Later exposure to different perch material and design affects behaviour and performance of Leghorn hens

Perching behaviour is natural and evident in Red Jungle fowl, from which modern-day chickens originated. A positive impact of perching in the improvement of a bird’s physical condition. In this experimental study, 540 LSL lite laying hens were randomly distributed according to Complete Randomized Design in 6 treatments with 6 replicates of 15 birds each. The experiment was set up as a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments; treatments consisted of 2 perch materials (wooden and plastic) and 3 perch shapes (square, round, and triangle). Effects of perch material and shape were evaluated on productive performance, behaviour and welfare traits, and egg characteristics. Egg weight was higher in wooden perch materials than plastic. Regarding perch design, egg weight, production percentage, and feed conversion ratio per kg of egg mass of commercial layers differed significantly. Moreover, wing flapping and perching behaviour were significant among different perch designs. Egg volume, egg weight, albumen height, Haugh unit score, and shell thickness differed significantly among perch designs. In conclusion, the provision of different perch designs especially wooden and triangular perches positively influences productivity, behaviour, and egg quality traits in laying birds.&nbsp

Influence of Long-Distance Transportation Under Various Crating Densities on Broiler Meat Quality During Hot and Humid Weather

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of transportation distance and crating density on broiler meat quality during hot and humid weather. Breast meat samples were collected from broilers (Ross-308) after transportation for 80, 160, and 240 km at crating densities of 10, 12, and 15 birds per crate. The broilers were transported in plastic crates of 0.91 × 0.55 × 0.31 m (length × width × height) in summer at an ambient temperature of 27.2–33.6°C and relative humidity of 52.7–62.9%. The birds were then slaughtered, and the meats' physicochemical characteristics, marination and cooking attributes were measured. Meat pH at 2 hours (h) postmortem (PM) was significantly higher in birds transported for 80 and 160 km compared to those transported for up to 240 km, while meat pH at 24 h PM was higher in birds transported for up to 160 km compared to the other treatments; however, no effect of different crating densities on meat pH and drip loss was observed. Meat losses such as drip loss, thaw loss, cooking loss in raw and marinated breast, and meat shear force were significantly higher in birds transported for up to 240 km compared to the other treatments. An increase in crating density above 12 birds per crate also increased thaw loss, whereas crating density of 12 birds per crate and higher increased cooking loss and meat shear force. Meat lightness also increased significantly with the increase in transportation distance above 160 km and crating density above 12 birds per crate. In conclusion, transportation of broilers for more than 80 km with crating density higher than 12 birds per crate during summer was associated with severe losses in yield and deterioration in physical appearance and functional characteristics of meat