes of 46–50 hens was used to study flock ranging patterns. Across the day, hens moved through the range pop-holes in the same direction as other hens above levels expected by random chance, termed ‘pop-hole-following’. Hens were also simultaneously indoors or outdoors with other specific hens more often than expected by random chance, termed ‘hen-pair association’. Chicks that were provided variable stimulatory and structural enrichments from 4 to 21 days showed higher pop-hole-following and hen-pair association than non-enriched birds. The individual birds within these small hen groups were behaving primarily as a cohesive flock which has implications for understanding the group-level behaviour of hens. Further research would analyse if similar social movement patterns were present in larger commercial free-range flocks and how early rearing environments may affect adult social behaviour. Abstract Free-range laying hen systems provide individuals a choice between indoor and outdoor areas where range use may be socially influenced. This study used radio-frequency identification technology to track the ranging of individually-tagged hens housed in six experimental free-range pens from 28 to 38 weeks of age (46–50 hens/pen). All daily visits to the range were used to study group behaviour. Results showed that 67.6% (SD = 5.0%) of all hen movements through the pop-holes outdoors or indoors were following the movement of another hen (‘pop-hole-following’) compared to only 50.5% of movements in simulated random data. The percentage overlap in time that all combinations of hen pairs within each pen spent simultaneously outdoors or indoors showed a median value of overlap greater than the 90th percentile of random data. Pens housing hens that had been provided variable enrichments from 4 to 21 days (n = 3 pens) showed higher ‘pop-hole-following’ behaviour and a higher percentage of hen-pair association compared to hens reared in non-enriched conditions (n = 3 pens). These results show that birds in each free-range pen were primarily a cohesive flock and early enrichment improved this social cohesiveness. These results have implications for understanding free-range flock-level behaviour.
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Regmi P, Robison CI, Jones DR, Gast RK, Tempelman RJ, Karcher DM. Effects of different litter substrates and induced molt on production performance and welfare quality parameters of white Leghorn hens housed in multi-tiered aviary system. Poult Sci 2018; 97:3397-3404. [PMID: 29878244 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pey211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 90% of the commercial egg production in the United States is pledged to be in cage-free systems by 2025. Management practices like induced molting and litter area management have come under scrutiny because of the housing system change. The aim of this study was to determine the welfare and production implications of different litter substrates and also evaluate induced molting of hens in a cage-free system. Bovan White hens were housed in a multi-tier aviary system with daily access to open litter area of either Astroturf (AT), wood shavings (SH), or straw (ST) and bare concrete floor (CO) serving as control. At 68 wk of age, molt was induced in half of the hens whereas the other half continued without molting to 116 wk. Production and welfare parameters were measured periodically throughout first and second cycles. Litter substrate did not influence hen-day production and case-weight measurements. However, CO had the lowest total number of eggs produced during the first cycle (P < 0.05). Hen-day percentage was approximately 14% greater in molted hens during the second cycle with egg case weight being heavier in non-molt hens toward the end of second cycle (P < 0.05). The only welfare parameter influenced by litter substrate during the first cycle was a greater crop feather loss in AT than ST at mid-lay (P < 0.05). Keel deformations increased with age irrespective of the litter substrate with 91.5% of palpated hens having keel deformations at the end of first cycle (P < 0.05). Molting did not influence the keel palpation and footpad scores whereas frequency of moderate comb wound was greater in molt hens during molt (P < 0.05). Severe feather loss was seen in non-molt hens during the second cycle (P < 0.05). Litter substrate does not affect production and physical parameters of welfare of hens in a multi-tier aviary system. Additionally, induced molting can be successfully carried out in the multi-tier cage-free system.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Regmi
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - C I Robison
- Department of Animal Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - D R Jones
- US National Poultry Research Center, USDA-ARS, Egg Safety and Quality Research Unit, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - R K Gast
- US National Poultry Research Center, USDA-ARS, Egg Safety and Quality Research Unit, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - R J Tempelman
- Department of Animal Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - D M Karcher
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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Campbell DLM, Ali ABA, Karcher DM, Siegford JM. Laying hens in aviaries with different litter substrates: Behavior across the flock cycle and feather lipid content. Poult Sci 2018; 96:3824-3835. [PMID: 29050413 PMCID: PMC5850108 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pex204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The tiered aviary for laying hens includes a floor litter area to promote foraging and dust bathing. Data are needed on hens' use of different litter substrates and effectiveness of substrates in removing excess feather lipids to ensure a suitable litter area. Bovans White hens were housed in commercial-style aviaries with access to one of 3 litter substrates (wood shavings, straw, or plastic turf mats-AstroTurf®, n = 4 aviary pens per substrate, 144 cage-reared hens populated per pen). Litter areas were videoed across 2 d each at 4 ages: immediately following first aviary opening (25 wk), then at 28, 50, and 68 weeks. Observations of hens throughout the d included percentages of all hens in each pen on the litter area, foraging and transitioning between the tiered enclosure and litter area. Percentages of hens dust bathing were observed from 11:00 to 15:00. Breast and back feather samples from 7 birds per pen at 28, 50, and 68 wk were analyzed for lipid content. Overall, fewer hens simultaneously accessed the AstroTurf® (P < 0.0001), but flocks showed relatively balanced transitions between the tiered enclosure and the litter area throughout the d, regardless of substrate. On average, less than 5% of all hens were observed dust bathing (peaks up to 15% of hens) with no differences among litter substrates or ages (P ≥ 0.18). On average, less than 2% of hens were observed foraging (peaks up to 4% of hens) with fewer hens foraging on AstroTurf® (P < 0.0001). Feather lipid differences among litter substrates (P < 0.0001) were inconsistent across sampling periods, possibly due to different birds sampled across time. At all ages, lipid levels were higher on the back over breast feathers (P < 0.0001) for hens housed with AstroTurf®. AstroTurf® may be suitable for nest boxes, but straw and shavings are more ideal litter substrates. Further study should investigate alternative substrates or regular substrate addition to encourage more foraging and dust bathing.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L M Campbell
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824.,School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, and CSIRO, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia
| | - A B A Ali
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824.,Animal Behavior and Management, Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt
| | - D M Karcher
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824.,Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907
| | - J M Siegford
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824
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