Cage Free Hens’ Feather Pecking Management

Abstract. Pecking behavior is a major concern for poultry welfare in layer houses, especially those that use cage-free housing systems. Pecking is a multi-factorial problem influenced by hormones, environment, diet, and genetic differences, making it crucial to identify the best and most immediate mitigation strategy to control it. Therefore, a pecking management case study was conducted, using 200 Hy-Line W36 pullets per room to evaluate the effects of age and management practices on SFP, which was recorded daily from 0 to 16 weeks of age (WOA) in four identical chamber rooms. Various pecking mitigation strategies, such as pecking blocks, isolated chambers (IC), and IC with lotion, were tested to determine the most effective approach. The results showed a significant increase in SFP with age (p<0.01), beginning at 5 WOA, and about 16% of birds were severely pecked by 16 WOA. However, pecking blocks did not reduce the pecking order, possibly due to birds pecking at an alarming rate. Similarly, isolating pecked birds in IC reduced SFP temporarily but could not control further SFP, whereas applying lotion resulted in a significant decrease in SFP (p<0.05) and prevented SFP leading to cannibalism. Overall, the integrated mitigation strategy of IC with lotion treatment for pecked birds resulted in a decrease in severe pecking leading to cannibalism and improved welfare and productivity for farmers.