Abstract
There are few published studies describing the unique management practices, farm design and housing characteristics of commercial meat chicken and layer farms in Australia. In particular, there has been a large expansion of free range poultry production in Australia in recent years, but limited information about this enterprise exists. This study aimed to describe features of Australian commercial chicken farms, with particular interest in free range farms, by conducting on-farm interviews of 25 free range layer farms, nine cage layer farms, nine barn layer farms, six free range meat chicken farms and 15 barn meat chicken farms in the Sydney basin bioregion and South East Queensland. Comparisons between the different enterprises (cage, barn and free range) were explored, including stocking densities, depopulation procedures, environmental control methods and sources of information for farmers. Additional information collected for free range farms include range size, range characteristics and range access. The median number of chickens per shed was greatest in free range meat chicken farms (31,058), followed by barn meat chicken (20,817), free range layer (10,713), barn layer (9,300) and cage layer farms (9,000). Sheds had cooling pads and tunnel ventilation in just over half of both barn and free range meat chicken farms (53%, n = 8) and was least common in free range layer farms (16%, n = 4). Range access in free range meat chicken farms was from sunrise to dark in the majority (93%, n = 14) of free range meat chicken farms. Over half of free range layer farms (56%, n = 14) granted range access at a set time each morning; most commonly between 9:00 to 10.00am (86%, n = 12), and chickens were placed back inside sheds when it was dusk.
Highlights
Aspects of the Australian commercial poultry industry, including management practices, housing characteristics and range features are similar to poultry systems in other developed countries and others are distinctively different
This study reports the variations in management practices, farm design and housing characteristics across commercially operated Australian layer and meat chicken farms that were captured during on-farm visits
This paper improves knowledge of commercial chicken farms in Australia by documenting management practices, farm design and housing characteristics based on interviews and observation conducted on-farm, and including all types of farm enterprises in the layer sector and the chicken meat sector of the commercial chicken industry today
Summary
Aspects of the Australian commercial poultry industry, including management practices, housing characteristics and range features are similar to poultry systems in other developed countries and others are distinctively different. Of note is the significant expansion of free range poultry production of both meat chicken and eggs in Australia in recent years. This expansion is largely due to increased demand by the Australian public, where it is perceived that products produced in less intensive systems are of higher welfare status compared to products produced in intensive systems [1]. The European Union (EU) implemented a ban on battery cages in 2012, and farms must convert to enriched cages or use alternative systems such as barn or free range [3]. The volume of eggs produced by cage farms in the UK surpasses free range farms to a similar degree to Australia; at 52% and 44% in 2015 respectively [4]. There are current shifts within individual states to implement cage bans [5]
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