Dana Campbell

The environment in which a laying hen is reared can have long-term impacts on their behaviour, health and welfare later in life (Janczak and Riber, 2015). Alternative housing systems for layers provide access to larger areas and allow greater expression of behavioural repertoires, leading to positive acceptance by consumers. But the complexities of alternative systems can also place greater physic ...

Laying hens need to maintain their health status, including their gastrointestinal health until at least 72 weeks of age. Gut microbiota composition is extremely important to gastrointestinal and overall health. Furthermore, the gut-brain axis enables interactions between the enteric microbiota, the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system (Dinan & Cryan, 2017). The composition of ...

Free-range commercial layer farming in Australia has been increasing for the last decade in response to consumer demand for free-range eggs. To meet this demand, there is a focus on research to optimise free-range system design and management. A range of external factors have been shown to impact hens’ daily outdoor range use including weather conditions, time of day, season and range enrich ...

Free-range layer pullets are typically reared indoors within Australia, but adult layers go outdoors which might cause poorer adaptation due to the mismatch between rearing and laying environments. Indoor enrichments may optimise physical development of pullets and subsequent welfare as adult free-range hens (Campbell et al., 2019). In the outdoor environment, hens may have greater opportunities f ...

Free-range layer systems are increasing globally but range use can be low, particularly when birds are first provided outdoor access. It is recommended to match the rearing system with the layer system for optimal bird welfare (Janczak and Riber, 2015). However, within Australia, pullets destined for free-range systems are typically reared indoors which may hinder their adaptability to the outdoor ...