Veterinary Science & Technology

Helen Louton

Publications

• Research Article
  Effect of Perch Height and Position on the Usage in Enriched Colony Housing Systems for Laying Hens
  Author(s): Helen Louton, Elke Rauch, Sven Reese, Michael Erhard and Shana BergmannHelen Louton, Elke Rauch, Sven Reese, Michael Erhard and Shana Bergmann
  
  In order to determine the utility of different perches in enriched colony housing systems for laying hens, the use of perches and an effect of the type and location in the system was examined in this behavioral study. Laying hens of the line Lohmann Selected Leghorn were housed in four different enriched colony housing systems which differed particularly in the alignment and arrangement of the functional areas. For analysis, perches were grouped into three types: low, low underneath the drinking trough and high. To evaluate the use of the perch types, video recordings were taken for 48 hours during three observation periods. These recordings were analyzed hourly at daytime and twice at nighttime. Through scan sampling, the overall number of hens using the perches and the fraction of hens per meter on a specific perch type were assessed. At nighttime, an average 62% of the laying hens .. Read More»
  DOI: 10.4172/2157-7579.1000339

  Abstract PDF