Search Results (68)

To evaluate the response of broiler breeder hens submitted to different amino acid intakes of methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine, and to determine the coefficients for egg output and body weight for maintenance. Three studies were performed using 160 broiler breeder hens housed individually in metabolic cages. A summit diet and a nitrogen-free diet were formulated. The levels ranged from 1.79 to 7.13, 2.49 to 8.3, and 2.04 to 6.79 g/kg of methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine, respectively. The variables measured were feed intake, amino acid intake, rate of lay, egg weight, and egg output. The broken line model was used to evaluate the responses. It was verified that higher values of the rate of lay, egg weight, and egg output were observed for the higher concentrations of amino acids studied. A significant difference was observed for the variables rate of lay, egg weight, egg output, and body weight (p < 0.05) for the three amino acids evaluated. The amount of each amino acid required to produce one gram per egg was estimated at 12.4 mg, 14.5 mg, and 11.2 mg for methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine, respectively. The values estimated by coefficient b that represent the amino acid for maintenance requirement were methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine of 30.2, 32.2, and 42.4 mg/kg BW, respectively. The coefficients may be used to design additional models to study requirements nutrition in broiler breeders, allowing a better understanding of how these birds respond to different dietary amino acids. Full article

Camelina sativa (CS) is an emerging sustainable oilseed crop with interesting feed application potentialities. The research assessed the potentiality of Camelina sativa (CS) in the diet for free-range laying hens, aiming at reaching a nutritional claim. To this purpose, two feeding groups of hens (n = 100 Livorno hens, n = 25 hens/pen) were farmed outdoor and received either a Control diet, which was a commercial diet for laying hens, or a CS diet. The latter was formulated to include the 5% CS cake and 1% CS oil, replacing conventional feedstuffs. Diets were isoprotein and isoenergy and were available ad libitum throughout the laying period (February–September). At day 1, n = 12 eggs/diet were sampled to assess the initial proximate composition and FA profile. Every 7 days the sampling was repeated to analyze the eggs’ FA profile, up to day 35. At the end of the laying season, n = 6 hens/dietary treatment were slaughtered and subjected to meat quality evaluations. Results highlighted that a 28-day feeding was the period required to obtain 227 mg of C18:3 n-3 and 81 mg of C20:5 n-3 + C22:6 n-3/100 g egg, whereas a further 7 days of feeding trial were ineffective in further enhancing the omega-3 FA content of eggs. CS eggs were comparable to Control ones for overall physical traits, proximate composition, and shelf-life. In addition, at the end of the laying period, the meat of CS hens was also found to be healthier than that of Control ones, thanks to a higher omega-3 FA proportion (p < 0.01), which was, however, not sufficient to reach any nutritional claim. Instead, the proximate composition of CS meat was overall comparable to Control hens. In conclusion, the present research demonstrated that feeding Camelina sativa meal and oil to laying hens is feasible and allows to reach the nutritional claim in eggs “rich in omega-3 FA” after a feeding period of 28 days, without any negative effects on other eggs’ quality trials. Camelina sativa can thus be defined as a promising sustainable feedstuff for the poultry sector for diversification purposes and to enhance the nutritional quality of eggs. Full article

Background: Reliable and non-invasive methods for assessing welfare in poultry are essential for improving evidence-based welfare monitoring and advancing management practices in commercial production systems. The iris-to-pupil (IP) ratio, previously validated by our group in primates and cattle, reflects autonomic nervous system balance and may serve as a physiological indicator of stress in laying hens. This study evaluated the utility of the IP ratio under field conditions across diverse commercial layer housing systems. Materials and Methods: In total, 296 laying hens (Lohmann Brown, n = 269; White Leghorn, n = 27) were studied across four locations in Canada housed under different systems: Guelph (indoor; pen), Spring Island (outdoor and scratch; organic), Ottawa (outdoor, indoor and scratch; free-range), and Toronto (outdoor and hobby; free-range). High-resolution photographs of the eye were taken under ambient lighting. Light intensity was measured using the light meter app. The IP ratio was calculated using NIH ImageJ software (Version 1.54p). Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA and linear regression using GraphPad Prism (Version 5). Results: Birds housed outdoors had the highest IP ratios, followed by those in scratch systems, while indoor and pen-housed birds had the lowest IP ratios (p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses of birds in Ottawa and Spring Island farms confirmed significantly higher IP ratios in outdoor environments compared to indoor and scratch systems (p < 0.001). The IP ratio correlated weakly with ambient light intensity (r² = 0.25) and age (r² = 0.05), indicating minimal influence of these variables. Although White Leghorn hens showed lower IP ratios than Lohmann Browns, this difference was confounded by housing type; all White Leghorns were housed in pens. Thus, housing system but not breed was the primary driver of IP variation. Conclusions: The IP ratio is a robust, non-invasive physiological marker of welfare assessment in laying hens, sensitive to housing environment but minimally influenced by light or age. Its potential for integration with digital imaging technologies supports its use in scalable welfare assessment protocols. Full article

