Rault J-L, van de Wouw A, Hemsworth P
Animal Welfare Science Centre, School of Land and Environment, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
Animal Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, the Netherlands.
Aust Vet J. 2013 Oct;91(10):423-426. doi: 10.1111/avj.12099.
The number of free-range farms has greatly increased in the Australian egg industry, up by 64% over the past 5 years and representing 34% of the retail egg sales last year. Nonetheless, free-range systems offer particular challenges to farmers. The use of the outdoor range is variable among hens; their distribution is usually not uniform across the range and they tend to stay close to features such as walls or fences, resulting in high stocking density in particular areas, with associated welfare and environmental concerns.
Using video recordings, we investigated the effect of erecting a series of vertical structures in the range on the hens' numbers, distribution and behaviour.
Hens were very attracted to the structures, which altered their distribution and behaviour. Up to 160 hens were seen around each structure, giving a density of 6.4 hens/m . The hens spent 40% of their time pecking at the structures and standing in these areas and less time walking, preening or ground pecking.
Elucidating which physical features fulfil hens' biological needs could improve their use of outdoor ranges.
在澳大利亚鸡蛋行业，散养农场的数量大幅增加，在过去五年中增长了64%，去年占零售鸡蛋销售额的34%。尽管如此，散养系统给养殖户带来了特殊挑战。母鸡对户外场地的使用情况各不相同；它们在场地中的分布通常不均匀，并且倾向于靠近墙壁或围栏等物体，导致特定区域的饲养密度过高，引发了相关的福利和环境问题。
我们利用视频记录，研究了在场地中设置一系列垂直结构对母鸡数量、分布和行为的影响。
母鸡对这些结构非常感兴趣，它们的分布和行为因此发生了改变。每个结构周围最多能看到160只母鸡，饲养密度达到6.4只/平方米。母鸡将40%的时间用于啄这些结构并站在这些区域，而用于行走、梳理羽毛或啄地面的时间减少。
弄清楚哪些物理特征能满足母鸡的生物需求，有助于改善它们对户外场地的利用。
