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 […]