WELFARE ASSESSMENT OF COMMERCIAL LAYERS IN SLOVENIA

Here we present the first welfare assessment of commercial layers conducted in Slovenia. Hens were assessed in four systems at the beginning of the laying period at 22 to 24 weeks and at 50 to 55 weeks of age. These systems were an enriched battery cage system, an aviary, and a litter system with or without outdoor access. Clinical inspections of flocks were performed, and animal-based welfare indicators were scored (e.g., keel bone damage, feather condition, foot pad lesions, beak deformities, and comb and skin wounds). Hens’ fear level was scored using the novel object test and avoidance distance test. Among resource-based measures, selected micro-climate parameters were measured. The results showed no obvious clinical signs related to infectious diseases and suggest that the selected climate conditions were satisfying in all systems. Among animal-based welfare indicators, keel bone damage was shown to be the most serious problem connected with hens’ age and housing systems ( p < 0.05). Enriched cages and aviary system were associated with significantly more keel deformities compared to the litter systems ( p < 0.05). In addition, the least prevalence of foot pad dermatitis together with better feather condition was observed in the litter systems. In the family-owned aviary facility, hens were found to be the most motivated to approach a novel object or a human, and as such were recognized as the least fearful birds, with better human–animal interaction compared to other intensive housing systems. Key words: laying hens; welfare; health; housing system OCENA DOBROBITI V INTENZIVNIH REJAH KOKOA I NESNIC V SLOVENIJI Povzetek: Opravili smo prvo celovito oceno dobrobiti kokoAii nesnic v Sloveniji. V raziskavo smo vkljuAili nesnice iz Aitirih razliAnih sistemov reje in raven dobrobiti ocenili v dveh starostnih obdobjih; na zaAetku nesnosti, v starosti od 22 do 24 tednov in pri 50 do 55 tednih. Nesnice so bile rejene v obogatenih kletkah, v voljerah, v talni reji brez moA¾nosti izpusta in v talni reji z moA¾nostjo izpusta. Ob vsakem ocenjevanju smo jate kliniAno pregledali in s pregledom posameznih A¾ivali ocenili specifiAne indikatorje dobrega poAutja (poAikodbe prsnice, operjenost, poAikodbe podplatnih blazinic, deformacije kljuna in poAikodbe grebena ter koA¾e). PlaAinost kot indikator socialnega obnaAianja smo ocenili s testom novega predmeta in s testom odmika od Aloveka. Spremljali smo tudi mikro-klimatske pogoje reje. Ves Aas spremljanja nismo ugotovili vidnih kliniAnih znakov kuA¾nih obolenj. Rezultati meritev mikro-klimatskih parametrov nakazujejo, da so bili pogoji v rejah dobri. PoAikodba prsnice se je izmed specifiAnih kazalnikov izkazala za najresnejAii problem, na katerega vplivata tako starost kot sistem reje ( p < 0,05). PoAikodbe prsnice so bile znaAilno bolj izraA¾ene pri kokoAiih iz obogatenih kletk in voljer ( p < 0,05) v primerjavi z nesnicami iz talnih rej. KokoAii iz talnih sistemov so bile tudi boljAie operjene in so imele niA¾jo prevalenco poAikodb na podplatnih blazinicah. Nesnice, ki so bile rejene v voljerah na druA¾inski kmetiji, so kazale najveA zanimanja za nove predmete in Aloveka. Te kokoAii so bile ocenjene kot najmanj plaAine in so izraA¾ale boljAio interakcijo Alovek–A¾ival kot kokoAii iz drugih primerjanih sistemov. KljuAne besede: kokoAii nesnice; dobrobit; zdravje; sistem reje