Chicken

The effect of rearing environment on feather pecking in young and adult laying hens

Although the rearing period has an important influence on the development of feather pecking in laying hens, few studies have quantified the risk factors operating on commercial farms during this time and identified their long-term impact. Our aim was to...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Gilani, A.-M., Knowles, T. G., Nicol, C. J. 2013. The effect of rearing environment on feather pecking in young and adult laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 148(1), 54–63.

Feather pecking in non-beak-trimmed and beak-trimmed laying hens on commercial farms with aviaries

Severe feather pecking (SFP) is a major animal welfare problem in layers. It results in pain and injuries in the affected animal. SFP is a behavioral disorder and should not be confused with aggressive pecking. The aim of our study...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Body Modification/Mutilation, Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Schwarzer, A., Plattner, C., Bergmann, S. et al. 2021. Feather pecking in non-beak-trimmed and beak-trimmed laying hens on commercial farms with aviaries. Animals 11(11).

Feather pecking and cannibalism in non-beak-trimmed laying hen flocks—Farmers’ perspectives

Pecking-related problems are common in intensive egg production, diminishing hen welfare and production performance, and negatively affecting sustainability. Beak trimming is a common practice to control these problems, but in Finland beak trimming is prohibited. Finnish egg producers have decades-long...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Body Modification/Mutilation, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Kaukonen, E., Valros, A. 2019. Feather pecking and cannibalism in non-beak-trimmed laying hen flocks—Farmers’ perspectives Animals 9(2).

Cause and prevention of injurious pecking in chickens

This collection features three peer-reviewed literature reviews on feather-pecking in poultry. The first chapter describes the three main forms of injurious pecking (IP) in poultry: tissue pecking (TP), aggressive pecking (AP) and feather-pecking (FP). It discusses the origin of severe...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Body Modification/Mutilation, Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: van Staaveren, N., Harlander, A. 2021. Cause and prevention of injurious pecking in chickens. In N. van Staaveren, A. Harlander, D. D. McKeegan, et al. (Eds.), Instant Insights: Feather-pecking in poultry. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.

Relationships between beak condition, preening behavior and ectoparasite infestation levels in laying hens

The effects of beak condition on ectoparasite populations and preening in laying hens were investigated. Beak-trimmed and beak-intact caged Hy-Line W-36 hens were infested with either chicken body lice or northern fowl mites using a 2 × 2 factorial design...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Vezzoli, G., Mullens, B. A., Mench, J. A. 2015. Relationships between beak condition, preening behavior and ectoparasite infestation levels in laying hens. Poultry Science 94(9), 1997–2007.

Beak trimming reduces feeding efficiency of hens

The ability of beak-trimmed and intact laying hens to ingest feed pellets was examined by highspeed video filming of feeding birds. The birds were exposed to either a deep layer of pellets or a single layer of pellets. In the...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Prescott, N. B., Bonser, R. H. C. 2004. Beak Trimming Reduces Feeding Efficiency of Hens. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 13(3), 468–471.

Neurobiological basis of sensory perception: welfare implications of beak trimming

The practice of beak trimming in the poultry industry occurs to prevent excessive body pecking, cannibalism, and to avoid feed wastage. To assess the welfare implications of the procedure, an emphasis of this paper has been placed on the anatomical...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Kuenzel, W. J. 2007. Neurobiological Basis of Sensory Perception: Welfare Implications of Beak Trimming. Poultry Science 86(6), 1273–1282.

Infrared beak treatment method compared with conventional hot-blade trimming in laying hens

Infrared lasers have been widely used for noninvasive surgical applications in human medicine, and their results are reliable, predictable, and reproducible. Infrared lasers have recently been designed for the express purpose of providing a less painful, more precise beak-trimming method...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Dennis, R. L., Fahey, A. G., Cheng, H. W. 2009. Infrared beak treatment method compared with conventional hot-blade trimming in laying hens. Poultry Science 88(1), 38–43.

Pain issues in poultry

This review highlights the possible pain experienced by layer and broiler poultry in modern husbandry conditions. Receptors which respond to noxous stimulation (nociceptors) have been identified and physiologically characterised in many different part of the body of the chicken including...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Body Modification/Mutilation, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Gentle, M. J. 2011. Pain issues in poultry. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 135(3), 252–258.

Current methods and techniques of beak trimming laying hens, welfare issues and alternative approaches

Current methods and techniques of beak trimming laying hens, welfare issues and alternative approaches Beak trimming is used in the egg industry to prevent mortality from cannibalism and minimise injurious pecking, vent pecking, aggressive pecking at the head and all...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Glatz, P. C., Underwood, G. 2020. Current methods and techniques of beak trimming laying hens, welfare issues and alternative approaches. Animal Production Science, 61(10), 968–989.