Battery Change Improves the Welfare of Laying Hens

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the welfare of the laying hens in two different housing systems (conventional batteries and furnished colony cages), evaluating the housing conditions and management practices and some animal-linked parameters (feather condition, diseases, production and mortality). Between 2009 and 2011 a large laying hen farm was assessed, before and after the modification of the housing system from conventional batteries to furnished colony cages. The housing conditions were significantly better after the housing system was changed. The mean score of the feather condition was slightly higher in the furnished cages, comparing with the conventional batteries, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The frequency of the lice infestation and the mortality of the birds were higher in the conventional housing than in the improved one. The egg production was not influenced by the housing system. Even if factors altering the laying hens’ welfare were identified in both housing systems, yet, based on the obtained results we can state that the welfare of the laying hens kept in furnished colony cages is better than that of the birds housed in conventional battery cages.

Keywords

• cage
• housing system
• laying hens
• welfare indicators