The Effect of Housing System on the Coccidiosis Prevalence in Layers in Taiwan

10.30089/JAF.202406_71(2).0002

Shi-Qin Lin；Yi-Chun Lin

layer farm ； housing system ； coccidiosis prevalence

農林學報

71卷2期（2024 / 06 / 30）

85 - 96

英文

The battery cage system is common in the layer industry in Taiwan. Recently, with the rise of animal welfare awareness, alternative housing systems have become the future trend. However, among these, cage-free systems are thought to increase the chance for chickens to contact the feces. This may increase the risk of coccidiosis outbreak. This study invested the prevalence of coccidia infection in both traditional and hen welfare farms in Taiwan. A total of 10 traditional and 20 hen-friendly farms were recruited. We collected litter or feces for detecting coccidia oocysts and quantifying it as oocysts per gram of feces (OPG). Moreover, on-farm management strategies were obtained through the questionnaire. According to our investigation, no association was observed between the hen-welfare system and the positive detection of coccidia whereas, a significant association was observed between the cage system and positive coccidia detection (P = 0.012). Furthermore, there was a significant association between the use of preventive coccidiosis control strategies in non-cage systems (P < 0.001). Especially, the use of phytogenic and probiotic products for coccidiosis prevention was significantly associated with cage-free systems (P = 0.007). This indicated that most of the farmers who run cage-free farms were aware of coccidiosis and carried out prevention through improving management and animal health. The results above showed that through preventive control management and improving animal health, cage-free systems did not necessarily pose a higher risk of coccidiosis. Further study is required, including long-term monitoring and anatomical analysis, to confirm the relationship between coccidia infection and layer systems.