{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T05:06:50Z","timestamp":1789016810343,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]],"date-time":"2026-09-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788566400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100020362","name":"Interreg North-West Europe","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["NWE 0200174"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NWE 0200174"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100020362","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["NWE 0200174"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NWE 0200174"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/027mm1153","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Effective welfare monitoring in laying hens is increasingly challenged by growing flock sizes, declining farm numbers, and the practical limitations of assessor-based protocols under commercial conditions. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies offer opportunities to support large-scale welfare assessment, yet their application in laying hens remains predominantly limited to small-scale or prototype systems. This study addresses three complementary objectives aimed at informing future computer-vision-based PLF research and development in commercially housed laying hens. First, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify welfare-related categories monitored in laying hens between 2005 and 2025, the methods used to assess them, and the extent to which automated monitoring approaches have been applied. Second, outcomes of a TransRegional Expert Panel (TREP) within the OMELETTE project were synthesised to rank priority welfare challenges, evaluate the feasibility of different monitoring approaches, and compare expert perspectives with trends identified in the literature. Third, two pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera setups implemented in semi-commercial aviary systems were described as proof-of-concept examples illustrating how multiple welfare challenges can be monitored using a single, multipurpose camera system. The literature review revealed a pronounced imbalance in monitoring frequency, with feather pecking dominating the literature while several other welfare challenges, including piling, disturbed sleep, and toe-pecking, remain comparatively underrepresented. TREP outcomes confirmed feather pecking as the highest-priority welfare challenge but also highlighted the importance of integrated monitoring approaches that combine time-intensive assessments, shorter checklists, and automated systems rather than relying on single indicators. Experts further considered the use of digital devices during routine barn inspections to be practically feasible. The PTZ proof-of-concept demonstrates how priority welfare challenges identified through both literature and expert input can be operationalised through automated, scheduled, and location-specific monitoring under commercial conditions. Together, these findings highlight the need for future PLF research to move beyond isolated measurements and small-scale trials towards integrated, cost-effective, and farm-specific welfare-monitoring systems that support adaptive, data-informed management strategies\u2014for example, within a Plan\u2013Do\u2013Check\u2013Act framework\u2014and enable the development of digital standard operating procedures that generate actionable insights under real-world commercial constraints.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16172794","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T09:23:37Z","timestamp":1788773017000},"page":"2794","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Integrated Welfare Monitoring in Laying Hens: A Systematic Literature Review, Expert Insights and a Camera Proof-of-Concept"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0326-539X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sam","family":"Willems","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"M3-BIORES Group, Division Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-8399-3878","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Am\u00e9lie","family":"Canon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"M3-BIORES Group, Division Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanne","family":"Coppens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"M3-BIORES Group, Division Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium"},{"name":"Vencomatic Group, Meerheide 200, 5521 DW Eersel, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5950-4842","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Niels","family":"Dema\u00eetre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Experimental Poultry Centre of Province of Antwerp, Poiel 77, 2440 Geel, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0806-1775","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nathalie","family":"Sleeckx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Experimental Poultry Centre of Province of Antwerp, Poiel 77, 2440 Geel, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0161-3189","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomas","family":"Norton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"M3-BIORES Group, Division Animal and Human Health Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.2527\/af.2017.0102","article-title":"General introduction to precision livestock farming","volume":"7","author":"Berckmans","year":"2017","journal-title":"Anim. 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