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Table 5 Housing and management information about a farmer’s current laying hen flock collected through self-administered questionnaire

From: A cross-sectional study on feather cover damage in Canadian laying hens in non-cage housing systems

General Information

Date

Years of farming experience

Province

Farm size

Flock Information

Hatchery & rearing farm birds came from

Date of placement

Age of placement

Current flock age

Flock size at placement & current size

Housing Features

Housing system used

No. of system tiers

Manufacturer & model

Age of system

Stocking density

Perches (availability, height, space)

Nests (availability, type, location)

Drinker & feeder type

Enrichment (types, age of access, motivation for use)

Litter Management

Floor type/proportion of litter

Type of material, depth, maintenance

Age of access

Restriction practices

Supplemental foraging material

Bird Characteristics

Feather colour

Breed

Rearing and Placement

Visitation of pullet flock

Home-rearing vs. supplier, integration of flocks yes/no

Pullet housing system

Beak trimming (yes/no, age, method, length)

Condition on arrival

Matching of environmental conditions

Flock Health

Inspection (frequency, duration, no. of workers, route, observations)

Feather pecking (if it had been observed, body area, at what age, any management changes in response)

Flock behaviour in response to workers

Biosecurity measures

Vaccination & instances of illness

Mortality (percentage & main causes)

Diet

Feed structure, supplier, availability, supplements

Feeding frequency & special practices (midnight feeding)

Diet changes

System breakdowns

Lighting

Type, hours of light, intensity

Dawn/dusk period (yes/no) & method

Air quality

Type of ventilation

Temperature, humidity, ammonia concentration, dust levels

Manure removal frequency

Outdoor Access

Type of access (veranda vs. range area), age of access

Range (size, use, quality)

Popholes (number, distribution throughout barn)

Outdoor area rotation

Productivity

Age at start of lay

No. of eggs collected per day, percentage of floor eggs

Performance compared to breed standards

Current & peak production figures