Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers
Depopulation of end-of-lay hens can result in stress and injury for both hens and catchers. A pilot study was assessed to optimise hen and catcher well-being during loading. Two add-on prototypes for attaching to transport container drawers were tested on five commercial aviary farms: prototype 1 (m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Animal Welfare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0962728625100201/type/journal_article |
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| author | Femke Delanglez Anneleen Watteyn Bart Ampe Gunther Antonissen Jan Detand Wout Verroens Frank Tuyttens |
| author_facet | Femke Delanglez Anneleen Watteyn Bart Ampe Gunther Antonissen Jan Detand Wout Verroens Frank Tuyttens |
| author_sort | Femke Delanglez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Depopulation of end-of-lay hens can result in stress and injury for both hens and catchers. A pilot study was assessed to optimise hen and catcher well-being during loading. Two add-on prototypes for attaching to transport container drawers were tested on five commercial aviary farms: prototype 1 (metal tube with vertical flaps); and prototype 2 (frame with horizontal flaps). Per flock, a subset of 800 end-of-lay hens was assigned to one of three treatments: Standard container with 15 drawers; Standard container plus prototype 1; and Standard container plus prototype 2. Parameters (filling duration, number of escapes, number of body part entrapments, restlessness, and loading inefficiency in container) were scored during the catch, supplemented by a post-loading catcher survey, and at the slaughterhouse (loading damage prevalence, number of dead-on-arrivals). The three treatments were compared using a 1–7 Likert scale. Hens were significantly calmer with prototype 1 compared to prototype 2 with no significant difference relative to the standard container. Loading was less efficient for prototype 2 vs the standard container. Catchers preferred prototype 1 and the standard container over prototype 2 for ease of use and hen calmness and prototype 2 showed no advantages for efficiency or animal and catcher well-being. Prototype 1 resulted in fewer breast bruises than the standard container with no difference in loading efficiency and requires larger-scale testing for enhancing effectiveness, animal and catcher well-being. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d8224c200874f2eb35378f44a4232d5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0962-7286 2054-1538 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Welfare |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d8224c200874f2eb35378f44a4232d52025-08-20T03:23:56ZengCambridge University PressAnimal Welfare0962-72862054-15382025-01-013410.1017/awf.2025.10020Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchersFemke Delanglez0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1925-4006Anneleen Watteyn1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9097-704XBart Ampe2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8223-2870Gunther Antonissen3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8832-1498Jan Detand4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3857-7513Wout Verroens5Frank Tuyttens6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1348-218XAnimal Sciences Unit, https://ror.org/05cjt1n05 Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture , Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Melle, Belgium Ethology and Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, https://ror.org/05cjt1n05 Ghent University , Heidestraat 19, 9820 Merelbeke, BelgiumAnimal Sciences Unit, https://ror.org/05cjt1n05 Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture , Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Melle, BelgiumAnimal Sciences Unit, https://ror.org/05cjt1n05 Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture , Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Melle, BelgiumDepartment of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, https://ror.org/00cv9y106 Ghent University , Merelbeke, BelgiumFaculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Product Design, https://ror.org/00cv9y106 Ghent University , BelgiumFaculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Product Design, https://ror.org/00cv9y106 Ghent University , BelgiumAnimal Sciences Unit, https://ror.org/05cjt1n05 Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture , Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Melle, Belgium Ethology and Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, https://ror.org/05cjt1n05 Ghent University , Heidestraat 19, 9820 Merelbeke, BelgiumDepopulation of end-of-lay hens can result in stress and injury for both hens and catchers. A pilot study was assessed to optimise hen and catcher well-being during loading. Two add-on prototypes for attaching to transport container drawers were tested on five commercial aviary farms: prototype 1 (metal tube with vertical flaps); and prototype 2 (frame with horizontal flaps). Per flock, a subset of 800 end-of-lay hens was assigned to one of three treatments: Standard container with 15 drawers; Standard container plus prototype 1; and Standard container plus prototype 2. Parameters (filling duration, number of escapes, number of body part entrapments, restlessness, and loading inefficiency in container) were scored during the catch, supplemented by a post-loading catcher survey, and at the slaughterhouse (loading damage prevalence, number of dead-on-arrivals). The three treatments were compared using a 1–7 Likert scale. Hens were significantly calmer with prototype 1 compared to prototype 2 with no significant difference relative to the standard container. Loading was less efficient for prototype 2 vs the standard container. Catchers preferred prototype 1 and the standard container over prototype 2 for ease of use and hen calmness and prototype 2 showed no advantages for efficiency or animal and catcher well-being. Prototype 1 resulted in fewer breast bruises than the standard container with no difference in loading efficiency and requires larger-scale testing for enhancing effectiveness, animal and catcher well-being.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0962728625100201/type/journal_articleAnimal welfarecatchingcontainer systemcrating systemdepopulationpoultry |
| spellingShingle | Femke Delanglez Anneleen Watteyn Bart Ampe Gunther Antonissen Jan Detand Wout Verroens Frank Tuyttens Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers Animal Welfare Animal welfare catching container system crating system depopulation poultry |
| title | Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers |
| title_full | Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers |
| title_fullStr | Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers |
| title_short | Design and testing of add-on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end-of-lay hens and catchers |
| title_sort | design and testing of add on prototypes for transport containers to improve the loading process for end of lay hens and catchers |
| topic | Animal welfare catching container system crating system depopulation poultry |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0962728625100201/type/journal_article |
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