The preferences of laying hens for perforated Astroturf over conventional wire as a dustbathing substrate in furnished cages
Following the 2012 European ban (1999/74/EC) of conventional battery cages, only furnished cages will be allowed for laying hens. However, even when furnished cages provide a pecking and scratching area most dustbathing occurs on the wire floor. This study aimed to investigate whether laying hens showed a preference for dustbathing on a covered wire floor […]
Astroturf as a dustbathing substrate for laying hens
Furnished cages for laying hens often contain an Astroturf (AT) pad which may be sprinkled with feed to promote foraging and dustbathing. We evaluated AT and AT plus feed (ATF) to determine if hens use these substrates for dustbathing. Hens (N = 30) without prior exposure to substrate were housed singly in cages at 34 […]