Analysis of the nesting behaviour from laying hens in a floor system

Two flocks of the Lohmann Silver strain (N((LS1)) = 366, N((LS2)) = 353) were tested for their individual nesting behaviour at the experimental station Thalhausen, which belongs to the Technical University of Munich. For 12 or rather five 28-day laying periods the laying hens, which were tagged with a transponder, were reliably identified in the Weihenstephan Funnel Nest Box. Automatically registered was the time when each hen entered and left the nest box, as well as the exact oviposition time. The hens started laying briefly after the beginning of artificial daylight and they had laid up to 90% of all eggs in the following five hours. The duration of stay in a nest box with oviposition, took an average of 30 minutes and differed greatly to that as eggs were not laid, which took an average of 10 minutes. Further variations of the duration of stay in the nest box were observed according to the ratio: nest box to hen. When the ratios were high, or during the main laying time, when most of the nests were occupied, the hens were stressed and they left the nest box earlier even though the nest box was closed for other hens of the same flock whilst one hen was still inside. The utilisation of the nest boxes which were arranged in two rows, took place in the lower row more than in the upper row and reached between 7 and 8 a.m., with over 90%, their maximum. A division of the duration of stay in two periods, one up to oviposition and one after, showing that the hens spent most of their time in the nest box up to oviposition and that they leave the next box soon after oviposition.