Behavior and Well - Being : Behavior and Well - Being

The welfare of White Leghorn hens housed in conventional (CON) and modifi ed (MOD) battery cages was assessed by evaluating behaviour during the laying period. CON (30x45cm) (n=84) and MOD (60x45cm) (n=84) each provided 450cm2 of fl oor space for 3 hens. MOD included a perch (30x5cm) and a nest box (NB) (24x45cm), providing an additional 360cm2 of nest area per bird. Location of lay was assessed for MOD on 2 consecutive d, every 4 wks, between 20 and 64 wks. Continuous video footage of 8 randomly selected cages per treatment was recorded at 35 and 60 wks, beginning at 0630 h. Focal sampling of each hen in the cage was conducted for 3 h, beginning as early as 0630 h, but extending at least 40 min beyond oviposition. Pre-lay, stereotyped, comfort, aggressive and resting behaviours, and hen location were recorded, and behavioural frequency (F), %-duration (PD) and mean duration (MD) were calculated. Data were analyzed using GLM for mixed effects. Treatment effects were signifi cant at P≤0.05. NB use for oviposition was consistent throughout the study (m=94%). Behavioural observations indicate signifi cantly higher PD of escape and bobbing activity in CON (P=0.05). F and PD of object pecking bouts were numerically higher in MOD, but occurred primarily in the NB. PD and MD of preening activity were signifi cantly higher (P=0.03) in back and tail regions and numerically higher in belly and inside wing areas in MOD, and numerically higher in breast and outside wing regions in CON, suggestive of displacement preening in CON. F and PD of feather ruffl ing, head scratching and stretching were numerically higher in MOD. In CON, F and PD of aggressive pecking bouts and displacement, and feather pecking bouts were numerically and signifi cantly higher (P=0.05), respectively. CON birds spent numerically more time standing and less time sitting and dozing. These fi ndings suggest that hen welfare was improved in MOD, since hens preferred to oviposit in the NB, and CON hens experienced increased frustration and aggression, and reduced comfort and rest. Modifi cations to conventional battery cages improve hen welfare, while allowing producers to make use of existing capital.