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Relationship between welfare and individual ranging behaviour in commercial free-range laying hens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2018

H. Larsen ,
P. H. Hemsworth ,
G. M. Cronin ,
S. G. Gebhardt-Henrich ,
C. L. Smith  and
J.-L. Rault
H. Larsen
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
P. H. Hemsworth
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
G. M. Cronin
Affiliation:
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
S. G. Gebhardt-Henrich
Affiliation:
Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), Division of Animal Welfare, VPH-Institute, University of Bern, Burgerweg 22, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
C. L. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Marsfield, NSW 2109, Australia
J.-L. Rault*
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
*
†E-mail: jean-loup.rault@vetmeduni.ac.at
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Abstract

Laying hens housed in free-range systems have access to an outdoor range, and individual hens within a flock differ in their ranging behaviour. Whether there is a link between ranging and laying hen welfare remains unclear. We analysed the relationships between ranging by individual hens on a commercial free-range layer farm and behavioural, physiological and health measures of animal welfare. We hypothesised that hens that access the range more will be (1) less fearful in general and in response to novelty and humans, (2) have better health in terms of physical body condition and (3) have a reduced physiological stress response to behavioural tests of fear and health assessments than hens that use the range less. Using radio frequency identification tracking across two flocks, we recorded individual hens’ frequency, duration and consistency of ranging. We also assessed how far hens ventured into the range based on three zones: 0 to 2.4, 2.4 to 11.4 or >11.4 m from the shed. We assessed hen welfare using a variety of measures including: tonic immobility, open field, novel object, human approach, and human avoidance (HAV) behavioural tests; stress-induced plasma corticosterone response and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites; live weight, comb colour, and beak, plumage, footpad, and keel bone condition. Range use was positively correlated with plasma corticosterone response, faecal glucocorticoid metabolites, and greater flight distance during HAV. Hens that used the range more, moved towards rather than away from the novel object more often than hens that ranged less. Distance ranged from the shed was significantly associated with comb colour and beak condition, in that hens with darker combs and more intact beaks ranged further. Overall the findings suggest that there is no strong link between outdoor range usage and laying hen welfare. Alternatively, it may be that hens that differed in their ranging behaviour showed few differences in measures of welfare because free-range systems provide hens with adequate choice to cope with their environment. Further research into the relationship between individual range access and welfare is needed to test this possibility.

Keywords

free-rangeradio frequency identificationwelfarefearpoultry
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 12 , Issue 11 , November 2018 , pp. 2356 - 2364
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2018 

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Footnotes

a

Present address: Institute of Animal Husbandry and Animal Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1210, Austria.

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