Thuy Diep A, Larsen H, Rault J-L
Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Aust Vet J. 2018 Apr;96(4):127-131. doi: 10.1111/avj.12684.
Access to an outdoor area is believed to allow free-range hens to express a greater behavioural repertoire. However, very little research has been done in this area. We hypothesised that the type and frequency of behaviours would differ between areas that vary in their characteristics and distance from the shed.
This preliminary study investigated the behaviour of free-range laying hens in indoor and outdoor areas on one commercial free-range farm, through video recordings and scan sampling of focal hens, with the aim of determining their behavioural repertoire and time budget.
While ranging, hens spent most of their time foraging. Indoors, hens preened and rested. Behaviour in the wintergarden showed similarities to both the indoor and outdoor areas, with preening, resting and foraging behaviours. Differences were not in the main behavioural repertoire, but rather in terms of time budget, with access to the range and wintergarden encouraging exploration.
There was no difference in the types of behaviours that hens performed in the outdoor range compared with inside the shed, but access to a wintergarden and the outdoor range were favoured by the hens for foraging.
人们认为，能够进入户外区域可使散养母鸡展现出更丰富的行为表现。然而，这方面的研究非常少。我们推测，在特征和距鸡舍距离不同的区域，行为的类型和频率会有所差异。
这项初步研究通过视频记录和对焦点母鸡的扫描取样，调查了一个商业化散养农场中散养产蛋母鸡在室内和室外区域的行为，目的是确定它们的行为表现和时间分配。
在户外时，母鸡大部分时间用于觅食。在室内，母鸡进行梳理羽毛和休息。在冬季花园中的行为与室内和室外区域都有相似之处，包括梳理羽毛、休息和觅食行为。差异不在于主要的行为表现类型，而在于时间分配，进入户外区域和冬季花园会促使母鸡进行探索。
与鸡舍内相比，母鸡在户外区域的行为类型没有差异，但母鸡更喜欢进入冬季花园和户外区域觅食。
