Chicken

The interactions of cage size, cage level, social density, fearfulness and production of Single Comb White Leghorns

Hens housed in the top row of a double-tier caging system appeared more fearful than those caged in the bottom row.

Year Published: 1976Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Sefton, A. E. 1976. The interactions of cage size, cage level, social density, fearfulness and production of Single Comb White Leghorns. Poultry Science 55, 1922-1926.

The influence of handling on egg production, egg shell quality and avoidance behaviour of hens

Regular gentle-handling of chickens reduced fear and avoidance of humans.

Year Published: 1976Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hughes, B. O., Black, A. J. 1976. The influence of handling on egg production, egg shell quality and avoidance behaviour of hens. British Poultry Science 17, 135-144.

Preference decisions of domestic hens for wire or litter floors

Caged hens show a preference for litter over wire floors.

Year Published: 1976Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hughes, B. O. 1976. Preference decisions of domestic hens for wire or litter floors. Applied Animal Ethology (Applied Animal Behaviour Science) 2, 155-165.

Do hens suffer in battery cages? Environmental preferences and welfare

The really rather surprising result of this experiment was the lack of demonstrated preference for either the [barren] pen or the [barren] battery cages. ... Once reason why a preference was not demonstrated may have been that the chickens did...

Year Published: 1977Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Dawkins, M. 1977. Do hens suffer in battery cages? Environmental preferences and welfare. Animal Behaviour 25, 1034-1046.

Welfare and the structure of a battery cage: Size and cage floor preferences in domestic hens

Hens were found to prefer a larger [barren] over a smaller [barren] cage, and a cage with a grass floor over one with a wire floor. When cage size and floor type were opposed, hens chose to enter a small...

Year Published: 1978Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Dawkins, M. 1978. Welfare and the structure of a battery cage: Size and cage floor preferences in domestic hens. British Veterinary Journal 134, 469-475.

Effects of social isolation and social separation in domestic chicks

Social isolation and separation from conspecifics is a distressing experience.

Year Published: 1977Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Rajecki, D. W., Suomi, S. J., Scott, E. A. et al. 1977. Effects of social isolation and social separation in domestic chicks. Developmental Psychology 13, 143-155.

Temporal effects of mirror-image stimulation on pecking and peeping in isolate, pair- and group-reared domestic chicks

Isolated chicks exhibit responses to a mirror similar to those seen in the presence of a conspecific

Year Published: 1978Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Montevecchi, W. A., Noel, P. E. 1978. Temporal effects of mirror-image stimulation on pecking and peeping in isolate, pair- and group-reared domestic chicks. Behavioral Biology 23, 531-535.

Growth and the plasma concentrations of growth hormone and prolactin in chicks: Effects of ‘environmental enrichment’, sex and strain

The enriched boxes were similar to the bare ones but also contained the following objects: two large red rubbing bungs, a golf ball, a bottle top, two coloured table tennis balls hanging from the cage lid, two lengths of string......

Year Published: 1980Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B., Harvey, S., Hughes, B. O. et al. 1980. Growth and the plasma concentrations of growth hormone and prolactin in chicks: Effects of 'environmental enrichment', sex and strain. British Poultry Science 21(6), 457-462.

Priorities in the cage size and flooring preferences of domestic hens

The experiments described demonstrate that hens prefer larger to smaller cages and litter floors to wire ones, but that they give highest priority to flooring. ...As far as the hens' immediate response to their environment is concerned, spacer per se...

Year Published: 1981Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Dawkins, M. 1981. Priorities in the cage size and flooring preferences of domestic hens. British Poultry Science 22, 255-263.

Opioid blockade and social comfort in chicks

When young animals are separated from their normal social environment in groups they distress vocalize (DV) less than when isolated alone. Opioid blockade with naloxone (1 mg/kg peripherally, and 1 microgram centrally) increased crying more in group tested chicks than...

Year Published: 1980Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Panksepp J., Bean, N. J., Bishop, P. et al. 1980. Opioid blockade and social comfort in chicks. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior 13(5), 673-83.