Tauson, Ragnar
- Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
The aims of the present study were to investigate possible interactions between housing systems (conventional and furnished cages) and pre-laying rearing conditions (cages or litter floor) on indicators of animal welfare related to physiology, immunology and injurious behaviour in white, not beak trimmed laying hens. Several end points of animal welfare indicators were significantly affected by the pre-laying rearing environment, some by the housing conditions, and some interactions were found. Thus, when comparing housing systems, it is most likely that indicators of welfare are influenced ambiguously by environmental complexity and, thus, a possible source of confounding interpretation and false conclusions in applied welfare research. Our results show the importance of further focus on validating indicators before using them as indicators of welfare in complex environments in applied studies. Results highly suggested that the pre-laying housing environment is of importance for hen’s welfare during the productive period.
Published in
Publisher: WPSA-Turkey. Bilimsel Tavukculuk Derneg. 8. adde, 79 Sokak Emek 06510 Ankara-Turkey
Conference
XXII World's Poultry Congress
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Veterinary Science
Animal and Dairy Science
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/4609