July 9, 2009

A Clemson University animal behaviourist is researching the impact cages and other confinement has on the development and well being of hens in a three-year project.

Growing attention are being focused on the welfare of hens kept in cages, which were originally designed to keep them safe and clean, according to Peter Skewes, the department of animal and veterinary sciences researcher leading the project.

Nearly 95 percent of the 90 billion table eggs produced in the US come from high-density cage systems. The value of all egg production in 2007 was US$6.68 billion, and changing production conditions would affect the bottom line.

Animal rights activists want the caged-layer egg system to be eliminated, while egg industry leaders said scientific information is needed to analyse the situation and provide the data for alternatives.

Without data, designing management systems may be based on incomplete information about hen physiology and behaviour, said Skewes.

There is a lack of data on the impact of cage systems on neural and behavioural development in chickens, he said, adding that while alternative systems are emerging in Europe, few are developed in the US.

Skewes will compare cage- and non-cage-production systems for more than 900 chickens at Clemson's Morgan Poultry Centre.

Skewes said commercial cage conditions and a pen or floor environment with a lot of enrichment and stimulation will be tested. He said they will look at physiology and behavioural differences of the hens in the two treatments to gain more knowledge to help them make better decisions on how to improve the birds' housing and management of egg production.