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Objective
To evaluate three commercial laying hen housing systems in terms of bird welfare, environmental impact, and food safety.
More information
Approach:
Three 50,000 laying hen housing complexes will be constructed by Cargill - traditional caged, furnished cage, and aviary style. After the facilities are populated, evaluations of the welfare, environmental impact, and egg microbiology will be conducted. Aerobic microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella, and Campylobacter populations will be enumerated or isolated from housing and processing environments, as well as, eggs.
Investigators
Musgrove, Michael; Jones, Deana; Gast, Richard
Institution
USDA - Agricultural Research Service
Start date
2010
End date
2015
Funding Source
Project number
6040-32420-001-03R
Accession number
420180