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 KOKOSI NESNIC V SLOVENIJI Povzetek: Opravili smo prvo celovito oceno dobrobiti kokosi nesnic v Sloveniji. V raziskavo smo vkljucili nesnice iz stirih razlicnih sistemov reje in raven dobrobiti ocenili v dveh starostnih obdobjih; na zacetku 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 možnosti izpusta in v talni reji z možnostjo izpusta. Ob vsakem ocenjevanju smo jate klinicno pregledali in s pregledom posameznih živali ocenili specificne indikatorje dobrega pocutja (poskodbe prsnice, operjenost, poskodbe podplatnih blazinic, deformacije kljuna in poskodbe grebena ter kože). Plasnost kot indikator socialnega obnasanja smo ocenili s testom novega predmeta in s testom odmika od cloveka. Spremljali smo tudi mikro-klimatske pogoje reje. Ves cas spremljanja nismo ugotovili vidnih klinicnih znakov kužnih obolenj. Rezultati meritev mikro-klimatskih parametrov nakazujejo, da so bili pogoji v rejah dobri. Poskodba prsnice se je izmed specificnih kazalnikov izkazala za najresnejsi problem, na katerega vplivata tako starost kot sistem reje ( p < 0,05). Poskodbe prsnice so bile znacilno bolj izražene pri kokosih iz obogatenih kletk in voljer ( p < 0,05) v primerjavi z nesnicami iz talnih rej. Kokosi iz talnih sistemov so bile tudi boljse operjene in so imele nižjo prevalenco poskodb na podplatnih blazinicah. Nesnice, ki so bile rejene v voljerah na družinski kmetiji, so kazale najvec zanimanja za nove predmete in cloveka. Te kokosi so bile ocenjene kot najmanj plasne in so izražale boljso interakcijo clovek–žival kot kokosi iz drugih primerjanih sistemov. Kljucne besede: kokosi nesnice; dobrobit; zdravje; sistem reje