# Effects of Dust Bath Design on Hen Behavior in New Aviary Systems in China

## TL;DR

This study explores how dust bath design affects laying hens' dustbathing behavior in new aviary systems in China.

## Contribution

The study identifies optimal dust bath dimensions and shapes that enhance hens' natural behavior in controlled aviary systems.

## Key findings

- Circular dust baths with a 5 cm depth of substrate improved hens' dustbathing behavior.
- Increasing the number of dust baths did not significantly increase the proportion of hens dustbathing.
- A 50 cm diameter circular dust bath met the hens' dustbathing needs effectively.

## Abstract

An important behavior of laying hens is dustbathing, which generally occurs in areas covered with litter. Extensive litter areas commonly used in aviaries can lead to reduced air quality and increased incidence of diseases, making them unsuitable for deployment in new large cage aviary unit systems. Using dust baths to provide dustbathing materials is a better option because they offer advantages in terms of continuous availability, but their design lacks unified standards. This study examined how different areas, shapes of dust baths, and depths of dustbathing materials affect the dustbathing behavior of hens. After increasing the dust bath areas, the daily proportion of dustbathing hens did not increase. Both the dust bath shape and the dustbathing material depth could affect the dustbathing expression. The hens exhibited better dustbathing behavior in circular dust baths and with 5 cm deep dustbathing materials. These findings can provide a basis for the design of dust baths in new aviary systems.

Alternative housing systems for laying hens, such as the aviary, promote the expression of dustbathing behavior by providing substrate materials to improve their welfare. However, extensive litter areas in aviaries can lead to reduced air quality and increased incidence of diseases, making them unsuitable for deployment in new large cage aviary unit (LCAU) systems in China. Dust baths have advantages in terms of continuous availability, but their design lacks unified standards. This study explored the effects of different areas, shapes (circular and square), and substrate depths (1 cm, 5 cm, 9 cm) of dust baths on dustbathing behavior in LCAU systems by recording digital video. Each LCAU system was initially populated with 305 Jingfen No. 2 laying hens at 50 days of age. The dust baths were initially placed on the bottommost tier at 66 days of age. The results showed that after approximately 3 weeks of adaptation to dustbathing, the average daily proportion of dustbathing hens within the flock stabilized at approximately 10%. A 50 cm diameter circular dust bath could accommodate their dustbathing requirements. Increasing the number of circular dust baths to 2 did not significantly affect the daily proportion of dustbathing hens. Both the circular dust bath and a 5 cm depth substrate resulted in better expression of the hens’ side rubbing behavior and the lower frequency of tossing behavior.