Cage-free egg production is now the predominant system in Australia. However, the occurrence of floor eggs (FE), which are eggs laid outside designated nest boxes, presents a major challenge for these producers. To understand factors that may be associated with the laying of FE, a national scoping survey of cage-free egg-laying flocks was undertaken. Forty-three flocks across multiple farms were surveyed via a phone-based interview using predetermined questions. Floor egg levels ranged from 0.01–17%. There was no difference in floor egg levels between the breeds of brown-egg-laying hens. Age at peak lay did not alter the level of FE, but higher rate of peak lay had a weak association with fewer FE (r = −0.31, p = 0.049). Larger flocks had a lower percentage of FE (r = −0.5, p = 0.002), and farmers of larger sized flocks considered a lower level of floor eggs to be acceptable. Farms with tunnel-ventilated sheds reported fewer FE compared to those using other ventilation systems (p = 0.013). Higher floor egg levels were associated with increased labor costs (p = 0.023). These findings suggest that shed design and environmental management may be leveraged to reduce floor egg occurrence and improve operational efficiency in cage-free systems. Full article

Outdoor ranges in free-range laying hen systems are often underutilised, likely due to their open, uncovered nature. Given that the domestic chicken’s ancestor inhabits forests with high canopy cover, similar habitat preferences can be expected. To assess the impact of vegetation cover, range use was recorded on two outdoor ranges before and one and two years after planting bushes. A barrier tape grid was placed on each outdoor range, images were taken every 10 min over three days and hens per quadrant were counted. Data were analysed using general additive models. On both outdoor ranges, the number of hens increased in quadrants with newly planted bushes. While hen numbers declined with increasing distance from the shed in all three years, this effect diminished in the two years after planting. Furthermore, hens on both outdoor ranges in all three years showed diurnal patterns in range use, resembling the natural behaviour of their ancestor. The findings support the hypothesis that vegetation cover plays a crucial role in promoting more even range use, including in parts further away from the shed. To encourage natural behaviour and mitigate the negative effects of poor range utilisation, outdoor ranges should incorporate evenly distributed vegetation cover. Full article

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) commonly produces a range of genetic sequences during replication, particularly in the spike 1 (S1)-coding portion of the S gene, leading to distinct subpopulations within the broader viral population. It has been shown that certain microenvironments exert selective pressure on the S1-coding sequences and their encoded proteins, influencing the selection of viral subpopulations in these environments. In this study, high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to analyze the S1-coding sequences from tissues of the respiratory, digestive, renal, and reproductive systems of specific pathogen-free (SPF) laying hens. These tissues were collected nine days after infection with the California 1737/04 (CA1737/04) IBV strain, which is known to cause varying degrees of pathology in these tissues. Using a specific bioinformatics pipeline, 27 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were detected in the S1-coding sequences derived from different tissues. These SNVs shaped multiple subpopulations (SP1–SP15), with SP1 being the core subpopulation present in all tissues, while others were tissue-specific. The IBV RNA loads in the tissues were negatively correlated with the number of SNVs or the Shannon entropy values, and phylogenetic analysis revealed a genetic divergence in the S1-coding sequences from certain tissues with lower viral RNA loads, particularly those from the trachea and ovary. Furthermore, the SNVs were associated with nonsynonymous mutations, primarily located in hypervariable region 2 (HVR 2) within the N-terminal domain of S1 (S1-NTD), except for those in SP7, which was exclusive to the trachea and contained changes in HVR 3 in the C-terminal domain of S1 (S1-CTD). Overall, this study adds to the existing knowledge about IBV evolution by highlighting the role of tissue-specific environments in shaping viral genetic diversity. Full article

