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http://dx.doi.org/10.5536/KJPS.2020.47.2.83

Effect of Stocking Density on the Feather Condition, Egg Quality, Blood Parameters and Corticosterone Concentration of Laying Hens in Conventional Cage  

Son, Ji Seon (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Kim, Chan Ho (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Kang, Hwan Ku (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Kim, Hyun Soo (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Jeon, Jin Joo (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Hong, Eui Chul (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Kang, Bo Seok (Poultry Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Poultry Science / v.47, no.2, 2020 , pp. 83-93 More about this Journal
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of stocking density on feather condition, egg quality, blood parameters, and corticosterone levels of laying hens reared in conventional cages. A total of 500, 28 weeks-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were evenly assigned to two stocking densities (750 and 500 ㎠/bird). There were 50 replicates of each treatment, each consisting of 750 ㎠/birds (n=6) or 500 ㎠/bird (n=4) birds in a cage, respectively. We observed an increase in the laying period of, the group that was assigned 500 ㎠/bird, however, this group experienced significant feather damage when compared with the group allotted 750 ㎠ bird. There was no effect of stocking densities on egg quality. These results suggest that the 500 ㎠/bird stocking density in the conventional cage can negatively affect feather condition and cause the birds to experience more stress than the group allotted 750 ㎠/bird.
Keywords
animal welfare; feather pecking; laying hens; stock density; corticosterone;
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