Research Project

It is the aim of the project to describe the effect of the keeping of laying hens in enriched cages and in different types of aviaries on animal health and behaviour, economics, state of hygiene, and environment under on-farm conditions and to derive management recommendations, as a decision support tool for farmers and advisers.

Data from about 70 pens with enriched cages and aviaries, respectively, will be collected nationwide in Germany in each case once during the last third of the laying period. The participating data collectors from the different project partners will be adequately trained to make sure that data is collected with identical methods on all farms.

The development of control mechanisms and management options regarding the investigated husbandry systems will be used to derive recommendations as decision support tools for the management of enriched cages and aviaries.

January 2010 - December 2012

Ministry of food, agriculture and consumer protection (BMELV) by the agency of the Federal Institution of agriculture and food (BLE)

• Institut für Tierschutz und Tierhaltung, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Tiergesundheit, Celle
• Institut für Betriebswirtschaft, Johann Heinrich von Thünen – Institut (vTI), Braunschweig
• Institut für Tierhygiene, Tierschutz und Nutztierethologie der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
• Institut für Agrartechnologie und Biosystemtechnik, Johann Heinrich von Thünen – Institut (vTI), Braunschweig
• Institut für Biometrie, Epidemiologie und Informationsverarbeitung der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
• Fachgebiet Nutztierethologie und Kleintierzucht der Universität Hohenheim
• Fachbereich Tierische Erzeugung der Sächsischen Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Dresden

• Marion Staack
• Susanne Döring
• Nadja Hilmes
• Ute Knierim