Abstract
Simple SummaryFor several years, a constant decreasing trend has been observed in the number of hens housed in the cage system in favour of non-caged systems, i.e., deep-litter, free-range and organic systems. This study investigated the welfare of laying hens in different non-caged housing systems, namely a deep-litter barn system, a free-range system and an organic system. The study was conducted on hens of a native breed Green-legged Partridge (Z-11) and Hy-Line Brown hybrids. Dustbathing, scratching, wing-leg stretching, wing flapping and preening were recorded as comfort behaviours. Pecking, fighting, threatening and chasing were recorded as agonistic behaviours. The native breed of hen chose to use the outdoor area more often than the commercial breed of hen, which may be a result of better adaptation to the local environmental conditions. The type of non-caged egg production system influenced the percentage of hens displaying comfort and agonistic behaviours in these laying hens. A greater proportion of comfort behaviours were observed in the free-range system and organic system compared with the deep-litter system, which may indicate a higher level of behavioural welfare of laying hens in these systems.This study investigated the welfare of laying hens in different non-caged housing systems, namely a deep-litter barn system (BS), a free-range system (FRS) and an organic system (OS). The study was conducted on 270 hens of a native breed Green-legged Partridge (Z-11) and 270 Hy-Line Brown hybrids. Visual scans were performed to record behaviour of hens. Hens were housed in groups of 30 and observed over the course of one day at 20, 36 and 56 weeks of age. Dustbathing, scratching, wing stretching, wing flapping and preening were recorded as comfort behaviours. Pecking, fighting, threatening and chasing were recorded as agonistic behaviours. The percentage of run use was higher in native hens than in commercial hens (p < 0.05). The proportion of hens exhibiting comfort behaviours housed in the FRS and OS was similar but over twice as high as in the BS (p < 0.05). In the FRS and OS, the percentage of hens displaying comfort behaviours increased with age (p < 0.05). In all the production systems, the percentage of birds displaying comfort behaviours was higher in native breed hens than in commercial breeds (p < 0.05). In the BS, the higher proportion of hens displaying an agonistic behaviour was seen more in commercial breed than in the native breed hens (p < 0.05). The percentage of birds displaying an agonistic behaviour declined with hen age, both in commercial and native breed hens.
Highlights
In accordance with [1], table eggs can be produced in cage, deep-litter, free-range and organic systems
The dynamics of these changes varies between countries, the proportion of hens kept in cage systems in Europe fell by nearly 10% between 2010 and 2015—from 65.5% to 56.1% [2]
Data on the percentage of Z-11 and Hy-Line Brown hens using the run as presented in Table 2, and on laying hen behaviours at different weeks of age (20, 38, 58), as shown in Tables 3 and 4, are the mean values based on observations carried out at different times of day
Summary
In accordance with [1], table eggs can be produced in cage, deep-litter, free-range and organic systems. For the past several years, a constant decreasing trend has been observed in the number of hens housed in the cage system in favour of non-caged systems, i.e., deep-litter, free-range and organic systems. More and more hens in the European Union are being kept in alternative systems [3] This trend results from a widespread public opinion that non-caged systems assure better welfare standards for laying hens, especially because they provide birds with freedom to display their natural behaviours [4]. This trend is due to the voluntary decision of egg producers, and to the planned tightening of legislation in this regard. This year, the Czech Parliament adopted a ban on the cage rearing of hens from 2027 and called the European Commission to submit proposals to ban the cage rearing of laying hens throughout the EU by 2030
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