Chicken

Effects of horizontal distance between perches on perching behaviors of Lohmann Hens

Perching is a highly-motivated natural behavior of laying hens that has been considered as one of the essential welfare requirements. The objective of the study was to evaluate perching behaviors of laying hens as affected by horizontal distance (HD) between...

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

Citation: Liu, K., Xin, H. 2017. Effects of horizontal distance between perches on perching behaviors of Lohmann Hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 54-61.

Abnormal repetitive behaviours in captive birds: A Tinbergian review

Abnormal repetitive behaviours (ARBs) are associated with past, or present, welfare problems and are common elements of the behavioural repertoire of some captive animals, including birds. Millions of birds from hundreds of species are held in various captive settings, yet...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken, Finch, Fowl, Other Bird, Parrot

Citation: Mellor, E., Brilot, B., Collins, S. 2018. Abnormal repetitive behaviours in captive birds: A Tinbergian review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 198, 109-120.

Effect of litter material and stocking density on bone and tendon strength, and productive performance in broilers

Litter material and stocking density were evaluated on welfare-related variables and productive performance in broilers. Male chicks (n = 744, “Ross 308” strain) were raised on either tezontle (TEZ) or wood shavings (WS) litter, with a stocking density of either...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Vargas-Galicia, A. J., Sosa-Montes, E. Rodríguez-Ortega, L. T. et al. 2017. Effect of litter material and stocking density on bone and tendon strength, and productive performance in broilers. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 97(4), 673-682.

Providing laying hens in group-housed enriched cages with access to barley silage reduces aggressive and feather-pecking behaviour

Two trials were conducted to study the effect of feeding barley silage on the behaviour and performance of beak-trimmed laying hens. In each trial, 20 hens and 2 roosters were housed in each of eight group-housed enriched cages, with four...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Johannson, S. G., Raginski, C., Schwean-Lardner, K. et al. 2016. Providing laying hens in group-housed enriched cages with access to barley silage reduces aggressive and feather-pecking behaviour. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 96(2), 161-171.

Evaluation of alternative euthanasia methods of neonatal chickens

Hatched male layer chicks are currently euthanized by maceration in the United States. Public concerns on the use of maceration have led to the search for alternative methods. We hypothesized that gas inhalation and low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS) are...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Gurung, S., White, D., Archer, G. et al. 2018. Evaluation of alternative euthanasia methods of neonatal chickens. Animals 8(3), 37.

Assessment of plumage and integument condition in dual-purpose breeds and conventional layers

The assessment of plumage and integument condition in laying hens provides useful information about the occurrence of feather pecking and cannibalism. Although feather loss and skin injuries can result from mechanical abrasion or clinical diseases, they are valid animal-based indicators...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Giersberg, M., Spindler, B., Kemper, N. 2017. Assessment of plumage and integument condition in dual-purpose breeds and conventional layers. Animals 7(12), 97.

Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens

Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as well as the welfare...

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

Citation: Chen, S., Xiang, H., Zhu, X. et al. 2018. Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens. Animals 8(6), 84.

Evaluation of two compressed air foam systems for culling caged layer hens

Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) and other highly contagious poultry diseases continue to be a concern for those involved in the poultry industry. In the situation of an outbreak, emergency depopulation of the birds involved is necessary. In this project,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Benson, E., Weiher, J., Alphin, R. et al. 2018. Evaluation of two compressed air foam systems for culling caged layer hens. Animals 8(5), 61.

Hens vary their vocal repertoire and structure when anticipating different types of reward

The vocalizations of nonhuman animals are considered potential indicators of motivational or internal state. In many species, different call types, and structural variation within call types, encode information about physical characteristics such as age or sex, or about variable traits...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: McGrath, N., Dunlop, R. Dwyer, C. et al. 2017. Hens vary their vocal repertoire and structure when anticipating different types of reward. Animal Behaviour 130, 79-96.

Effects of carprofen, meloxicam and butorphanol on broiler chickens’ performance in mobility tests

Lame broiler chickens perform poorly in standardised mobility tests and have nociceptive thresholds that differ from those of non-lame birds, even when confounding factors such as differences in bodyweight are accounted for. This study investigated whether these altered responses could...

Year Published: 2016Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hothersall, B., Caplen, G., Parker, R. M. A. et al. 2016. Effects of carprofen, meloxicam and butorphanol on broiler chickens' performance in mobility tests. Animal Welfare 25(1), 55-67.