Aerial perches and free-range laying hens: The effect of access to aerial perches and of individual bird parameters on keel bone injuries in commercial free-range laying hens
Aerial perches and free-range laying hens: The effect of access to aerial perches and of individual bird parameters on keel bone injuries in commercial free-range laying hens
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DOI：
10.3382/ps.2011-01774
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发表时间：
2012-02-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.4
通讯作者：
O'Connell, N. E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Donaldson, C. J.;Ball, M. E. E.;O'Connell, N. E.
本试验的目的是确定空中栖息对自由放养蛋鸡龙骨损伤和胫骨骨特征的影响。还评估了龙骨损伤与个体参数（如体重、周长、翼长比、羽毛覆盖率和胫骨特征）之间的关系。试验使用了5个商业放养鸡舍，每个鸡舍里有7000到8000只鸡。房子和牧场被分成了两部分；在一半的房子里，鸟类可以进入空中栖息(P)，而在另一半房子里，它们不能（NP）。在17 ~ 70周龄的13次试验中，从板条区随机选择20只，每次处理，触诊龙骨损伤。72周龄时，在4个鸡舍中随机选取每组30只鸡，称重后实施安乐死。测量了周长、翼面积和羽毛覆盖率。龙骨和左胫骨被移除，龙骨被划伤。对胫骨进行称重，并记录其直径、长度、断裂强度和灰分含量。结果表明，空中栖木对胫骨测量无显著影响（P < 0.05）。平均触诊龙骨评分随年龄增加而增加（P < 0.001），鲈鱼处理对平均触诊龙骨评分影响不显著（P < 0.05）。处理方式与养殖场对解剖时的龙骨损伤有显著的交互作用（P < 0.05），在一些养殖场，高龙骨损伤评分的鸟的概率增加了，而其他养殖场没有增加。总的来说，随着分离时龙骨损伤评分的增加，胫骨的断裂强度（P < 0.001）和灰分含量（P < 0.05）降低。结果表明，骨强度的个体差异导致了对龙骨损伤易感性的差异。解剖时龙骨损伤评分与个体参数（如体重、周长、翼长比）均无相关性（P < 0.05），但羽毛盖度随龙骨损伤程度的增加呈下降趋势（P < 0.06）。
The aim of this trial was to determine the effect of aerial perches on keel bone injuries and tibia bone characteristics in free-range laying hens. The relationship between keel bone injuries and individual bird parameters, such as weight, girth, wing: girth ratio, feather coverage, and tibia bone characteristics, was also assessed. Five commercial free-range houses, each containing between 7,000 and 8,000 birds, were used. The houses and range areas were divided in half; in half of the house, birds had access to aerial perches (P) and in the other half, they did not (NP). On 13 occasions between 17 and 70 wk of age, 20 birds per treatment were randomly selected from the slatted area and palpated for keel bone injury. At 72 wk of age, 30 birds per treatment in each of 4 houses were selected at random, weighed, and then euthanized. Girth and wing area and feather coverage were measured. The keel and left tibia bones were removed and keel bones were scored for injury. Tibia bones were weighed and diameter, length, breaking strength, and ash content recorded. Results indicated that access to aerial perches did not affect tibia bone measures (P > 0.05). Average palpated keel bone score increased with age of the hens (P < 0.001) but was not significantly affected by perch treatment (P > 0.05). There was a significant interaction between treatment and farm on keel bone injuries measured at dissection (P < 0.05), with the probability of birds having high keel-damage scores increasing in the perched treatment in some farms but not others. In general, as the keel bone injury score measured at dissection increased, the breaking strength (P < 0.001) and ash content (P < 0.05) of the tibia bone decreased. It is suggested that individual variation in bone strength contributes to differences in susceptibility to keel injury. No relationship existed between keel-injury score measured at dissection and individual parameters, such as weight, girth, or wing: girth ratio (P > 0.05), although feather coverage tended to decline with increasing keel damage (P < 0.06).