Dust baths and longer beaks can make cage-free chickens into mite-free chickens
Thursday, September 15, 2016 - 05:31
in Mathematics & Economics
Life is improving for America's chickens. Due to consumers' increasing interest in animal welfare, large portions of the poultry industry are shifting towards less restrictive housing. Many poultry farmers are replacing the conventional conjoined small wire cages, called "battery cages," with cage-free housing in large open poultry houses. Cage-free housing gives chickens freedom to walk around, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in real nest boxes. But life in this improved housing isn't just sweeter for the chicken, it may also be sweeter for the chicken's ectoparasites.