Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing, Zollikofen, Switzerland.
Poult Sci. 2013 Apr;92(4):890-9. doi: 10.3382/ps.2011-02046.
In aviary systems for laying hens, it is important to provide suitable nest access platforms in front of the nests, allowing hens to reach and explore each of the nests easily. This access platform is needed to achieve good nest acceptance by the hens and thereby prevent mislaid eggs. In the present experiment, the behavior of hens using 2 different nest access platforms, a plastic grid and 2 wooden perches, was examined. Furthermore, the nests were placed on both sides of the aviary rack (corridor side and outdoor side), either integrated into the aviary rack itself (integrated nest; IN) or placed on the walls of the pens (wall nest; WN), resulting in a 2 × 2 factorial design Four thousand five hundred white laying hens were housed in 20 test pens. The eggs in the nests and mislaid eggs were collected daily, and the behavior of hens on the nest accesses was filmed during wk 25 and 26, using focal observation and scan sampling methods. More balancing, body contact, and agonistic interactions were expected for nests with perches, whereas more walking and nest inspections were expected for nests with grids. There were more mislaid eggs and balancing found in pens equipped with nests with wooden perches. More agonistic interactions and balancing, less standing, and a longer duration of nest inspection were found with the WN compared with the IN. Interactions between platform design and position of the nests were found for duration of nest visits, body contact, and walking, with the highest amount for WN equipped with plastic grids. Nests on the corridor side were favored by the hens. Nest-related behaviors, such as nest inspection, standing, and walking, decreased over time as did the number of hens on the nest accesses, whereas sitting increased. These results indicate that the hens had more difficulties in gripping the perches as designed. The lower number of hens on the nest access platforms in front of IN may be due to a better distribution around nests and tier changes within the aviary rack. Based on these results, grids rather than perches provide for improved nesting behavior.
在蛋鸡的笼养系统中，在鸡窝前提供合适的进入平台是很重要的，这样可以让鸡很容易地到达和探索每个鸡窝。这个进入平台是为了让母鸡很好地接受鸡窝，从而防止误产蛋。在本实验中，检查了母鸡使用 2 种不同的进入平台，即塑料网格和 2 个木制栖木的行为。此外，鸡窝被放置在笼架的两侧（过道侧和室外侧），要么集成在笼架本身（集成式鸡窝；IN）中，要么放置在畜栏的墙上（壁式鸡窝；WN），形成了 2×2 因子设计。4500 只白色蛋鸡被饲养在 20 个测试畜栏中。每天收集鸡窝中的蛋和误产蛋，并在第 25 和 26 周使用焦点观察和扫描取样方法拍摄母鸡在进入平台上的行为。人们预计带有栖木的鸡窝会有更多的平衡、身体接触和争斗行为，而带有网格的鸡窝则会有更多的走动和鸡窝检查行为。装有木制栖木的鸡窝的畜栏中发现了更多的误产蛋和平衡行为。与 IN 相比，WN 中发现了更多的争斗行为和平衡行为、更少的站立行为以及更长的鸡窝检查时间。在访问鸡窝的时间、身体接触和行走方面，发现了平台设计和鸡窝位置之间的相互作用，WN 配备塑料网格的数量最高。母鸡更喜欢过道侧的鸡窝。随着时间的推移，与鸡窝相关的行为，如鸡窝检查、站立和行走的次数减少，而坐着的次数增加。这些结果表明，母鸡在抓住栖木时遇到了更多的困难。IN 前面的进入平台上母鸡数量较少，可能是由于鸡窝周围的分布更好，以及笼架内的层架变化。基于这些结果，网格比栖木更能改善母鸡的筑巢行为。
