Physiological assessment of laying hen welfare in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chang, Chia-Wei, 張家瑋
• Other Authors: Wang, Shu-Yin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/21771872074884718639

碩士 === 中國文化大學 === 生物科技研究所 === 103 === In this research, we evaluated animal welfare based on the comparison of the physiological responses of laying hens under different kinds of management system. Three types of housing systems were evaluated, including conventional cage system, barn system and free range system. We used Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to exam the corticosterone (CS) and the heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) in the blood. In addition, blood biochemical parameters were determined to study the differences in physiological stress. Results showed that both corticosterone levels and the H/L were lower in free range system than the traditional cage system. The egg yolk color index was higher in free range eggs while the shell strength, shell thickness and the egg weights were not different among systems. In conclusion, the friendly system may improve the animal welfare in terms of physiological assessment and the egg quality.