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2026 Vol.28, Issue 2 Preview Page
Characterizing cage microclimates and their environmental drivers in commercial laying hen houses

산란계사에서 케이지 내 미기상 특성과 주요 영향 요인 분석

Ji-yeon Park1
,
Chae-rin Lee1
,
Se-yeon Lee1
,
Jun-hong Im2
,
Jinseon Park3
,
Rial Arifin Rajagukguk4
,
Se-woon Hong5*
,
Jung-hoo Song6
,
Hyo-hyeog Jeong7
박 지연1
,
이 채린1
,
이 세연1
,
임 준홍2
,
박 진선3
,
Rajagukguk Rial Arifin4
,
홍 세운5*
,
송 정후6
,
정 효혁7
1Ph.D. Student, Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed-Tideland Agriculture (BK21 Four), Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
2Master’s Student, Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed-Tideland Agriculture (BK21 Four), Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
3Research Professor, Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & AgriBio Institute of Climate Change Management, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
4Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
5Professor, Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed-Tideland Agriculture (BK21 Four), Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
6Master’s Student, Department of Rural Systems Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
7Ph.D, Department of Rural Systems Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
1전남대학교 지역・바이오시스템공학과 & BK21 기후지능형간척지농업교육연구팀 박사과정
2전남대학교 지역・바이오시스템공학과 & BK21 기후지능형간척지농업교육연구팀 석사과정
3전남대학교 지역・바이오시스템공학과 & 전남대학교 기후변화대응농생명연구소 연구교수
4전남대학교 지역・바이오시스템공학과 박사후연구원
5전남대학교 지역・바이오시스템공학과 & BK21 기후지능형간척지농업교육연구팀 교수
6서울대학교 지역시스템공학과 석사과정
7서울대학교 지역시스템공학과 박사
*Corresponding Author
31 August 2026. pp. 111-124
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Abstract

The microclimate within laying hen cages directly affects bird welfare and productivity, yet it remains poorly characterized by conventional aisle-based measurements. This study investigated cage microclimates and factors associated with environmental differences between cages and adjacent aisles in three commercial laying hen houses with different structural and operational conditions. Air temperature, relative humidity, and absolute humidity were continuously monitored inside cages, in aisles, and outdoors. Cage air temperature and absolute humidity were generally higher than those in adjacent aisles. Temperature differences between cages and aisles ranged from 0.71-3.47°C, 0.73-1.63°C, and 2.32-5.68°C at Sites 1, 2, and 3, respectively, with site-specific spatial patterns. Random Forest analysis showed that aisle temperature and aisle relative humidity had the highest importance for ΔT and ΔRH, whereas outdoor absolute humidity was most important for ΔAH, followed by aisle absolute humidity. OLS analysis showed negative linear relationships between the corresponding aisle variables and cage-aisle differences. These findings indicate that aisle measurements alone may not fully represent cage-level conditions and that spatial differences within cages should also be considered in environmental assessment.

Keywords
Cage microclimate
Laying hen house
Thermal environment
Temperature gradient
Animal welfare
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Animal Environmental Science & Technology
  • Publisher(Ko) :(사)한국축산환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Animal Environmental Science
  • Journal Title(Ko) :축산시설환경학회지
  • Volume : 28
  • No :2
  • Pages :111-124
  • Received Date : 2026-08-05
  • Revised Date : 2026-08-20
  • Accepted Date : 2026-08-24
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.11109/JAES.2026.28.2.111
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