Rearing enrichment for laying hens
The challenge
The environment in which animals develop in is critical for optimal lifetime behaviour, health, and welfare. Free-range laying hens are reared inside but receive outdoor access as adults. This discrepancy in environments between young and adult life stages may reduce the adaptability of adult hens to the outdoor ranging environment. This may have health and welfare consequences for the birds.
Our response
We conducted a study where we exposed 1400 laying hen chicks to different types of enrichments for 16 weeks of rearing. As adults, we measured individual range use via radio-frequency identification technology and took periodic health and welfare measures on birds through until the later period of laying production.
Results
Our research has shown that rearing environments can modulate lifetime behaviour and welfare of free-range laying hens. Enrichment increased range use and improved some health and welfare measures. This may be a strategy for optimising free-range production systems within Australia.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00446/full
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00480/full