Page 8 - National Poultry Newspaper

Coming out of their shells – researchers find outgoing, active free range hens are better egg producers. Photo: Prue Adams
Isabelle Ruhnke led the study that saw laying hens fitted with microchip trackers around their legs. Photo: Isabelle Ruhnke
And her findings go against what the industry expected.
Mr McMonnies said the study showed not all hens were the same, and there was now more research to do.
Confident chickens are more productive
IMAGINE two people who share a house and eat the same food but when it comes to exer- cise, one is a couch potato and the other a runner.
“It wasn’t until they were 52 weeks of age, that the ‘stayers’ laid more eggs than those birds that would go out and range, which is really significant.
The increased exposure to sunlight of the ranging hens is believed to be one of the contributing factors to their higher production.
“Overall these birds can, under good management, outperform those birds that stay in the shed.
That’s the analogy Uni- versity of New England re- searcher Isabelle Ruhnke uses to explain her latest experiment comparing egg production rates of free-range hens that like to roam with those that don’t venture out.
“In some operations, a one percent increase in egg output can translate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra revenue a year.”
“We also knew that these ranging birds were a bit heavier at the be- ginning, so they might have been a bit early in their sexual maturity,” Dr Ruhnke said.
“We found the birds that spent more time on the range had a better feather cover for example.
“We had the initial hy- pothesis that the birds that go and range are not doing as well as the ones that stay in the shed around the nice feed, close to the nest box,” Dr Ruhnke said.
“It was difficult to know what to expect,” Mr Mc- Monnies said.
The birds’ movements showed that, given time, the more fearful hens would eventually move further from the shed.
“Free-range farming presents greater challeng- es and variability than other farming systems, so as the category grows we need to explore ways to improve and make out- comes more consistent,” he said.
“But quite the opposite was true.”
“There had been an as- sumption within the in- dustry that production was closely linked to food intake but the research shows the nature of the hen could be a strong fac- tor.
“They became more confident and moved out- side and egg laying in- creased,” Dr Ruhnke said
First published on abc. net.au
The study saw 16,000 hens from 16 to 72 weeks of age fitted with antennas and microchip bands on their legs with their move- ments tracked around the property.
“That they sit under the trees, don’t come home at times, and need more energy to deal with the environment and would therefore be skinnier — but it was the absolute opposite we’ve proved in every one of the five flocks we investigated,” Dr Ruhnke said.
Non-for-profit organisa- tion Australian Eggs co- funded the research and managing director Rowan McMonnies said it was the first time sub-popu- lations in free-range hens had been examined.
“These are things we’re working on at the mo- ment, and what farmers now are trying to discover by themselves – how do we get these birds that are staying in the shed to go outside, and what impact would that have for our production?”
“But nevertheless, they were better performing.”
“They also had more parasites, which is not surprising.
“These ‘rangers’ were outside within that first time period of 22 weeks of age, and when we looked at the egg produc- tion, they laid about 15 percent more eggs in the nest box than these birds that stayed in the shed,” Dr Ruhnke said.
“The question we have now is, why are these birds better than the oth- ers?”
The study explored the movement and production of free range hens only. Photo: Nikolai Beilharz
Building blocks to deliver
investment in technology
and low-emissions future
THE National Farm- stock productivity, as 2030, the NFF has a
ers’ Federation wel- comed the Govern- ment’s Technology Investment Roadmap discussion paper released recently.
well as deploying tech- nologies to enhance fer- tiliser use, carbon stor- age in vegetation and improve fire manage- ment,” he said.
goal for the sector to be trending towards car- bon neutrality by the same year.
NFF CEO Tony Ma- har said research and development and the ability to innovate and develop new technolo- gies across the econo- my will shape our ca- pacity to transition to a low-emissions future.
“There’s no doubt ag- riculture will continue to play a significant role in a low-carbon future as an industry that can both emit and sequester carbon.
“The NFF and our members recognise the broader challenges of emissions reduction, especially in electricity and transport, both of which are major cost contributors to the ag- riculture sector,” Mr Mahar said.
“The report rightly seeks to have all op- tions on the table for consideration,” he said.
“Greater technologi- cal investment will en- sure agriculture can contribute to Austral- ia’s emissions reduction goals while allowing farmers to grow food and fibre for a growing global population.”
“Affordable and reli- able electricity will be important going for- ward, in which gas gen- eration will play a part in firming the grid.
“There are a range of technologies that con- tinue to be under devel- opment such as hydro- gen, which if proved, provide significant transition opportunities as an alternative fuel source.”
The agriculture sec- tor has already made a significant contribution to Australia’s emissions reduction targets.
“The paper also ac- knowledges the role of microgrids and stand- alone power systems in lowering costs and emissions and improv- ing reliability for rural and remote communi- ties.
Mr Mahar said while such technologies were being developed there was a continued need to manage a careful and just transition.
Between 1996 and 2016, agriculture re- duced greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 63 percent.
“The NFF looks for- ward to further engage- ment through the dis- cussion paper process.”
“A sensible and meas- ured approach to transi- tion is critical, especial- ly during these tough economic conditions.”
As part of its vision for farmgate output to tally $100 billion by
Mr Mahar said im- portantly, the paper recognised the oppor- tunity for agriculture to be part of a low-carbon future.
“In the agriculture sector, there are oppor- tunities to improve soil carbon levels and live-
Page 8 – National Poultry Newspaper, June 2020
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