HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kristensen, H. H. Articles by Tinker, D. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kristensen, H. H. Articles by Tinker, D. B.

Depopulation Systems for Spent Hens - A Preliminary Evaluation in the United Kingdom

Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HS, United Kingdom; Phone: 44-1525-860000; Fax: 44-1525-861735

Correspondence: P. S. Berry, E-mail:Paul.Berry{at}bbsrc.ac.uk

The depopulation of laying hens is recognized as a serious welfare problem in the poultry industry. In the UK, the current methods for depopulating these spent hens exert several stressors on the birds as well as on the catching personnel. Silsoe Research Institute has been involved with developing a new modular system for the depopulation of spent hens from battery cages. A preliminary study was carried out to evaluate these modules in comparison to the current loose crate system during a commercial depopulation. The evaluation covered bird welfare as well as the welfare of the human catchers. Results suggest that the new modules significantly reduced the time each bird was handled from 65.4 to 4.5 s (SED 3.6). The overall depopulation time for 450 hens was also reduced significantly from 27.7 min in the loose crate system to 15.3 min in the modular system (SED 4.2). No significant difference was found in the proportion of damaged birds from the two depopulation systems (GLM, t = 2.28, P > 0.05). A questionnaire revealed that the catchers clearly preferred the new modules over the existing loose crate system at all stages of the depopulation process. We conclude that the modular depopulation system has the potential to improve the welfare of birds and catchers.

Key Words: Animal welfare • depopulation • poultry • spent hens