Intensive versus extensive management systems in commercial egg production.

Abstract

Abstract Despite the degree of environmental protection and economic feasibility offered by traditional poultry production systems, the practice of housing laying hens in cages has been widely criticized worldwide because of the public perception that caged housing systems provide poor welfare for laying hens. As a result of increasing public interest in laying hen welfare, alternative management systems such as free-range environments have been resurrected and new legislation such as the California Proposition Two is expediting a shift back towards extensive practices. The transition from intensive back to extensive practices coupled with the advent and increasing popularity of novel alternative layer housing management methods in recent years necessitates an examination of the influence of environmental stressors associated with different housing methods on layer egg production, immunological response and reproductive well-being. In this review, the evolution of intensive and extensive management practices is comparatively examined based on how these different management practices impact layer hen well-being and productivity. Different welfare assessment techniques are also examined in an effort to provide insight into the progression of research concerning layer hen welfare in different management systems.