The goal of this study was to determine whether cell proliferation is increased in the anterior pituitary during an induced molting period in chickens. The anterior pituitaries were collected from: 1) laying hens before initiation of an induced molt (control hens), 2) molting hens 2 to 16 d after cessation of lay, and 3) second cycle laying hens 1 d after returning to lay. Pituitary cephalic an...

Farm management practices such as increasing group size and mixing of unfamiliar chickens may cause social disruption and affect bird well-being. To examine genetic-associated physical and physiological differences in response to social disruption, 2 strains of White Leghorn hens were used in the study [i.e., HGPS (line selected for high group production and survivability) and DXL (DeKalb XL co...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of group size and stocking density on the welfare and performance of hens housed in furnished cage systems during summer. A total of 924 Hy-Line Brown hens were assigned to three housing systems: a standard battery cage system (control, 4 hens per cage and 398 cm per hen), two furnished systems (including perches and nest); one with a small (S...

The laying hen industry is implementing aviary systems intended to improve welfare by providing hens with more space and resources to perform species-specific behaviors. To date, limited research has examined spatial requirements of various strains of laying hens for performing key behaviors and none has been conducted within an alternative housing system. This study investigated the amount of ...

Constant exposure of Hy-Line W-36 White Leghorn hens to ultraviolet light from insect traps resulted in no significant differences in egg production, fertility, hatchability of fertile eggs, or total hatchability. Also, there were no apparent effects on the eyes of the birds. Results were the same when either blacklight or blacklight blue tubes were used. The need for additional testing of lig...

The aim of the study was to determine co-occurrence of Marek's disease virus (MDV) and chicken parvovirus (ChPV) co-occurrence in field chicken flocks. The materials for the study derived from 115 broiler chickens or layer hens originated from 23 farms with suspicion of Marek's disease (MD). Dual infection with MDV and ChPV was found in 23 (20%) examined chickens. The results obtained suggest a...

Intestinal organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are valuable in vitro research models that enable simplified access to human gastrointestinal tissues. Here, we report the in vitro generation of enterospheres (hEnS) from hPSC-derived gastrointestinal epithelial precursors. hEnS are cystic spheroids with a simple uniform structure composed entirely of intestinal epithelium....

Constant exposure of Hy-Line W-36 White Leghorn hens to ultraviolet light from insect traps resulted in no significant differences in egg production, fertility, hatchability of fertile eggs, or total hatchability. Also, there were no apparent effects on the eyes of the birds. Results were the same when either blacklight or blacklight blue tubes were used. The need for additional testing of ligh...

France has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1 in backyard poultry (broilers and layer hens) in the Dordogne (OIE, 2015; see map). An increase in mortality was reported with 22 out of 32 birds dead and the others destroyed as a disease control measure. Samples taken on the 19 November confirmed HPAI. Other disease control measures have been implemented including 3km ...

In the US farmers often market pastured poultry eggs for a premium price, claiming animal and human health benefits. We examined how moving pastured hens to forage legumes or mixed grasses influenced hen (Gallus gallus L.) egg omega-3 fatty acids and concentrations of vitamins A and E. We also compared the eggs of the pastured hens to those of hens fed a commercial diet in cages. We used a cros...