THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT OF LIVING CONDITIONS AND NUTRITION ON THE MAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF EGG-LAYING CHICKEN BREEDS
Abstract
The living environments of chicken breeds raised in poultry farms can be effectively enriched using environmental enrichment methods compared to conventional cage systems. Chickens raised in outdoor or free-range conditions have the opportunity to express behaviors similar to those in the wild. Additionally, chickens in outdoor or free-range settings consume sand along with their feed, especially observed during their dust-bathing in soil or sand. This indicates that, on average, 10-20% of the daily diet of chickens in such conditions consists of sand.
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