prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page i WELFARE OF THE LAYING HEN prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page ii Poultry Science Symposium Series Executive Editor (Volumes 1–18): B.M. Freeman 1 Physiology of the Domestic Fowl* 2 Protein Utilization by Poultry* 3 Environmental Control in Poultry Production* 4 Egg Quality – A Study of the Hen’s Egg* 5 The Fertility and Hatchability of the Hen’s Egg* 6 i. Factors Affecting Egg Grading* ii. Aspects of Poultry Behaviour* 7 Poultry Disease and World Economy 8 Egg Formation and Production 9 Energy Requirements of Poultry* 10 Economic Factors Affecting Egg Production* 11 Digestion of the Fowl* 12 Growth and Poultry Meat Production 13 Avian Coccidiosis* 14 Food Intake Regulation in Poultry* 15 Meat Quality in Poultry and Game Birds 16 Avian Immunology 17 Reproductive Biology of Poultry 18 Poultry Genetics and Breeding 19 Nutrient Requirements of Poultry and Nutritional Research* 20 Egg Quality – Current Problems and Recent Advances* 21 Recent Advances in Turkey Science 22 Avian Incubation 23 Bone Biology and Skeletal Disorders 24 Poultry Immunology* 25 Poultry Meat Science 26 Welfare of the Laying Hen *Out of Print Volumes 1–24 were not published by CAB International. Those still in print may be ordered from: Carfax Publishing Company PO Box 25, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3UE, England prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page iii Welfare of the Laying Hen Poultry Science Symposium Series Volume Twenty-seven Edited by G.C. Perry Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, UK CABI Publishing prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page iv CABI Publishing is a division of CAB International CABI Publishing CABI Publishing CAB International 875 Massachusetts Avenue Wallingford 7th Floor Oxfordshire, OX10 8DE Cambridge, MA 02139 UK USA Tel: +44 (0)1491 832111 Tel: +1 617 395 4056 Fax: +44 (0)1491 833508 Fax: +1 617 354 6875 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cabi-publishing.org ©CAB International 2004. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library, London, UK. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data World’s Poultry Science Association. Meeting. (2003 : Bristol, England) Welfare of the laying hen / edited by G.C. Perry. p. cm. -- (Poultry science symposium series ; 27) Proceedings of the World’s Poultry Science Association Meeting held in Bristol, England, July 2003. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-85199-813-5 (alk. paper) 1. Hens--Congresses. 2. Poultry--Congresses. I. Perry, G. C. (Graham, C.) II. Title. III. Series: Poultry science symposium ; no. 27. SF481.2.P66 2003 636.5--dc22 2003026169 ISBN 0 85199 813 5 Typeset by MRM Graphics Ltd, Winslow, Bucks Printed and bound in the UK by Cromwell Press, Trowbridge prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page v C ONTENTS CONTRIBUTORS ix PREFACE xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xv CHAPTER 1 The importance of welfare 1 J.K. Kirkwood PART I: The stakeholders 9 Sustainability CHAPTER 2 Hen welfare: consumers’ perspective 11 P.A.W. Parrott CHAPTER 3 Government views on the welfare of laying hens 23 D.G. Pritchard Global impact CHAPTER 4 The politics of hen welfare 31 D. Wilkins CHAPTER 5 Impact of the World Trade Organization on hen welfare 39 D. Bowles Consumer views CHAPTER 6 The food retailer–consumer relationship, with particular reference to animal welfare 47 R. Layton CHAPTER 7 Quality assurance 51 J. Gittins v prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page vi vi Contents The producer CHAPTER 8 The producer and hen welfare 55 A. Jorêt PART II: Overviews 65 CHAPTER 9 The laying hen: systems of egg production 67 A. Elson CHAPTER 10 Stress and the welfare of laying hens 81 J.P. Thaxton Part III: Welfare issues 97 Genetic issues CHAPTER 11 Genetic influences on resource use, fear and sociality 99 J.-M. Faure and R.B. Jones CHAPTER 12 The genetics of feather pecking and cannibalism 109 J.B. Kjaer and P.M. Hocking CHAPTER 13 Breeding for productivity and welfare of laying hens 123 W.M. Muir and H.