Type Of Housing System Research Articles

A survey of layer-type pullet rearing in Switzerland

Battery cages for laying birds were banned in Switzerland in 1981. Several new systems were developed in the years that followed, but to date only the deep litter and aviary systems have complied with both the regulations of the Swiss Animal Welfare Act and given satisfactory production results. The ways in which layer replacements are reared has been found to be crucial if they are to be able to cope optimally with the new aviary system. For this reason, the Federal Veterinary Office commissioned a survey to investigate how layer replacement pullets were reared in Switzerland. Sixty six out of a total of 155 farms that had facilities to rear 500 or more chicks at one time were visited between April and December 1997. Data were gathered on the type of housing system, management methods and the prevalence of feather pecking. The results of the survey are presented in a descriptive way and discussed in relation to the conditions during the laying period.

Relationship between behaviour and heart rate as an indicator of stress in domestic sheep under different housing systems

Four adult Bergamasca rams were used in three types of housing: (1) common enclosures, consisting of a wooden paddock of 3 m × 7 m, partially covered by a shed; (2) metabolic cages of 57 cm × 135 cm; (3) fixed housing, with the animals tied by a rope about l m in length to a ring fixed on a wall. Heart rate was measured by means of a biotelemetric system during free standing, free lying, restrained standing and restrained lying, feeding, mastication, ruminating and drinking. The results show that rams, housing system and the interaction between behaviour and housing system affected heart rate ( P < 0.001) during restrained standing and restrained lying. Heart rate in metabolic cages was lower ( P < 0.001) than in other housing systems. Behaviour (considering only restrained standing and restrained lying) did not affect heart rate. Nevertheless, the interaction between behaviour and housing system showed that, within each housing system, heart rate during restrained standing was always higher than during restrained lying ( P < 0.001). In all types of housing systems, a higher heart rate was observed in the second measurement ( P < 0.001), which implies a state of greater agitation in the animals, probably due to the absence of a constant and familiar figure in the present experiment. From a methodological point of view, this study underlines the importance and efficacy of the determination of heart rate as an indicator of the reactive state of sheep.

Effect of bone strength on the frequency of broken bones in hens

Bird weight, breaking strength of humerus and tibiotarsus and the number of bones broken during culling were recorded for four breeds of end-of-lay hens housed in battery cages. The probability of a bone being broken increased with bird weight and decreased with increasing bone strength. Bone strength increased with bird weight within each breed but the increase in strength was not great enough to prevent the extra damage suffered by heavier birds. There were differences in tibiotarsal strength between the four breeds of bird but overall no breed was more likely to suffer from broken bones than another. The rate of increase of bone strength with weight was similar between breeds and between humerus and tibiotarsus. The results show that differences in bone strength due to the type of housing system in which birds are kept are great enough to affect the ease with which bones are broken during bird handling during removal from cages at the end of lay.

Economic Evaluation of Farm Efficiency Rates for Integrated-Broiler and Contract-Grower Operations in Georgia, by Type of Housing System

The present study was initiated in order to compare efficiency rates, physical and economic, for broiler production between housing systems (open, curtain-sided and enclosed) for integrated operations and contract growers in Georgia. A secondary objective was to estimate the rate differences for housing efficiency between contract growers and company-owned production systems in order to determine overall efficiency rates for the poultry industry. Production, financial, and labor input data were obtained directly from 150 contract-broiler growers and nine integrated-broiler-production firms located in North Georgia. Overall, the analysis indicated only minor differences in the economic efficiency rate in terms of annual farm-production costs between the two housing systems. However, significant seasonal production differences were evident between housing systems. The enclosed housing system was more efficient for both contract growers and integrated operations in the summer and fall. The open-curtain housing system was more efficient in the winter and spring both for the contract growers and the integrated operations. However, variations in seasonal broiler markets among companies may also have a significant bearing on the selection of housing systems for individual firms.

Behavior of Dairy Cattle in Free Stall Housing

ABSTRACT TIME lapse photography was used to record the behavior of ten lactating dairy cows housed together during cold weather in a free stall barn. Frames of movie film were exposed at 2-min intervals for three periods of five days each. Location and activity data were recorded for each cow, and computer analyzed for frequency and duration. The data were used to develop recommendations regarding adequate frequency of data recording, and to quantify the behavior activities of dairy cattle in the type of housing system observed.