Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 30, 2025
06:38
In Ovo Feeding of Commercial Broiler Eggs: An Accurate and Reproducible Method to Affect Muscle Development and Growth
Published on: September 20, 2021
2.8K
Predation in Organic and Free-Range Egg Production
Monique Bestman1, Judith Bikker-Ouwejan1
1Louis Bolk Institute, Kosterijland 3-5, 3981 AJ Bunnik, The Netherlands.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|January 25, 2020
Summary
Predation by birds of prey significantly impacts organic and free-range poultry farms, causing substantial hen mortality and financial losses. This study quantifies these losses, highlighting the need for effective predator management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Agricultural Economics
- Wildlife Ecology
Background:
- Organic and free-range poultry farming prioritizes animal welfare through outdoor access.
- Farmers report significant losses of poultry attributed to predators, including birds of prey.
- Unaccounted missing hens and carcasses suggest predation as a major mortality factor impacting farm yields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify the impact of birds of prey on chicken mortality in organic/free-range egg production systems.
- To assess the economic losses incurred by farms due to predation by birds of prey.
- To provide data supporting the understanding of chicken mortality caused by avian predators.
Main Methods:
- Conducted field observations across 11 organic/free-range poultry farms.
- Documented sightings of birds of prey and instances of attacks on hens.
- Administered an online survey to 27 farms experiencing predation to estimate losses.
Main Results:
- 141 sightings of birds of prey (common buzzards, northern goshawks) were recorded.
- 36 out of 44 found carcasses were likely killed by birds of prey or foxes; 16 attacks were witnessed.
- Estimated 3.7% flock mortality due to predation, contributing to significant annual yield losses per farm (EUR 5700-6700).
Conclusions:
- Birds of prey are confirmed predators of chickens on organic/free-range farms.
- Predation by birds of prey represents a significant economic burden on poultry producers.
- Findings underscore the need for integrated strategies to mitigate avian predation in free-range poultry systems.
Related Concept Videos
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
20.9K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
20.9K
01:01Production Efficiency
18.0K
Net production efficiency (NPE) is the efficiency at which organisms assimilate energy into biomass for the next trophic level. Due to low metabolic rates and less energy spent on thermoregulatory processes, the NPE of ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) is 10 times higher than endotherms (warm-blooded animals).
18.0K
00:48Optimal Foraging
13.3K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
13.3K
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
12.5K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
12.5K
00:55Parental Care
12.5K
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
12.5K
00:51Energy Budgets
10.5K
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
10.5K