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Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system

Multi-tiered aviaries for laying hens are designed to provide resources, such as perches, that allow birds to perform natural behaviors, thus improving their welfare. This research examined nighttime roosting heights and substrates used by laying hens of 4 genetic strains (Dekalb White: W1, Hy-Line...

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Autores principales: Ali, A B A, Campbell, D L M, Karcher, D M, Siegford, J M
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Poultry Science Association, Inc. 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6448135/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30615148
http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey574
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author Ali, A B A
Campbell, D L M
Karcher, D M
Siegford, J M
author_facet Ali, A B A
Campbell, D L M
Karcher, D M
Siegford, J M
author_sort Ali, A B A
collection PubMed
description Multi-tiered aviaries for laying hens are designed to provide resources, such as perches, that allow birds to perform natural behaviors, thus improving their welfare. This research examined nighttime roosting heights and substrates used by laying hens of 4 genetic strains (Dekalb White: W1, Hy-Line W36: W2, Hy-Line Brown: B1, Bovans Brown: B2), in multitier aviaries (144 hens/unit, 4 units/strain) at 25 to 28 wk of age (peak lay). Influence of litter provision on roosting patterns of the strains was also tested. Direct observations of hens’ nighttime roosting patterns on wire floors, ledges and perches across tiers were conducted before (PRE), immediately after (IMM), and 3 wk after (ACC) hens gained access to litter. During all periods, more W1 and W2 hens roosted on middle and upper ledges than B1 and B2 hens (all P≤0.05), while more B1 and B2 hens used perches throughout the aviary than W1 and W2 hens (all P≤0.05). W1 (15±1.9, 14±3.36) and W2 (19±2.1, 18±2.6) hens occupied perches in the upper tier in greater numbers than B1 (7±3.2, 3±4.6) and B2 (11±2.1, 5±3.36) hens during PRE (P = 0.01) and ACC (P = 0.02) periods, respectively. B1 and B2 hens occupied wire floors in larger numbers than W1 and W2 hens during PRE (P = 0.02) and IMM (P = 0.03) periods, though this difference disappeared in the ACC period. During the IMM period, more W1 and W2 roosted in the lower tier, while more B1 and B2 hens were observed in the middle and upper tiers (all P ≤ 0.05). These findings demonstrate the importance of perches for B1 and B2 hens and space to roost higher in aviary units for W1 and W2 hens during the night, and underscore the need to consider aviary design, management practices, and preferences of different hen strains to ensure good hen welfare in aviaries.
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spelling pubmed-64481352019-04-08 Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system Ali, A B A Campbell, D L M Karcher, D M Siegford, J M Poult Sci Animal Well-Being and Behavior Multi-tiered aviaries for laying hens are designed to provide resources, such as perches, that allow birds to perform natural behaviors, thus improving their welfare. This research examined nighttime roosting heights and substrates used by laying hens of 4 genetic strains (Dekalb White: W1, Hy-Line W36: W2, Hy-Line Brown: B1, Bovans Brown: B2), in multitier aviaries (144 hens/unit, 4 units/strain) at 25 to 28 wk of age (peak lay). Influence of litter provision on roosting patterns of the strains was also tested. Direct observations of hens’ nighttime roosting patterns on wire floors, ledges and perches across tiers were conducted before (PRE), immediately after (IMM), and 3 wk after (ACC) hens gained access to litter. During all periods, more W1 and W2 hens roosted on middle and upper ledges than B1 and B2 hens (all P≤0.05), while more B1 and B2 hens used perches throughout the aviary than W1 and W2 hens (all P≤0.05). W1 (15±1.9, 14±3.36) and W2 (19±2.1, 18±2.6) hens occupied perches in the upper tier in greater numbers than B1 (7±3.2, 3±4.6) and B2 (11±2.1, 5±3.36) hens during PRE (P = 0.01) and ACC (P = 0.02) periods, respectively. B1 and B2 hens occupied wire floors in larger numbers than W1 and W2 hens during PRE (P = 0.02) and IMM (P = 0.03) periods, though this difference disappeared in the ACC period. During the IMM period, more W1 and W2 roosted in the lower tier, while more B1 and B2 hens were observed in the middle and upper tiers (all P ≤ 0.05). These findings demonstrate the importance of perches for B1 and B2 hens and space to roost higher in aviary units for W1 and W2 hens during the night, and underscore the need to consider aviary design, management practices, and preferences of different hen strains to ensure good hen welfare in aviaries. Poultry Science Association, Inc. 2019-05 2019-01-07 /pmc/articles/PMC6448135/ /pubmed/30615148 http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey574 Text en © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
spellingShingle Animal Well-Being and Behavior
Ali, A B A
Campbell, D L M
Karcher, D M
Siegford, J M
Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
title Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
title_full Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
title_fullStr Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
title_full_unstemmed Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
title_short Nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
title_sort nighttime roosting substrate type and height among 4 strains of laying hens in an aviary system
topic Animal Well-Being and Behavior
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6448135/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30615148
http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey574
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