Research/Mortality in free range flocks
From Poultry Hub
Title: Mortality in free range flocks; development of framework for National Survey (Pilot trial)
Project Leader: Nagle at QDPI&F funded by Poultry CRC (Project 05-13)
Duration of Project: Now completed (1 October 2005 to 30 June 2008)
Contents |
Project overview
This pilot study is the first scientific evaluation of the major causes of mortality in commercial free-range layer flocks in Australia.
Project objectives
The project aims to develop a framework for a national survey into the causes of free-range layer mortality through:
- a survey of all free-range layer producers in Australia to indicate causes of mortality in the industry so we can tailor the epidemiological survey and ensure temporal/locality issues are covered; and
- a small focussed epidemiological study on the causes of mortality in Southeast Queensland to indicate level of sampling required to provide rigorous data.
Project progress
This project has been completed and the Final Report is available from the Poultry CRC (ISBN: 1 921010 26 6). Read the Executive Summary.
See Optimising liveability of free-range layers for the report's main recommendations for producers.
Fourteen free range producers replied to the nationwide survey. While disease was an important cause of mortality in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, Queensland and Victoria also had problems with predators. Victoria recorded heat stress as an important cause of mortality. Egg peritonitis, prolapse / protusion, cannibalism and vent pecking were all seen as important causes of mortality in all states.
