The HenTrack project by Michael Toscano of the University of Bern’s Veterinary Public Health Institute (VPHI) and the leading suppliers of laying hen genetics, Lohmann Breeders in Germany and Hendrix Genetics in the Netherlands uses the latest findings from behavioral research on hens kept in cage-free housing with and without outdoor areas to incorporate them into breeding programs for laying hens.
Open Philanthropy, a foundation based in California, supports initiatives to improve animal welfare with a focus on projects like HenTrack to cause large global changes and has a particular interest in promoting the transition away from cage housing systems for laying hens. As a result, Open Philanthropy is now supporting the HenTrack project with USD 2.7 million.
The project will begin in 2023, last five years, and include four of the world’s most common high-performance hybrids, which lay particularly high numbers of eggs.
“Through this project, we want to find out which traits relate to the welfare and health of the animals in order to breed more robust and resistant chickens for cage-free housing while maintaining high performance in Switzerland and worldwide,” said Michael Toscano.
Healthier chickens for the world
The project is being carried out in an experimental barn used by the Center for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ) in Zollikofen. ZTHZ is a joint research center of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and the VPHI of the University of Bern.
The HenTrack project will monitor the behavior, health and welfare of individual laying hens during the laying period in the ZTHZ’s state-of-the-art, large-scale, cage-free research facilities.
“The fact that the joint HenTrack project is now being funded by Open Philanthropy is tantamount to an international award,” says David Spreng, Dean of the Vetsuisse Faculty in Bern. “I am very happy about this big funding award. It underlines the high quality of research at the Bern Vetsuisse Faculty on animal health and welfare.”
