South Crossing Veterinary Center, Caledonia, MI 49316, USA.
Poult Sci. 2013 Jul;92(7):1706-11. doi: 10.3382/ps.2012-02992.
The management and well-being of commercial Pekin ducks has been studied in the European Union where straw is the predominant litter source. In the United States, however, the most prevalent litter is wood shavings, with a recent trend toward using plastic slatted flooring. A previous study in the United States evaluated the relationship between flooring type (litter, slats) and duck condition during winter months and found very few differences between the 2 in terms of overall duck condition. The purpose of the current study was to reevaluate the 2 flooring systems during the summer months to determine if seasonal differences would interact with flooring type to have an impact on duck condition. Eighteen commercial barns that produce Pekin ducks for Maple Leaf Farms Inc. (Leesburg, IN), located in northern Indiana and southern Wisconsin (n = 9 litter; n = 9 raised slatted floor), were used for this study. Twenty ducks were randomly selected from 5 predetermined areas within each house (n = 100 total) and scored for eye condition, nostril and feather cleanliness, and feather and foot pad quality at 7, 21, and 32 d of age. Environmental data, including carbon monoxide, ammonia, RH, and temperature, were also obtained at each collection day. The only statistical differences in body condition occurred at 7 d; there were more ducks with clear eyes and eye rings on the litter flooring, whereas average nostril scores were better on the plastic slatted floors. Live weight, weight gain per day, flock mortality, and condemnations at the plant were collected, and the only statistical difference was a higher gain per day for ducks reared on slatted floors compared with litter (P < 0.05). There were no differences between flooring systems in the environmental parameters measured within the barns. In summary, there were very few differences between the litter and slatted flooring systems, indicating that there may not be clear advantages for one particular flooring system over the other from the point of view of duck well-being and production.
欧盟研究了商业北京鸭的管理和福利，其中稻草是主要的垫料来源。然而，在美国，最常见的垫料是木屑，最近的趋势是使用塑料格栅地板。美国之前的一项研究评估了地板类型（垫料、格栅）与冬季鸭只状况之间的关系，发现这两种地板类型在鸭只整体状况方面几乎没有差异。本研究的目的是在夏季重新评估这两种地板系统，以确定季节性差异是否会与地板类型相互作用，从而对鸭只状况产生影响。本研究使用了位于印第安纳州北部和威斯康星州南部的枫叶农场公司（印第安纳州利兹堡）生产北京鸭的 18 个商业鸡舍（n = 9 个垫料；n = 9 个架空格栅地板）。从每个鸡舍的 5 个预定区域中随机选择 20 只鸭子（n = 100 只），在 7、21 和 32 日龄时对其眼睛状况、鼻孔和羽毛清洁度以及羽毛和脚垫质量进行评分。还在每次采集日获得环境数据，包括一氧化碳、氨、相对湿度和温度。仅在 7 日龄时，身体状况存在统计学差异；在垫料地板上，有更多眼睛清澈和眼环完整的鸭子，而塑料格栅地板上的平均鼻孔评分更好。还收集了活重、日增重、死亡率和在养殖场的淘汰率，唯一的统计学差异是在格栅地板上饲养的鸭子比垫料地板上的鸭子每天增重更多（P < 0.05）。在鸡舍内测量的环境参数方面，两种地板系统之间没有差异。综上所述，垫料地板和格栅地板系统之间几乎没有差异，这表明从鸭只福利和生产的角度来看，一种特定的地板系统可能并不比另一种具有明显优势。
