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The effect of perches in cages during pullet rearing and egg laying on hen performance, foot health, and plumage
Enrichment of pullet cages with perches has not been studied. Our objective was to determine if access to metal perches during all or part of the life cycle of caged White Leghorns affected egg traits, foot health, and feather condition. Treatment 1 represented control chickens that never had access to perches during their life cycle. Treatment 2…
Effects of group size and repeated social disruption on the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in two genetic lines of White Leghorn laying hens
Farm practices such as increasing group size (GS) and mixing unfamiliar chickens may result in repeated social disruption (RSD) and affect the well-being of hens. To examine whether there are genetic differences in response to social stress, 2 genetic strains of White Leghorn hens were used [i.e., high group production and survivability (HGPS) and…