1. Participants information |
address, phone number, e-mail and website information |
2. Farm and flock characteristics |
number of farms owned, breed of hen, number of flocks housed per year, average flock size, total number of hens/farm, the range and its components, range access, climatic conditions |
3. Housing and feeding |
climate control, feeders and drinkers, feed characteristics, nesting |
4. Rearing and production |
pullet rearing, laying hen performance |
5. Health and welfare |
mortality rate, cause of mortality, most prevalent disease, parasites, frequency of veterinarian visits |
6. Biosecurity |
biosecurity measures practiced on farm |
7. Manure management |
vegetative cover and water bodies, manure and surface run-off management |
8. Factors influencing free-range farming |
reasons for adoption of this type of farming, anticipated years in operation, support system, skill base, access to scientific knowledge, areas priortised for research. |