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

Larsen, H.; Hemsworth, P. H.; Cronin, G. M.; Gebhardt, Sabine; Smith, C. L.; Rault, J.-L. (2018). Relationship between welfare and individual ranging behaviour in commercial free-range laying hens. Animal genetics, 12(11), pp. 2356-2364. Cambridge University Press 10.1017/S1751731118000022

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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.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > Veterinary Public Health / Herd Health Management 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Public Health Institute > Animal Welfare Division 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Public Health Institute 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)
UniBE Contributor:	Gebhardt, Sabine
Subjects:	600 Technology > 630 Agriculture
ISSN:	0268-9146
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Language:	English
Submitter:	Lilian Karin Smith-Wirth
Date Deposited:	27 Mar 2019 10:14
Last Modified:	02 Mar 2023 23:31
Publisher DOI:	10.1017/S1751731118000022
PubMed ID:	29362002
Uncontrolled Keywords:	free-range radio frequency identification welfare fear poultry
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/125713