1MG FlippingBooks
Good eggs: roaming chickens more productive than nest-dwellers
Elizabeth Gracie
Researchers at Australia’s University of New England (UNE) have found that free-range chickens are more productive when it comes to egg-laying due to increased levels of general wellbeing in one of the most ambitious chicken tracking projects ever undertaken.
The project was conducted in collaboration with the Precision Agriculture Research Group and the Computation, Analytics, Software, and Informatics team at UNE.
Dr. Isabelle Ruhnke from UNE led the project and used electronic tags to track approximately 15,625 chickens across five separate free-range chicken sheds from the age of 16 weeks to 74 weeks when they were removed from the shed.
She found that chickens who are free-range produce 15 - 20 percent more eggs at 22 weeks of age than those who stay in the nest, overturning a long-held belief of egg producers that ranging chickens are less productive.
According to Dr. Ruhnke, a 15 percent difference in productive capacity is significant.
“In some operations, a one percent increase in egg output can translate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra revenue a year”.
However Dr. Ruhnke says it is important to remember that giving chickens the opportunity to range does not necessarily mean they will accept the offer.
“Despite thousands of generations of domestication, some birds are likely to feel vulnerable under open skies and feel safer undercover” said Dr. Ruhkne.
The findings of this research also opened up questions surrounding chicken management and feeding habits.
“If the ‘rangers’ and the ‘stayers’ peak with their production at different times, as we have found, then producers can probably benefit from providing different feed mixes to the chickens often found outside, the lower feeders tiers of the shed, and those who rarely leave but stay on higher in-shed structures,” said Dr. Ruhkne.
“Feed can represent up to 70 percent of the cost of egg production”.
According to UNE, the project has shown the value of tracking individual hens to identify patterns of behavior.
NEWS
High-precision GNSS was too costly and complex but RTK GNSS innovations have made centimetre accuracy sustainable in Ag-Tech.
Created by a Queensland couple, Farmshare Agistment is a new Aussie-made website making it easier than ever for horse and cattle owners nationwide to find agistment.
Merlo Australia empowers modern agriculture with versatile telehandlers that boost efficiency, cut costs, and deliver long-term value, helping farmers streamline workflows and adapt to industry demands.
Founded in 1924, CEAT has grown into a prominent name in the global tyre industry. Its journey in India began in 1958 through a partnership with the RPG Group, evolving over the decades into a multinational leader. CEAT Specialty, a division focused exclusively on off-highway tyres, serves diverse sectors including agriculture, construction, and mining with a robust and innovative product lineup.
Hannaford marks 100 years in 2025 of helping growers improve seed quality, reduce crop risks, and boost farm productivity with trusted local services.
In good news for mango lovers, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has identified a way to extend the storage life of the popular tropical fruit.
