Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T16:01:42.324Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Survey of laying hen husbandry in Switzerland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2007

M. HÄne ,
B. Huber-Eicher  and
E. FrÖhlich
M. HÄne
Affiliation:
Federal Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, Burgerweg 22, CH 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
B. Huber-Eicher
Affiliation:
Federal Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, Burgerweg 22, CH 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
E. FrÖhlich
Affiliation:
Federal Veterinary Office, Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, Burgerweg 22, CH 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
Get access

Abstract

In Switzerland eggs have not been produced in battery cages since January 1992. During the 10 year period from 1981 farmers replaced their battery cages with deep litter, aviary and grid-floor systems and modified cages. However, the cages used to replace the conventional battery cages and most of the grid– floor systems did not fulfil the requirements of the Swiss Welfare Act and they were not permitted to be advertised or sold thereafter. Sixteen years after the ban on battery cages, the Federal Veterinary Office has undertaken a survey to determine how laying hens are kept in Switzerland and how the alternative systems have fared. The survey was carried out on 96 randomly chosen farms with at least 500 hen places to find out more about the housing conditions, management processes, status and performance of hens. The results show that aviaries are very common in Switzerland (65% of the laying hens) and that the laying performance in these systems is significantly higher than that in grid– floor systems and similar to that in battery cages. Provision of a protected outdoor area is a valuable benefit. To be successful with aviary systems it is necessary for pullets to spend the rearing period under similar housing conditions.

Keywords

Poultrylayersalternative systemmanagementaviary systemSwitzerlandfree range
Type
Reviews
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 56 , Issue 1 , March 2000 , pp. 21 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Appleby, M.C. and Hughes, B.O. (1991) Welfare of laying hens in cages and alternative systems: environmental, physical and behavioural aspects. World's Poulty Science Journal 47: 109–128CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ASSOCIATION OF SWISS POULTRY FARMERS VSGH (1998a) Tätigkeitsbericht 1997. Verband Schweizerischer Geflügelhalter VSGH, Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
ASSOCIATION OF SWISS POULTRY FARMERS VSGH (1998b) Jahresbericht 1997. Verband Schweizerischer Geflügelhalter VSCH, Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
Bessei, W. and Damme, K. (1998) Neue Verfahren für die Legehennenhaltung. In: KTBL-Schrift 378. Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e.V. (KTBL), Darmstadt, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Blokhuis, H.J. (1986) Feather-pecking in poultry: its relation with ground-pecking. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 16: 63–67CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blokhuis, H.J. and Metz, J.H.M. (1995) Aviary Housing for Laying Hens. ID-DLO Institute for Animal Science and Health, Lelystad, The NetherlandsGoogle Scholar
Boch, J. and Supperer, R. (1992) Veterinärmedinische Parasitologie. Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin und Hamburg, 4. Auflage, pp. 54–56Google Scholar
Bray, T.S. and Lancaster, M.B. (1992) The parasitic status of land used by free range hens. British Poultry Science 33: 1119–1124Google Scholar
Deschutter, A. and Leeson, S. (1986) Feather growth and development. World's Poultry Science Journal 54: 259–267CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliot, M. (1996) Factors influencing feathering. Poultry International 11: 80–81Google Scholar
FEDERAL VETERINARY OFFICE (1987) Berichte über die praktische Prüfung auf Tiergerechtheit der Legehennenkäfige Ockonom 165 und Schurbo 162 V. Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen, Liebefeld-Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
FEDERAL VETERINARY OFFICE (1993a) Kurzbeschreibung der für den Verkauf nicht zugelassenen Haltungssysteme für Legehennen. Information Tierschutz 800.107.06, Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen, Liebefeld-Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
FEDERAL VETERINARY OFFICE (1993b) Bericht über die praktische Prüfung der Schräggitterhaltungs-systeme auf Tiergerechtheit. Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen, Liebefeld-Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
FEDERAL VETERINARY OFFICE (1995) Kurzbeschreibung der in der Schweiz verfügbaren, serienmässig hergestellten Haltungssysteme für Legehennen. Information Tierschutz 800.107.04, Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen, Liebefeld-Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
FrÖhlich, E. (1982) Zum Einfluss der Aufzuchtbedingungen auf das Verhalten von Hennen. In: KTBL-Schrift 291, Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e.V. (KTBL), Darmstadt, GermanyGoogle Scholar
FrÖhlich, E. and Oester, H. (1988) Anwendung ethologischer Erkenntnisse bei der Prüfung der Tiergerechtheit von Stalleinrichtungen und Haltungssystemen für Legehennen. In: KTBL-Schrift 336, Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e.V. (KTBL), Darmstadt, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Gunnarsson, S., Keeling, L.J. and Svedberg, J. (1999) Effect of rearing factors on the prevalence of mislaid eggs, cloaca1 cannibalism and feather pecking in commercial flocks of loose housed laying hens. British Poultry Science 40: 12–18CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huber-Eicher, B. (1999) A survey of layer-type pullet rearing in Switzerland. World's Poultry Science Journal 55: 83–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huber-Eicher, B. and Wechsler, B. (1998) The effect of quality and availability of foraging materials on feather pecking in laying hen chicks. Animal Behaviour 55: 861–873CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, B.O. (1985) Feather loss as a problem: how does it occur? In: Proceedings of Second European Symposium on Poultry Welfare, WPSA, Celle, pp. 177–188Google Scholar
Laing, P.M. (1988) Diseases of free range birds. World's Poultry Science Journal 44: 72–74CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meierhans, D. and Menzi, H. (1995) Phosphatbelastung ist problematisch. Schweizerische Geflügelzeitung 8: 6–13Google Scholar
Oester, H. and FrÖhlich, E. (1986) Die Beurteilung der Tiergerechtheit der neuen Haltungssysteme für Legehennen im Rahmen der Tierschutzgesetzgebung. Schwizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde 128: 521–534Google Scholar
Permin, A., Nansen, P., Bisgaard, M. and Frandsen, F. (1998) Ascaridia galli infections in free range layers fed on diets with different protein contents. British Poultry Science 39: 441–445CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petersen, J. (1998) Zusammengefasste Leistungsprüfungsergebnisse 1995/96. In: Jahrbuch für Geflügelwirtschaft 1998. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, GermanyGoogle Scholar
SCHWEIZERISCHER BAUERNVERBAND (1998) Statistische Erhebungen und Schätzungrn 1997. Schweizerischer Bauernverband, Brugg, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
Steiger, A. (1988) Swiss animal welfare legislation and the examination of housing systems. In: Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on the Protection of Farm Animals, Brussels, Belgium, pp. 89–92Google Scholar
SWISS SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS (STS) (1994) Laying hens: 12 years of Experience with New Husbandry Systems in Switzerland. Kümmerli & Frey AG, Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
Tanaka, F. and Hurnik, J.F. (1992) Comparison of behaviour and performance of laying hens housed in battery cages and an aviary. Poultry Science 71: 235–243CrossRefGoogle Scholar
TÜller, R. (1996) Haltungssysteme für Legehennen: Konventionell oder alternativ – Kompromisse sind unvermeidbar. DGS Magazin Woche 27/96: 20–25Google Scholar
Van Horne, P.L. (1996) Production and economic results of commercial flocks with white layers in aviary systems and battery cages. British Poultry Science 37: 255–261CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wechsler, B., FrÖhlich, E., Oester, H., Oswald, T., Troxler, J., Weber, R. and Schmid, H. (1997) The contribution of applied ethology in judging animal welfare in farm animal housing. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 53: 33–43CrossRefGoogle Scholar