Track 2-04: Animal-Plant Interactions
Description
The sward of the outdoor run serves multiple important functions in free-range chicken husbandry systems. Vegetation ground cover is crucial for soil conservation. Moreover, by providing a foraging enrichment it is relevant for animal welfare (Shimmura et al. 2008). Scientific knowledge of the plant-animal interactions of swards in outdoor chicken runs is only just emerging. An understanding of these will help to improve swards both in view of the conservation of an intact vegetation cover, and for fostering animal welfare.
In the present field study, we investigated: (1) the growth of a number of grassland plant species under conditions of chicken stocking in order to identify species that provide a durable greening of run areas; and (2) the foraging behaviour of chickens on swards of different botanical composition and canopy cover. Based on these data, our aim was to determine properties of plants that are particularly suitable for greening outdoor chicken runs.
Included in
Plant Traits Relevant for Multi-Functionality of Grassland Swards for Free-Range Chicken Husbandry
The sward of the outdoor run serves multiple important functions in free-range chicken husbandry systems. Vegetation ground cover is crucial for soil conservation. Moreover, by providing a foraging enrichment it is relevant for animal welfare (Shimmura et al. 2008). Scientific knowledge of the plant-animal interactions of swards in outdoor chicken runs is only just emerging. An understanding of these will help to improve swards both in view of the conservation of an intact vegetation cover, and for fostering animal welfare.
In the present field study, we investigated: (1) the growth of a number of grassland plant species under conditions of chicken stocking in order to identify species that provide a durable greening of run areas; and (2) the foraging behaviour of chickens on swards of different botanical composition and canopy cover. Based on these data, our aim was to determine properties of plants that are particularly suitable for greening outdoor chicken runs.
