Chicken

Production and behaviour of laying domestic fowls in outside pens

The birds outside produced on average as many eggs (337 in 560 days) as those inside (378), and of greater mean weight. ... Feather condition was better in birds in [outside] pens and their body weight was greater than that...

Year Published: 1984Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hughes, B. O., Dun, P. 1984. Production and behaviour of laying domestic fowls in outside pens. Applied Animal Ethology (Applied Animal Behaviour Science) 11, 201 (Abstract).

Fearfulness of hens caged individually or in groups in different tiers of a battery and the effects of translocation between tiers

Hens housed in the top tier of the 3-tier battery system were more fearful. The extra stimulation received by birds in the middle and bottom tiers may have reduced their fearfulness.

Year Published: 1985Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B. 1985. Fearfulness of hens caged individually or in groups in different tiers of a battery and the effects of translocation between tiers. British Poultry Science 26, 399-408.

Fear responses of individually-caged laying hens as a function of cage level and aisle

Hens housed individually in the top tier of the 3-tier battery system were more fearful. ... The extra stimulation received by birds in the middle and bottom tiers may have reduced their fearfulness in subsequent fear-inducing situations.

Year Published: 1985Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B. 1985. Fear responses of individually-caged laying hens as a function of cage level and aisle. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 14, 63-75.

Effects of type of cage partition, cage shape, and bird density on productivity and well-being of layers

In Experiment 1 there were no significant differences in rate of lay, egg quality, latency to feeding, and feather condition of hens in cages with wire mesh or solid metal side partitions. Birds in cages with solid metal side partitions...

Year Published: 1986Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Ramos, N. C., Anderson, K. E., Adams, A. W. 1986. Effects of type of cage partition, cage shape, and bird density on productivity and well-being of layers. Poultry Science 65, 2023-2028.

Influence of presence of perches during rearing on incidence of floor laying in broiler breeders

Flightiness was reduced in chickens reared in an environment where they had access to perches.

Year Published: 1987Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Brake, J. 1987. Influence of presence of perches during rearing on incidence of floor laying in broiler breeders. Poultry Science 66, 1587-1589.

Effect of cage height and area on the behavior of hens housed in battery cages

With increased area, head scratching, body shaking and feather raising were performed at a higher rate and cage pecking at a lower rate. .. Welfare implications are briefly discussed.

Year Published: 1987Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Nicol, C. J. 1987. Effect of cage height and area on the behavior of hens housed in battery cages. British Poultry Science 28, 327-336.

Preferences of domestic hens for cage size and floor types as measured by operant conditioning

Choice tests indicated that hens prefer large cages rather than small ones, and littered floors rather than wire floors. Hens placed only a low priority on having access to litter relative to increased cage size.

Year Published: 1987Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Lagadic, H., Faure, J.-M. 1987. Preferences of domestic hens for cage size and floor types as measured by operant conditioning. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 19, 147-155.

Effects on productivity and aggressive behavior of laying hens of solid versus wire cage partitions and bird density

The effects of solid metal cage partitions or wire mesh cage partitions and two cage densities (5 or 7 birds/60.9 cm × 35.6-cm shallow cage) on production performance traits, aggressive behavior, and feather covering of White Leghorn layers were assessed...

Year Published: 1987Topics: Housing, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Cunningham, D. L., Gvaryahu, G. 1987. Effects on productivity and aggressive behavior of laying hens of solid versus wire cage partitions and bird density. Poultry Science 66, 1583-1586.

Effects of playthings on prevention of cannibalism in rearing chickens

Access to enrichment items (e.g., corks, buttons, balls) reduced the incidence of cannibalism in young birds.

Year Published: 1987Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Yasutomi, M., Adachi, N. 1987. Effects of playthings on prevention of cannibalism in rearing chickens. Japanese Poultry Science 24, 372-373.

Short-term feather maintenance as a function of dust-bathing in laying hens

Dust-bathing regulates the amount of feather lipids and maintains down structure in good conditions in laying hens. Poor feather condition negatively influences animal welfare. Hens need an opportunity to bathe in a dusty substrate.

Year Published: 1987Animal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Van Liere, D. W., Bokma, S. 1987. Short-term feather maintenance as a function of dust-bathing in laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 18, 197-204.