-W. Cheng Perception and cognition CHAPTER 14 Sensory perception: chemoreception 139 D.E.F. McKeegan CHAPTER 15 Vision in the laying hen 155 N.B. Prescott, J.R. Jarvis and C.M. Wathes CHAPTER 16 Pain and the laying hen 165 M. Gentle and S. Wilson CHAPTER 17 Chicken cognition 177 C.J. Nicol prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page vii Contents vii Behaviour CHAPTER 18 Social space for laying hens 191 J.J. Cooper and M.J. Albentosa CHAPTER 19 Nesting, perching and dustbathing 203 L.J. Keeling CHAPTER 20 Environmental enrichment: the need for practical strategies to improve poultry welfare 215 R.B. Jones CHAPTER 21 Feather pecking and feather loss 227 T.B. Rodenburg and P. Koene CHAPTER 22 Cannibalism 239 R.C. Newberry Health and disease CHAPTER 23 Skeletal disorders in laying hens: the problem of osteoporosis and bone fractures 259 C.C. Whitehead CHAPTER 24 Disease control 279 D. Shingleton Stockmanship and quality of the environment CHAPTER 25 Environmental management for laying hens 283 J.-M. Aerts, C.M. Wathes and D. Berckmans CHAPTER 26 Lighting 299 G.C. Perry CHAPTER 27 Nutrition, feedstuffs and feeding 313 M.G. MacLeod CHAPTER 28 Human–animal interactions 329 P.H. Hemsworth prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page viii viii Contents Handling, transport and slaughter CHAPTER 29 Handling and catching of hens during depopulation 345 D.B. Tinker, P.S. Berry, J.A. Rycroft and N.H. Sparks CHAPTER 30 Transport of chicks, pullets and spent hens 361 M.A. Mitchell and P.J. Kettlewell CHAPTER 31 Stunning and slaughter 375 A.B.M. Raj Part IV: Outcomes 391 CHAPTER 32 Priorities 393 M.C. Appleby Part V: Poster abstracts 397 Index 421 prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page ix C ONTRIBUTORS J.-M. Aerts, Department of Agro Engineering and Economics, Katholicke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium M.J. Albentosa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lincoln, Riseholme Hall, Lincoln LN2 2LG, UK M.C. Appleby, The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037, USA D. Berckmans, Katholicke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, B- 3001 Leuven, Belgium P.S. Berry, Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HS, UK D. Bowles, RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9PS, UK H.-W. Cheng, Livestock Behavior Research Unit, USDA-ARS, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA J.J. Cooper, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lincoln, Riseholme Hall, Lincoln LN2 2LG, UK A. Elson, ADAS Gleadthorpe, Meden Vale, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG20 9PF, UK J.-M. Faure, Station de Recherches Avicoles, INRA Centre de Tours, 37380 Nouzilly, France M. Gentle, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK J. Gittins, ADAS, Ceres House, 2 Searby Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN2 4DW, UK P.H. Hemsworth, Animal Welfare Centre, University of Melbourne and Department of Primary Industries, Victorian Institute of Animal Science, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia P.M. Hocking, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK J.R. Jarvis, Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HS, UK ix prelims00.qxd 1/7/04 8:47 am Page x x Contributors R.B. Jones, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK A. Jorêt, Deans Foods Ltd, The Moors, Bilsthorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG22 8TS, UK L.J. Keeling, Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 234, SE-532 23, Skara, Sweden P.J. Kettlewell, Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HS, UK J.K. Kirkwood, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and Humane Slaughter Association, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire AL4 8AN, UK J.B. Kjaer, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Health and Welfare, PO Box 39, Foulum, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark P. Koene, Ethology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands R. Layton, rlconsulting, Wytham, Oxford OX2 8QJ, UK M.G. MacLeod, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK D.E.F. McKeegan, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK M.A. Mitchell, Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK W.M. Muir, Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA R.C. Newberry, Center for the Study of Animal Well-being, Washington State University, PO Box 646520, Pullman, WA 99164-6520, USA C.J. Nicol, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK P.A.W. Parrott, Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB, UK G.C. Perry, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK N.B. Prescott, Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HS, UK D.G. Pritchard, Animal Health and Welfare Directorate General, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 1A Page Street, London SW1P 4PQ, UK A.B.M. Raj, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK