Using Radio-Frequency Identification Technology to Measure Synchronised Ranging of Free-Range Laying Hens.

ABSTRACT: Free-range laying hen systems provide individuals a choice between indoor and outdoor areas where range use may be socially influenced. This study used radio-frequency identification technology to track the ranging of individually-tagged hens housed in six experimental free-range pens from 28 to 38 weeks of age (46⁻50 hens/pen). All daily visits to the range were used to study group behaviour. Results showed that 67.6% (SD = 5.0%) of all hen movements through the pop-holes outdoors or indoors were following the movement of another hen ('pop-hole-following') compared to only 50.5% of movements in simulated random data. The percentage overlap in time that all combinations of hen pairs within each pen spent simultaneously outdoors or indoors showed a median value of overlap greater than the 9

SUBMITTER: Campbell DLM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6262442 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature