Department of Veterinary Sciences, Chair of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, Chair of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany.
Poult Sci. 2017 Sep 1;96(9):3199-3213. doi: 10.3382/ps/pex156.
Health issues like infestation with poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) and behavioral problems such as feather pecking and cannibalism are reported as current problems on laying hen farms. However, the epidemiological prevalence of these issues in Bavaria, Germany, is not known. The objective of the present survey was to determine the epidemiological prevalence of health and behavioral parameters and the management of hen farms in practice. The survey was sent to all laying hen farmers with more than 1,000 hens in Bavaria, Germany, and contained questions regarding flock management, behavior problems and health issues. The response rate was 40.8% and surveys were answered regarding 293 individual flocks on 147 farms. Three-quarters (77.6%) of the respondents housed their hens under conventional conditions. Farming system had an influence (P ≤ 0.05) on several management measures and the hens' behavior. An infestation of the flocks with poultry red mite was stated in 65.7%, whereby a relationship existed with the farming system (P = 0.001) and the provision of an additional dust bath (P ≤ 0.001). The occurrence of feather pecking (18.5%) was related with the farming system (P = 0.001), the presence of roosters (P = 0.034), the locking of laying hens into the aviary (P = 0.006), not allowing access to the entire litter space after housing (P = 0.044) and nervous (P = 0.002) or chasing behavior (P ≤ 0.001) of laying hens. Similarly, cannibalism (15.0%) was related with locking hens into the aviary system (P ≤ 0.001) and not allowing access to the entire litter space (P = 0.026). According to these results, farmers should avoid locking the hens into the aviary or not allowing access to the entire litter space, because these measures relate to nervous behavior that may result in feather pecking or cannibalism. The provision of an additional dust bath is one of the management measures that can positively influence hens' health and behavior.
健康问题，如家禽红螨（Dermanyssus gallinae）感染和啄羽和同类相食等行为问题，被报道为当前蛋鸡养殖场的问题。然而，德国巴伐利亚州这些问题的流行病学流行情况尚不清楚。本调查的目的是确定健康和行为参数的流行病学流行情况以及实际中母鸡养殖场的管理情况。该调查发送给了德国巴伐利亚州所有拥有 1000 只以上母鸡的蛋鸡养殖户，其中包含有关禽类管理、行为问题和健康问题的问题。回复率为 40.8%，并对 147 个农场的 293 个单独禽类群进行了调查。四分之三（77.6%）的受访者将其母鸡饲养在传统条件下。养殖系统对几种管理措施和母鸡的行为有影响（P ≤ 0.05）。有 65.7%的禽类群感染了家禽红螨，这与养殖系统（P = 0.001）和提供额外的尘土浴（P ≤ 0.001）有关。啄羽的发生（18.5%）与养殖系统（P = 0.001）、公鸡的存在（P = 0.034）、将母鸡关进禽舍（P = 0.006）、在饲养后不允许母鸡进入整个垫料空间（P = 0.044）和母鸡的神经质（P = 0.002）或追逐行为（P ≤ 0.001）有关。同样，同类相食（15.0%）与将母鸡关进禽舍系统（P ≤ 0.001）和不允许母鸡进入整个垫料空间（P = 0.026）有关。根据这些结果，养殖户应避免将母鸡关进禽舍或不允许母鸡进入整个垫料空间，因为这些措施与可能导致啄羽或同类相食的神经质行为有关。提供额外的尘土浴是可以积极影响母鸡健康和行为的管理措施之一。
