(A) The responsible party must catch, lift, and move poultry
humanely.
(B) Except for paragraph (C) of rule 901:12-3-05 of the
Administrative Code, birds can be caught or carried by one or both legs, and
are not to be caught, carried, or lifted by the head, neck, or
tail.
(C) The following livestock management procedures are acceptable
to minimize injury to the birds and, if performed, must be performed in a
humane manner:
(1) Beak conditioning;
(2) Toenail conditioning;
(3) Dubbing; and
(4) Induced molting:
If induced molting is used, the following
conditions must also be met:
(a) Use only non-feed withdrawal methods;
(b) Feed layers a maintenance ration for non-producing
layers;
(c) The light period reduced to no fewer than six hours in closed
houses, or to natural day length in open houses, for the duration of the rest
period. When the flock is placed back on a layer diet, lights should be
returned to the normal layer program; and
(d) During molt, monitor flock health, mortality, and bird
weight.
(D) Environmental management must be designed to control rodents,
non-beneficial insects, and parasite infestation in the birds, as it applies to
the flock's housing system.
(E) All poultry housing systems must meet the following
requirements:
(1) Provide a clean and safe environment
that promotes the health, welfare, and performance of layers at all stages of
their lives;
(2) If provided, provide good quality and
absorbent bedding;
(3) Manage environmental moisture,
whether birds are housed indoors or outdoors, to promote flock health and
welfare;
(4) Maximum stocking densities must allow
all poultry;
(a) To rest at the same time without being forced to rest on top
of each other at all stages of production; and
(b) To have access to feed and water without excessive
competition that prevents the individual animals from maintaining normal body
condition.
(5) Housing must be designed and
maintained in a manner which:
(a) Seeks to minimize the effects of adverse weather
conditions;
(b) Seeks to minimize conditions in which the bird cannot
effectively thermo-regulate;
(c) Provides sufficient ventilation to reduce concentrations of
carbon monoxide, ammonia, and dust; and
(d) Provides backup systems in working condition, in houses/barns
that require mechanized ventilation.
(6) Light intensity adequate for
observation during inspection; and
(7) If natural light is not available,
artificial light is provided for rearing and production.
(F) Conventional battery cage systems must meet the following
requirements:
(1) Systems installed after the initial
effective date of this rule are such that manure from birds in upper cage
levels does not drop directly on birds in lower level cages;
(2) The slope of the cage floor does not
exceed eight degrees;
(3) Systems installed on existing farms
after the initial effective date of this rule provide for a minimum of
sixty-seven square inches per layer;
(4) For systems installed prior to the
initial effective date of this rule, house/barn averaging results in a minimum
average of sixty-seven square inches per layer five years after the effective
date of this rule;
(5) An existing layer/pullet farm, after
the initial effective date of this rule, is not precluded from an expansion
using current cage housing systems;
(6) Conventional battery cages systems
may not be installed, after the initial effective date of the rule, on any farm
not defined as an existing farm; and
(7) Any housing system on an existing
farm may be replaced with the same housing system in the case of a catastrophic
event, including but not limited to fire, flood, wind, or building collapse,
that requires new construction to replace the existing housing
system.
(G) Enriched cage systems must, at a minimum, comply with
paragraphs (F)(1) to (F)(5) of this rule.
(H) Cage-free housing systems must meet the following
requirements:
(1) Cage-free housing systems installed
after the initial effective date of this rule provide a minimum of one hundred
forty-four square inches per layer;
(2) If perches are provided, the perches
are positioned to minimize fecal fouling of layers, feeders, and drinkers
below;
(3) If multi-tiered perches are used,
each tier allows hens to safely access other vertical tiers, including the
floor;
(4) If nests are provided, clean as
necessary to ensure that manure does not accumulate;
(5) For cage-free systems installed prior
to the implementation date of these standards, the responsible party must meet
paragraphs (H)(1) to (H)(4) of this rule five years after the effective date of
this rule; and,
(6) Cage-free layers with access to the
outdoors are provided reasonable protection from adverse weather conditions and
predators.
