Intra-individual variation of hen movements is associated with later keel bone fractures in a quasi-commercial aviary.

ABSTRACT: Measuring intra- and inter-individual variation in movement can bring important insights into the fundamental ecology of animals and their welfare. Although previous studies identified consistent differences in movements of laying hens within commercial aviaries, the level of consistency was not quantified, limiting our capacity to understand the importance of individual movements for welfare. We aimed to quantify the scope of intra- and inter-individual differences in movements of commercial laying hens and examined their associations with indicators of welfare at the end of production. We quantified individual differences in one composite daily movement score for 80 hens over 54 days post-transfer to a quasi-commercial aviary. Results showed consistent inter-individual differences in mov

SUBMITTER: Montalcini CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9911743 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature