Brenninkmeyer, Christine and Knierim, Ute (2015) Förderung der Tiergesundheit und des Tierwohls ökologischer Legehennen in Europa. [Promoting good health and welfare in European organic laying hens.] Universität Kassel, Fachbereich Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften, D-Witzenhausen , Fachgebiet Nutztierethologie und Tierhaltung.
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Summary
Ziel des europäischen Forschungsprojektes HealthyHens war es, für die ökologische Legehennenhaltung Managementstrategien zu identifizieren, die zu Tiergesundheit und Wohlbefinden beitragen. Dazu wurden auf insgesamt 114 Betrieben in den Ländern Belgien, Dänemark, Deutschland, Italien, Niederlande, Österreich, Schweden und Vereinigtes Königreich umfangreiche Daten erhoben. Der Endoparasit Ascaridia galli wurde in allen Ländern auf fast allen Betrieben, bei im Durchschnitt 68 % der Hennen gefunden. Heterakis-Würmer waren mit 32 % etwas weniger verbreitet. Nur ein signifikanter Einflussfaktor auf den Wurmbefall konnte identifiziert werden: je länger die tägliche Zugangszeit zum Grünauslauf, desto geringer war der Befall mit Ascaridien. Pickschäden an Gefieder und Integument waren bei im Schnitt 40% bzw. 21% der Hühner festzustellen. Auch hier waren Betriebe mit besseren Zugangszeiten zum Auslauf, nämlich täglichem Zugang unabhängig von Wetter und anderen Umständen, geringer betroffen. Darüber hinaus gab es weniger Gefiederschäden mit zunehmendem Proteingehalt im Futter und weniger Pickverletzungen, wenn innerhalb des Legedurchgangs Scharrmaterial nachgestreut oder ausgewechselt wurde. Der Anteil Hühner im Grünauslauf war höher, je kleiner die Herde und je größer die Auslauffläche je Huhn war. Außerdem wirkten sich Hecken und künstliche Schutzvorrichtungen positiv auf den Anteil Hühner im Auslauf und die Verteilung der Hühner im Auslauf aus. Aufgrund der Ergebnisse konnten Empfehlungen an Bio-Legehennenhalter in wichtigen Punkten fortgeschrieben werden. Ein Merkblatt für die Praxis wurde erstellt.
Summary translation
This project focused on the main challenges for organic laying hen farms regarding disease and animal welfare management. Data collection protocols for the four main topics, (1) parasite burden, (2) use of the outdoor run, (3) feather- and injurious pecking and (4) health problems like keel bone deformation and health of the birds' feet, were developed.
After an assessor training and validation of assessor agreement, data collection was carried out on 114 organic layer farms in the eight participating countries. They were visited at a hen age of around 35 weeks (“peak of lay visit”) and a second time towards the end of lay, at about 60 to 65 weeks of age (110 flocks). Data collection comprised housing and management of the flocks and examination of 50 hens per flock for plumage condition, injuries, foot pad lesions, keel bone deviations and other health parameters. Additionally, 15 dropping samples were collected per farm visit and the number of helminth eggs and coccidian oocysts per gram faeces (EPG) determined. From 56 of the flocks, gastrointestinal tracts of 15 hens were examined for endoparasites after slaughter or killing.
Based on dissections, infection with Ascaridia galli was prevalent in all countries and almost all flocks. The prevalence of infected hens ranged from 0 to 100 % with a mean of 68 %. For Heterakis worms, the mean prevalence was 32 %, also with a range from 0 to 100 %. The prevalence of hens with tapeworms was found to be between 0 % and 73 % with a mean of 13 %. The average number of A. galli found in the hens showed large variation between flocks; ranging from 0 to 56 roundworms per hen with a mean of 10 worms. As regards Heterakis infections, the average number per flock varied from 0 to 121 worms per hen with a mean of 17 worms. Access to outdoor areas had a significant effect on the number of roundworms. The more hours per day the hens had access to outdoors, the lower the mean worm burden. Coarse fodder allocation did not affect the prevalence of intestinal worms.
In droppings (Ascaridia galli) and Heterakis worms combined had a prevalence of 55 % at peak of lay and 61 % when visited at the age of 60-65 weeks in the eight countries. The egg counts were probably mainly based on Ascaridia eggs, as intestinal droppings were used for analysis and Heterakis eggs are found in ceacal droppings to a larger extent.
Cardboard mite traps were used to examine blood mite levels. The number of blood mites – from at least 5 traps randomly distributed at the farm – varied between 0 and more than 10,000 irrespective of the traps being used in summer or winter.
Plumage and keel bone evaluations were accomplished in 50 hens per flock at the age of 60-65 weeks. Keel bone deviations or callus material on the keel bone were present in at least one hen in every flock. Callus material as a probable result of former fractures was palpable in 0 to 88 % of hens per flock (mean 28 %) and deviations in 0 to 84 % of hens per flock (mean 31 %). Zero to 100 % of the sampled hens had moderate or severe plumage damage and 0 to 96 % had wounds. The risks of feather damage and pecking wounds were reduced in flocks with long access times to the outdoor range.
The maximum percentage of hens observed in the range at one observation was 77 %. Ranging behaviour was influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation as well as flock size and available range area per hen. A higher proportion of hens was observed in the range in smaller flocks and with more range area per hen. Furthermore, a higher proportion of hens was observed in ranges with cover (e.g. hedges and artificial shelters).
Recommendations to reduce parasite burden, feather and injurious pecking, keel bone deviations and foot pad lesions and to maximise range use were compiled in a recommendation leaflet available on the CORE Organic website.
| EPrint Type: | Report |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Tierschutz, Tiergesundheit, Tierwohl, Legehennen, Healthy Hens, BÖLN, BOELN, BOEL, BÖL, FKZ 11OE020, CORE Organic, HealthyHens, healthyhens |
| Subjects: | Animal husbandry > Health and welfare Animal husbandry > Production systems > Poultry |
| Research affiliation: | European Union > CORE Organic II > HealthyHens Germany > Federal Organic Farming Scheme - BOELN > Animals > Tiergesundheit Germany > University of Kassel > Department of Farm Animal Behaviour and Husbandry |
| Related Links: | http://www.bundesprogramm-oekolandbau.de, http://www.bundesprogramm.de/fkz=11OE020, http://orgprints.org/cgi/search/advanced?addtitle%2Ftitle=&keywords=11OE020&projects=BOEL&_order=bypublication&_action_search=Suchen |
| Deposited By: | Knierim, Prof. Dr. Ute |
| ID Code: | 29166 |
| Deposited On: | 21 Jul 2015 09:11 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Aug 2021 06:32 |
| Document Language: | English |
| Status: | Unpublished |
| Refereed: | Not peer-reviewed |
| Additional Publishing Information: | Gefördert durch das Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages im Rahmen des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft. Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. Ute Knierim, Universität Kassel, Fachbereich Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften, Fachgebiet Nutztierethologie und Tierhaltung |
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