Free-range egg production plays a key role in the global food system, and current market trends suggest that consumer demand for free-range eggs will continue to rise. Free-range egg production is susceptible to a wide range of factors, including climatic conditions, management practices, and disease presence. These factors can cause variability in the laying rate of a flock over time, leading to fluctuations in egg production. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of short-term free-range egg production losses using data derived from a combination of sensing technologies and management activities. Production and environmental data were collected from a commercial farm comprising seven flocks of laying hens. The variables studied included laying rate, feed intake, water intake, solar radiation, humidity, precipitation, and indoor/outdoor temperature. These were processed into a set of aggregate features calculated across a 14-day moving window. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the association between the derived production and environmental features and the probability of a short-term drop in egg production, expressed through deviations in the laying rate on the day immediately following the data window. Odds ratios were used to express the relative risk of a production drop by comparing the features for window periods where production drops occur to the window periods where production drops did not occur. The results demonstrated that a range of data features based on the laying rate, feed intake, water intake, and indoor/outdoor temperatures all had significant associations with the odds of a production drop. Key findings from the study show that an increase in feed intake and laying rate measured across the 14-day data window were correlated with a lower risk of a sudden drop in egg production. Conversely, a low mean indoor temperature (x < 16.1 °C group), measured through environmental sensing data, was correlated with a higher risk of a sudden drop in egg production. This study quantifies the link between data features derived from production and environmental monitoring and egg production issues, thereby providing useful insights on the most important data items captured through day-to-day monitoring, which can be used for proactive management. Further research should be carried out to investigate how technologies such as machine learning and analytics platforms can be applied for the task of forecasting production interruptions using the data features explored in this study. Full article

The welfare of hens in cage-free systems is closely linked to their behaviors, such as feeding, drinking, pecking, perching, bathing, preening, and foraging. To monitor these behaviors, we developed and evaluated deep learning models based on YOLO (You Only Look Once), an advanced object detection technology known for its high accuracy, speed, and compact size. Three YOLO-based models—YOLOv5s_BH, YOLOv5x_BH, and YOLOv7_BH—were created to track and classify the behaviors of laying hens in cage-free environments. A dataset comprising 1500 training images, 500 validation images, and 50 test images was used to train and validate the models. The models successfully detected poultry behaviors in test images with bounding boxes and objectness scores ranging from 0 to 1. Among the models, YOLOv5s_BH demonstrated superior performance, achieving a precision of 78.1%, surpassing YOLOv5x_BH and YOLOv7_BH by 1.9% and 2.2%, respectively. It also achieved a recall of 71.7%, outperforming YOLOv5x_BH and YOLOv7_BH by 1.9% and 2.8%, respectively. Additionally, YOLOv5s_BH recorded a mean average precision (mAP) of 74.6%, exceeding YOLOv5x_BH by 2.6% and YOLOv7_BH by 9%. While all models demonstrated high detection precision, their performance was influenced by factors such as stocking density, varying light conditions, and obstructions from equipment like drinking lines, perches, and feeders. This study highlights the potential for the automated monitoring of poultry behaviors in cage-free systems, offering valuable insights for producers. Full article

The growing demand for sustainable and healthier egg production systems, combined with the need to reduce the use of synthetic additives in poultry feed, has led to an increased interest in natural feed supplements. This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with ecological sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) powder on the performance and egg quality of 600 laying hens of the Moravia Black breed, raised in a free-range system. Three groups were included: one control group with standard feed and two experimental groups supplemented with 1% and 2% sea buckthorn powder. Over 11 weeks, parameters such as egg production, feed consumption, and egg quality, including egg weight, volume, shell thickness, and yolk color, were monitored. The 2% supplementation significantly improved egg production, egg weight, shell strength, and yolk carotenoid content, with stable feed consumption and negligible mortality, confirming the additive’s safety. These results highlight the potential of sea buckthorn powder as a natural feed additive to enhance poultry productivity and product quality, supporting sustainable and healthier egg production. Full article

