Bird

Evaluation of a dustbathing substrate and straw bales as environmental enrichments in commercial broiler housing

The use of straw bales as an environmental enrichment is common for broiler chickens in enriched housing systems, however relatively little information exists about their effectiveness in improving welfare. There has also been no widespread introduction of a dustbathing material...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Baxter, M., Bailie, C. L., O'Connell, N. E. 2018. Evaluation of a dustbathing substrate and straw bales as environmental enrichments in commercial broiler housing. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 78-85.

Exploring perch provision options for commercial broiler chickens

Two related experiments involving broiler chickens are presented. Experiment 1 evaluated the use of six perch types: (1) an A-frame design (incorporating a platform and ramps), (2) a ‘flat top' ramp, (3) a curved ramp, (4) a suspended bar, (5)...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Bailie, C. L., Baxter, M., O'Connell, N. E. 2018. Exploring perch provision options for commercial broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 114-122.

Behavioural and physiological responses of laying hens to automated monitoring equipment

Automated monitoring of behaviour can offer a wealth of information in circumstances where observing behaviour is difficult or time consuming. However, this often requires attaching monitoring devices to the animal which can alter behaviour, potentially invalidating any data collected. Birds...

Year Published: 2018Topics: External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Buijs, S., Booth, F., Richards, G. et al. 2018. Behavioural and physiological responses of laying hens to automated monitoring equipment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 199, 17-23.

Feeder space affects access to the feeder, aggression, and feed conversion in laying hens in an aviary system

In laying hens, minimal requirements for feeder space (cm per bird) are based primarily on data from small groups of hens (n

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Sirovnik, J., Würbel, H., Toscano, M. J. 2018. Feeder space affects access to the feeder, aggression, and feed conversion in laying hens in an aviary system. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 198, 75-82.

Are practice recommendations for the prevention of feather pecking in laying hens in non-cage systems in line with the results of experimental and epidemiological studies?

Feather pecking (FP) in laying hens is an important animal welfare problem in practice, despite extensive research and increasing sources of advice for farmers. We aimed to give an overview over results from experimental and epidemiological studies. We included non-cage...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jung, L., Knierim, U. 2018. Are practice recommendations for the prevention of feather pecking in laying hens in non-cage systems in line with the results of experimental and epidemiological studies? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 1-12.

Access to litter during rearing and environmental enrichment during production reduce fearfulness in adult laying hens

Exaggerated fear-reactions are associated with injurious flying, smothering, feather pecking and other events that compromise animal welfare in laying hens. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that chicks with access to litter during the first five...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Brantsæter, M., Tahamtani, F. M., Nordgreen, J. et al. 2017. Access to litter during rearing and environmental enrichment during production reduce fearfulness in adult laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 189, 49-56.

Nest alternatives: Adding a wire partition to the scratch area affects nest use and nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages

Furnished cages (FC) are designed to accommodate highly motivated behaviour patterns like nesting; however, how hens perceive the resources provided in FCs is not fully understood. Our previous research of hens in FCs with a curtained nest (plastic mesh floor)...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hunniford, M. E., Widowski, T. M. 2017. Nest alternatives: Adding a wire partition to the scratch area affects nest use and nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 29-34.

Use of aerial perches and perches on aviary tiers by broiler breeders

Perching, especially during the night, is an innate behaviour of chickens and the provision of perches is mandatory for laying hens in multiple countries. We examined whether broiler breeders of the fast (Ross 308) and relatively slow (Sasso) growing hybrids...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Gebhardt-Henrich, S. G., Toscano, M. J., Würbel, H. 2018. Use of aerial perches and perches on aviary tiers by broiler breeders. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 203, 24-33.

Provision of a resource package reduces feather pecking and improves ranging distribution on free-range layer farms

The effect of a resource package designed to reduce inter-bird pecking and increase range use was tested on fourteen free-range farms in the UK. The package comprised two types of objects intended to attract pecking behaviour: ‘pecking pans' containing a...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Pettersson, I. C., Weeks, C. A., Nicol, C. J. 2017. Provision of a resource package reduces feather pecking and improves ranging distribution on free-range layer farms. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 195, 60-66.

Effect of free-range access, shelter type and weather conditions on free-range use and welfare of slow-growing broiler chickens

Free-range access for broiler chickens can benefit animal welfare because the birds have access to a more natural environment and more opportunities to perform natural behaviours than in indoor systems. Also, they have more space and more environmental enrichment, which...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Stadig, L. M., Rodenburg, T. B., Ampe, B. et al. 2017. Effect of free-range access, shelter type and weather conditions on free-range use and welfare of slow-growing broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 192, 15-23.