Intestinal gene expression profile in free-range laying hens with divergent behaviour and body weight

Abstract

<p>Investigating the time budgets of free-range laying hens have recently found associations between range use and production traits, including egg laying performance and body weight (Sibanda <i>et al</i>. 2020). Differences in range usage of hens in free-range systems reflect particular preferences and behaviours where some hens will spend more time in outdoor areas ('rangers') while others will stay inside the sheds ('stayers'). We hypothesised that different biological processes take place in these hens based on their range use or body weight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the gene expression profile in jejunal tissue obtained from ranger and stayer hens with divergent body weight using RNA sequencing.</p>