Managing free-range layers during a housing order

Last year free-range birds across the UK were forcibly housed to mitigate the risk of commercial flocks’ exposure to avian influenza. A new survey, presented at the Society of Feed Technologists Poultry conference, sought to discover the impact on bird performance. Free-range hens subject to sudden housing tend to have poorer feather cover and can display flighty and anxious behaviour but, overall, most flocks record only a small impact on performance. A new survey, taken after last winter’