The Effect of the Type of Non-Caged Housing System, Genotype and Age on the Behaviour of Laying Hens
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Birds and Management
2.2. Behaviour
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Run Use
3.2. Behaviours
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Behaviour | Description of Behaviours |
---|---|
Comfort behaviour | |
Dustbathing | Lying on side, scratching at pen floor, rubbing head and neck on floor, opening wings. |
Scratching | With claws on the ground or the litter. |
Wing-leg stretching | Unilateral backward and downward stretching of wing and leg together. |
Wing flapping | Bilateral movement of the wings, including wing raising. |
Preening | Lifting feathers and cleaning and realigning them with beak. |
Agonistic behaviour | |
Pecking | Violent pecks directed at another hen (receiver), commonly to the head and neck but could also include feet. |
Fighting | Two hens aggressively peck each another; often also leaping, wing flapping. |
Threatening | Hen stands face to face with an opponent, neck stretched vertically, and neck feathers erected. There is no physical contact. |
Chasing | One hen chasing another, with fast running, no vocalisations, no hopping and no wing flapping. The neck feathers may be erected. |
Age of Laying Hens (Weeks) | Housing System 1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
FRS | OS | |||
Green-Legged Partridge (Z-11) | Hy-Line Brown | Green-Legged Partridge (Z-11) | Hy-Line Brown | |
20 | x 80.00 ± 11.45 a | x 50.83 ± 6.48 b | x 81.67 ± 9.99 a | x 58.00 ± 5.8 c |
36 | y 60.83 ± 11.29 a | y 40.83 ± 14.59 b | y 68.58 ± 5.79 c | y 43.42 ± 9.89 b |
56 | x 78.33 ± 15.8 a | x 51.67 ± 11.07 b | x 79.1 7± 7.69 a | x 55.00 ± 7.36 b |
20–56 | 60.41 ± 18.78 a | 64.31 ± 15.71 b | ||
p-value | ||||
G 2 | <0.001 | |||
S 3 | <0.001 | |||
T 4 | <0.001 | |||
GxS | 0.615 | |||
GxT | 0.225 | |||
SxT | 0.376 | |||
GxSxT | 0.058 |
Age of Laying Hens (Weeks) | Housing System 1 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BS | FRS | OS | ||||
Z-11 | Hy-Line Brown | Z-11 | Hy-Line Brown | Z-11 | Hy-Line Brown | |
20 | x 5.00 a ± 1.69 | 5.00 a ± 3.77 | x 10.00 b ± 3.38 | x 15.00 c ± 3.77 | x 10.00 b ± 4.13 | x 8.33 b ± 1.69 |
36 | y 10.00 a ± 2.39 | 6.67 b ± 1.00 | y 20.00 c ± 8.61 | y 12.50 a ± 6.48 | y 20.00 c ± 4.13 | y 12.50 a ± 2.80 |
56 | y 11.67 a ± 5.06 | 5.83 a ± 2.80 | y 21.67 b ± 17.46 | z 22.50 b ± 9.05 | z 27.50 b,c ± 7.69 | z 23.33 b ± 7.16 |
20–56 | 7.36 ± 3.97 a | 16.94 ± 10.43 b | 16.94 ± 8.73 b | |||
p-value | ||||||
G 2 | <0.001 | |||||
S 3 | <0.001 | |||||
T 4 | <0.001 | |||||
GxS | <0.001 | |||||
GxT | <0.001 | |||||
SxT | <0.001 | |||||
GxSxT | <0.001 |
Age of Laying Hens (Weeks) | Housing System 1 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BS | FRS | OS | ||||
Z-11 | Hy-Line Brown | Z-11 | Hy-Line Brown | Z-11 | Hy-Line Brown | |
20 | x 2.42 a ± 2.13 | x 3.42 a ± 2.87 | none | None | none | none |
36 | y 1.25 a ± 1.95 | xy 2.50 b ± 2.80 | none | None | none | none |
56 | z 0.25 a ± 0.89 | y 2.00 b ± 2.36 | none | None | none | none |
20–56 | 1.97 ± 2.46 | None | none | |||
p-value | ||||||
G 2 | <0.001 | |||||
S 3 | <0.001 | |||||
T 4 | <0.001 | |||||
GxS | <0.001 | |||||
GxT | 0.567 | |||||
SxT | <0.001 | |||||
GxSxT | 0.686 |
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Sokołowicz, Z.; Dykiel, M.; Topczewska, J.; Krawczyk, J.; Augustyńska-Prejsnar, A. The Effect of the Type of Non-Caged Housing System, Genotype and Age on the Behaviour of Laying Hens. Animals 2020, 10, 2450. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122450
Sokołowicz Z, Dykiel M, Topczewska J, Krawczyk J, Augustyńska-Prejsnar A. The Effect of the Type of Non-Caged Housing System, Genotype and Age on the Behaviour of Laying Hens. Animals. 2020; 10(12):2450. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122450
Chicago/Turabian StyleSokołowicz, Zofia, Magdalena Dykiel, Jadwiga Topczewska, Józefa Krawczyk, and Anna Augustyńska-Prejsnar. 2020. "The Effect of the Type of Non-Caged Housing System, Genotype and Age on the Behaviour of Laying Hens" Animals 10, no. 12: 2450. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122450