ABSTRACT
A major challenge for these birds is the ability to maintain their body temperature during the transport trip. Birds are homeothermic and have the ability to control their body temperature within a narrow range (Yahav, 2009). To do so, however, birds must use a number of physiological and behavioural processes. EOL hens have significant challenges that may make some of these thermoregulation mechanisms more difficult compared to meat birds. In particular, EOL hens are often poorly feathered (Freeman, 1984; Richards et al., 2012), reducing the ability to trap warm air next to the body in cold weather and increasing the rate of heat loss (Knowles and Broom, 1990).
