Table 1.
Least squared means for intestinal parameters from hens housed in conventional cage and cage-free housing systems.
| Section | Parameter | Unit | CC | CF | SEM | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permeability | ng/mL | 114.23 | 101.31 | 9.8 | 0.348 | |
| Whole Intestine | Fluor | 971.69 | 866.68 | 199.16 | 0.709 | |
| Jejunum | Villus Height | μmol | 755.21 | 866.08 | 25.05 | 0.002 |
| Crypt Depth | μmol | 121.52 | 156.34 | 1.96 | <0.001 | |
| Ratio | μmol/μmol | 6.60 | 5.94 | 0.25 | 0.064 | |
| Ileum | Villus Height | μmol | 591.89 | 572.94 | 9.90 | 0.175 |
| Crypt Depth | μmol | 117.62 | 127.85 | 5.03 | 0.151 | |
| Ratio | μmol/μmol | 5.30 | 4.84 | 0.19 | 0.091 | |
| Goblet number | Count/mm21 | 1,170 | 686 | 74 | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: CC, conventional cage housing system; CF, cage-free housing system; Fluor, Fluorescence; SEM, standard error of the means.
1
Goblet cell count per area of each image.