The aim of this study was to compare the performance, egg quality and economic aspects of laying hybrids of different genotypes in free-range system. In the study, three different laying genotypes (Lohmann Brown, Lohmann Sandy and ATAK-S genotype) were used. Each group consisted of four replicates and each replicate contained 20 hens. Egg production, broken–cracked egg ratio, egg weight, feed consumption, feed efficiency, and viability were determined as performance traits. Eggshell strength, Haugh unit, yolk color, and shell color were determined as egg quality traits. The costs of eggs were assessed for economic analysis. The Lohmann Sandy genotype produced more eggs than the Lohmann Brown genotype (p < 0.05). The ATAK-S genotype reached 50% egg production age sooner than other genotypes (p < 0.05). The Lohmann Sandy and Lohmann Brown genotypes produced fewer broken eggs and heavier eggs compared to the ATAK-S genotype (p < 0.05). The ATAK-S genotype consumed more feed than the Lohmann Sandy and Lohmann Brown genotypes (p < 0.05). The Lohmann Sandy and Lohmann Brown genotypes have better feed efficiency compared to the ATAK-S genotype (p < 0.05). Eggs from the Lohmann Sandy genotype exhibit greater resistance to breakage compared to those from other genotypes (p < 0.05). The highest quality of albumen was identified in the eggs of the Lohmann Brown genotype (p < 0.05). The yolk color of Lohmann Brown genotype eggs is darker than those of other genotypes (p < 0.05). The shell color of Lohmann genotype eggs is a darker brown compared to eggs of other genotypes (p < 0.05). The cheapest egg cost was determined from eggs produced from the Lohmann Sandy genotype (p < 0.05). According to the results obtained from our study, it would be more appropriate to prefer the Lohmann Sandy genotype in the free-range system. Full article

With the aim to characterise the situation of the subsector, 25 poultry farms of the endangered native Utrerana chicken egg-laying-oriented breed (Gallus gallus Linnaeus, 1758) were surveyed in Andalusia (southern Spain) from 2021 to 2023 to investigate the structure of the farms, number of birds, health status, feeding management, and marketing of their products. It was found that the pace of foundation of Utrerana chicken farms accelerated from 2009, and most of the farms were concentrated in the province of Seville. Only 40% of the farms were legally registered. This breed is raised on small farms mainly dedicated to self-supply and raising birds for conformation and their aesthetic values, with limited marketing of eggs and meat, with facilities consisting often of one poultry house and one outdoor enclosure, and with a low number of laying hens per farm (53.5 on average). Current productivity is low, with an average of 139 eggs per hen per year, but hens have a long reproductive lifespan, averaging 4 years. The Partridge variety of the breed was the most common, followed by the Black-barred and Black varieties, while the White variety was very scarce, with only 31 specimens in total. Two-thirds of the farmers also raised other breeds of chickens, in addition to the Utrerana. The management and production system was free-range or backyard, with a certain proximity to the requirements of European Union-certified organic production with regard to stocking densities and generally with a good sanitary status, respect for welfare, and implementation of biosecurity measures on the farms. The feeding of the chickens was based on grazing in outdoor enclosures and on the provision of grains and compound feed, with 40.0% of farmers using commercial compound feed and half preparing feed themselves. Two-thirds of the farmers were affiliated with the National Association of Utrerana Chicken Breeders (“Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Gallinas Utreranas”, ANCGU, in Spanish); almost half of them took part with their birds in fairs and conformation shows, such as the Utrerana Chicken Fair held in Utrera (province of Seville) and more than a quarter of them have sold live birds of the breed at these fairs. The farmers carry out few promotional and advertising activities for their farms and products, predominantly by using social networks, and the market area reached is mainly local. In conclusion, this research has shown that the current alternative production system for Utrerana chicken is similar to that of the hens that originated the breed and consists of a few amateur farms, with a small number of birds, distributed mainly throughout the Andalusian countryside. It has been highlighted that there is a need for the livestock authorities to implement programmes for supporting farmers and promoting the breeding of this endangered avian breed, native to the Spanish zoogenetic heritage. Full article

Spotty liver disease (SLD) affects free-range laying hens, leading to mortality and reduced egg production. Campylobacter species, including Campylobacter hepaticus, have been associated with SLD cases worldwide. However, the cause of SLD-like lesions found in broilers in Japan still remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of Campylobacter spp. in broiler SLD by conducting microbiological, molecular biological, serological, histopathological, and immunohistopathological examinations using specimens of liver, bile, cecum, and serum from SLD-like and non-SLD chickens. C. jejuni was predominantly isolated and detected in approximately 40% of both non-SLD livers and SLD-like livers, with no significant difference between them. However, C. hepaticus was neither isolated nor detected in this study. Gross and histopathology revealed multifocal necrotizing hepatitis, suppurative granulomatous hepatitis, and cholangiohepatitis. Hepatitis stages are classified as no hepatitis, subclinical, acute, and chronic hepatitis. C. jejuni was more frequently present in acute-stage SLD-like livers, and high IgG antibody levels were noted in both subclinical and SLD-like-affected chickens, indicating C. jejuni infection. Immunohistochemical examination also supported these findings. The findings suggest that C. hepaticus was not involved in SLD-like in broilers in Japan, but C. jejuni translocation from the intestines to the liver may be a contributing factor. Full article

