Characterising Free-Range Layer Flocks Using Unsupervised Cluster Analysis.
aviary
eggs
individual
pasture
poultry
radio frequency identification (RFID)
spatial
technology
time budget
variation
welfare
Journal
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
Titre abrégé: Animals (Basel)
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101635614
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
15 May 2020
15 May 2020
Historique:
received:
15
04
2020
revised:
06
05
2020
accepted:
13
05
2020
entrez:
21
5
2020
pubmed:
21
5
2020
medline:
21
5
2020
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
This study aimed to identify sub-populations of free-range laying hens and describe the pattern of their resource usage, which can affect hen performance and welfare. In three commercial flocks, 3125 Lohmann Brown hens were equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder leg bands and placed with their flock companions, resulting in a total of 40,000 hens/flock. Hens were monitored for their use of the aviary system, including feeder lines, nest boxes, and the outdoor range. K-means and agglomerative cluster analysis, optimized with the Calinski-Harabasz Criterion, was performed and identified three clusters. Individual variation in time duration was observed in all the clusters with the highest individual differences observed on the upper feeder (140 ± 1.02%) and the range (176 ± 1.03%). Hens of cluster 1 spent the least amount time on the range and the most time on the feed chain located at the upper aviary tier (
Identifiants
pubmed: 32429144
pii: ani10050855
doi: 10.3390/ani10050855
pmc: PMC7278471
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Subventions
Organisme : Australian Eggs
ID : 1UN151
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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