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A Risk Assessment of Health, Production, and Resource Occupancy for 4 Laying Hen Strains Across the Lay Cycle in a Commercial-style Aviary System by Ahmed B.A. Ali; Dana L.M. Campbell; Janice M. Siegford is a Agricultural and Biological Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.

What is A Risk Assessment of Health, Production, and Resource Occupancy for 4 Laying Hen Strains Across the Lay Cycle in a Commercial-style Aviary System about?

Different strains of commercial laying hens have been molded by varying selection pressures, impacting their production, health, and behavior. Therefore, assumptions that all laying hen strains use the given resources within aviary systems similarly and maintain equal health and performance may be false. We investigated interactions among patterns of aviary resource use by 2 strains of white and 2 strains of brown laying hens (4 units per strain, 144 hens per unit) with daily egg production, location of egg laying, keel fractures, and footpad damage across the lay cycle. Hens' distribution among resources (litter, nest, wire floor, ledge, and perch) was recorded during light and dark periods at 28, 54, and 72 wk of age. Daily egg production and location were recorded, and 20% of hens per unit were randomly selected and assessed for keel bone damage, foot health, and plumage quality. Production and health risks associated with hens' resource use were assessed using multivariable regression. During the day, more brown hens occupied wire floors, while larger numbers of white hens were on perches and litter. More brown hens were on lower-tier wire floors in the dark, while more white h

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Author

Ahmed B.A. Ali; Dana L.M. Campbell; Janice M. Siegford

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Published

2020

Language

EN

Field

Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)