(1) Background: Given the problems currently posed by the use of soybean meal in poultry feeding, its replacement with black soldier fly (BSF) meal may be a suitable strategy. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of this dietary replacement on laying performance, egg quality, and yolk nutritional composition in free-range reared hens. (2) Methods: Three diets were formulated: a control diet with 210 g/kg of soybean meal, a diet with 105 g/kg of soybean meal and 80 g/kg of BSF meal, and a diet with 160 g/kg of BSF meal. This eight-week-long study was performed with 126 Bovans Brown hens aged 36 weeks (six replicates of seven hens each per dietary treatment); (3) Results: The laying performance of hens was not influenced by the diet consumed. Neither was the yolk content in fat, protein, cholesterol, choline, B vitamins, and cholecalciferol affected. The dietary inclusion of BSF meal made yolk colour score and albumen Haugh units decrease (p < 0.001) by 51.1% and 12.0%, respectively. It also reduced the yolk content in retinol (by 10.1%, p = 0.0037), but it increased that of α- and γ-tocopherol (by 27.6%, p = 0.014, and 25.8%, p = 0.0077, respectively). A negative linear effect (p < 0.001) was observed on yolk zinc concentration and on the proportions of polyunsaturated and ω-3 fatty acids with increasing dietary dose of BSF meal; (4) Conclusions: Soybean meal could be fully replaced by BSF meal in the diet of hens without affecting the laying rate or the egg weight. However, the dietary inclusion of BSF meal led to paler yolks and impaired albumen quality, while it decreased the content of retinol and zinc and the proportions of polyunsaturated and ω-3 fatty acids in egg yolk. Full article

Considering animal welfare, the free-range laying hen farming model is increasingly gaining attention. However, in some countries, large-scale farming still relies on the cage-rearing model, making the focus on the welfare of caged laying hens equally important. To evaluate the health status of caged laying hens, a dataset comprising visible light and thermal infrared images was established for analyses, including morphological, thermographic, comb, and behavioral assessments, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of the hens’ health, behavior, and population counts. To address the issue of insufficient data samples in the health detection process for individual and group hens, a dataset named BClayinghens was constructed containing 61,133 images of visible light and thermal infrared images. The BClayinghens dataset was completed using three types of devices: smartphones, visible light cameras, and infrared thermal cameras. All thermal infrared images correspond to visible light images and have achieved positional alignment through coordinate correction. Additionally, the visible light images were annotated with chicken head labels, obtaining 63,693 chicken head labels, which can be directly used for training deep learning models for chicken head object detection and combined with corresponding thermal infrared data to analyze the temperature of the chicken heads. To enable the constructed deep-learning object detection and recognition models to adapt to different breeding environments, various data enhancement methods such as rotation, shearing, color enhancement, and noise addition were used for image processing. The BClayinghens dataset is important for applying visible light images and corresponding thermal infrared images in the health detection, behavioral analysis, and counting of caged laying hens under large-scale farming. Full article

The aim of the study was to determine the changes occurring in the eggs of helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) from free-range farming in relation to the laying season and storage time. The experimental material consisted of 360 guinea fowl eggs, collected in the first, second and third laying seasons and stored for 7, 14 and 21 days. After each period, physical and physicochemical characteristics of the eggs were determined, as well as the basic chemical composition and mineral content of the albumen and yolk and the yolk fatty acid profile. The age of the guinea fowls affected certain physical parameters of the eggs. The egg weight, shape index and shell thickness increased with the age of the laying hens; however, a decrease in the proportion of shell in the egg was demonstrated. Storage time had a significant effect on egg weight, weight loss during storage and air cell height. Significant differences were found in the chemical composition of guinea fowl eggs depending on the age of the laying hens. Eggs obtained from older laying hens were characterized by higher yolk fat content and lower ash content, while the albumen contained higher water content and lower ash content. During the three-year laying period, changes were observed in the mineral composition of the eggs. The fatty acid profile underwent significant changes; however, no important differences were observed in the total content of SFA, MUFA, PUFA and n-6 fatty acids. Conversely, significant differences were found for n-3 acids and the n-6/n-3 ratio. Eggs in the first and second laying seasons exhibited the most favorable composition. The slow dynamics of changes occurring in successive laying seasons and egg storage time indicated that the raw material studied was safe and could be used by consumers Full article