Multi-tissue transcriptome of laying hens in cage and cage-free systems
Welfare-friendly housing systems for laying hens, such as cage-free, have become prevalent. However, the physiological effects of housing systems on the laying hens remain poorly understood. Here, we compared behavioral characteristics and transcriptomic profiles from 90 multi-tissue samples among three housing systems: battery cage (BC), barn (BR), and free-range (FR). Barn and free-range housing promoted greater behavioral diversity compared to cages. Transcriptome analysis of central tissues (diencephalon and cerebral hemisphere) and peripheral tissues involved in egg production (liver, ovary, oviductal segments of magnum, and uterine).