Behavioural responses to different floor space allowances in small groups of laying hens

British Poultry Science
C J SavoryV Sandilands

Abstract

Under Council Directive 1999/74/EC, minimum space allowances per laying hen range from 550 cm(2) in unfurnished cages to 1111 cm(2) in alternative housing, and to 40,000 cm(2) outdoors for free-range hens. In official reports on the welfare of laying hens, there is recognition that knowledge of their space requirements is inadequate. This experiment studied expression of behaviour, including spacing, in five groups of six and one group of five ISA Brown hens aged 21-33 weeks in an adjustable test pen providing 600, 2400, 4800, 7200, 9600, and 12,000 cm(2) floor area per hen. Each group was tested with every treatment. Home pens provided 2400 cm(2) per hen. The main aim was to identify a hypothetical point at which mutual repulsion equals mutual attraction (a 'broken stick' response). Sequencing of treatments was according to a Latin square design, daytime tests lasted 2 h and had no feeder or drinker present, and overnight tests were done with 2400, 7200 and 12,000 cm(2) per hen with a feeder and drinker present. Groups were video-recorded from above to allow repeated measurements of spacing and other behaviours. In daytime tests, the relationship between mean distance to nearest neighbour and floor space allowance was asymptot...Continue Reading

References

Sep 1, 1989·British Poultry Science·M C ApplebyG S Hogarth
Aug 12, 2003·Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science : JAAWS·Michael C Appleby

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Citations

Apr 8, 2014·Poultry Science·Joy A Mench, Richard A Blatchford
Jun 23, 2016·Animal : an International Journal of Animal Bioscience·D L M CampbellC Lee
Aug 13, 2021·Animal Cognition·Rebecca Trapp, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

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