scholarly journals Effects of Management Strategies on Non-Beak-Trimmed Laying Hens in Furnished Cages that Were Reared in a Non-Cage System

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 399
Author(s):  
Maryse Guinebretière ◽  
Amandine Mika ◽  
Virginie Michel ◽  
Loïc Balaine ◽  
Rodolphe Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Human Presence ◽  
Cage System ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Beak Trimming

Beak trimming in laying hens limits the negative consequences of injurious pecking, but could be prohibited by future regulations. This study assessed a combination of management strategies during the rearing period (objects, perches, music, human presence) and laying period (scratching mats, objects, feed fiber supplementation) to raise non-beak-trimmed animals. The welfare and laying performances of beak-trimmed (T) and non-beak-trimmed (NT) ISA Brown birds were compared between groups with (E) or without (NE) these strategies, with or without fiber supplementation in the diet during laying period. Fiber supplementation did not provide any benefit on pecking-related problems. In comparison with NT-NE birds, NT-E birds had lower mortality, were less fearful of a novel object, and had a better feather cover, without a negative impact on productivity (same laying rate and egg quality). Although this study showed advantages of beak trimming (T birds had higher body weights, laying rates and lower hen mortality than NT birds), it highlighted related problems (increasing pullet mortality, decreasing early weights and increasing beak defects). This study proposes practical solutions to limit the consequences of injurious pecking in non-beak-trimmed animals.

scholarly journals Performance and well-being of laying hens subjected to various beak trimming methods and rearing systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e570974509
Author(s):  
Rafael Alan Baggio ◽  
Samuel Jacinto Lunardi ◽  
Manuela Testa ◽  
Jhonatan Pazinatto Boito ◽  
Marcel Manente Boiago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Production Phase ◽  
Cage Rearing ◽  
Beak Trimming

The aim to evaluate whether different beak trimming methods affected the performance and well-being of laying hens raised in cage and floor systems. During the starter phase, we used a completely randomized design, with three treatments (hot blade beak trimming, infrared beak trimming, and no beak trimming (control)), with four repetitions and in the grower and production phase, we used a factorial arrangement scheme involving two production systems (cage or floor) and three beak management methods (as above). We reared the birds in starter, grower and production phases over a course of 30 weeks. We evaluated productivity, egg quality, behavioral parameters and biochemical variables. In the starter phase, control birds showed higher blood glucose levels (p=0.043). In the grower phase, birds subjected to hot blade beak trimming and control birds showed lower feed intake and better feed conversion. Triglyceride levels were higher in the cage rearing system (p<0.05). In the production phase, the cage rearing system showed higher productivity (p<0.05), mean egg weight (p<0.01), cholesterol levels (p<0.05) and oxygen reactive species levels (p<0.05). In the production phase, the floor system gave rise to a higher frequency of comfort movement behaviors (p<0.01). Hens in cage had improved their performance and had greater egg production efficiency. The choice of the beak method depends on the breeding system.

scholarly journals Effect of time of oviposition on egg quality characteristics in cages and in a litter housing system

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 129-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Tůmová ◽  
T. Ebeid
Keyword(s):  
Shell Thickness ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Egg Quality ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Egg Weight ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Cage System ◽  
Eggshell Quality

Two experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of the time of oviposition on egg quality characteristics in two different housing systems (cages vs. litter). ISA brown hens from 20 to 64 weeks of age were housed in battery cages (550 cm<sup>2</sup>/hen, 19 526 laying hens in the house) and on deep litter (7 hen/m<sup>2</sup>, 4 652 laying hens in the house). In both houses, eggs were collected daily at three oviposition times 06:00, 10:00 and 14:00 h. Every four weeks, 90 eggs for each house (30 eggs for each oviposition time) were used for egg quality assessment. The results indicated that in cages the highest percentages (P &le; 0.001) of normal (74.47%), non-standard (0.85%) and cracked (1.80%) eggs were laid in the early morning (06:00 h). On deep litter, however, the highest percentages (P &le; 0.05) of normal sound eggs were produced at10:00 h (35.43%) and at14:00 h (33.03%). In the cage system, the heaviest eggs (63.01 g) were laid in the early morning (06:00 h) and the highest shell percentage (10.33%) was in eggs laid in the afternoon and also at 10:00 h (10.31%). On the other hand, in the litter housing system, the time of oviposition had no significant effect on egg weight and eggshell quality characteristics except for shell thickness. Morning eggs had greater shell thickness (0.398 mm) than afternoon eggs (0.390 mm). In cages and on litter, statistically significant differences in albumen height, albumen index and Haugh Units were observed between early morning eggs and afternoon eggs and data showed a pattern of relatively higher albumen quality for eggs collected in the afternoon in both systems. &nbsp;

scholarly journals Feed selectivity of laying hens undergoing different beak trimming in two rearing systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Alan Baggio ◽  
Samuel Jacinto Lunardi ◽  
Manuela Testa ◽  
Diego Mateus Chiossi ◽  
Tiago Goulart Petroli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Geometric Standard Deviation ◽  
Mineral Matter ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Cage System ◽  
Normality Test ◽  
Beak Trimming

ABSTRACT: The present research was conducted to evaluate whether different beak trimming methods and rearing systems affected the feed selectivity of laying hens. A total of 178 Hy-line Brown laying hens in the growing phase and 120 hens in the production phase were divided in a factorial arrangement (2 x 3), with two rearing systems (floor and cages) and three beak trimming methods: without beak trimming (control), hot-blade beak trimming, and infrared beak trimming, with four replicates. Laying hens were feed with isonutritive diets. Samples were collected from feed orts and feed provided, with a subsequent analysis of dry matter, crude energy, crude protein, mineral matter, geometric mean diameter and geometric standard deviation. The results were subjected to the error normality test, analysis of variance and the Fisher-Snedecor (P<0.05) and Duncan tests (P<0.05). The beak trimming methods evaluated were not sufficient to prevent feed selection in laying hens. However, in the growing phase, hot-blade beak trimming reduced feed selection capacity of laying hens more than did infrared beak trimming. The cage system favored feed selection, both in the growing and production phases.

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