Chicken

Development and validation of broiler welfare assessment methods for research and on-farm audits

Required auditing of on-farm broiler welfare in the United States has increased; however, a lack of validated tools exists for assessment of enrichment. National Chicken Council (NCC) guidelines were used on a subset of 300 Ross 308 broilers out of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Meyer, M. M., Johnson, A. K., Bobeck, E. A. 2020. Development and validation of broiler welfare assessment methods for research and on-farm audits. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23(4), 433-446.

Efficient, effective, reusable, and customizable social housing for chickens in the laboratory

The Iowa State University Laboratory Animal Resources Department needed caging specifically designed and purposed to socially house chickens in the laboratory. As indoor housing requests for chickens increased, the need for a dedicated caging system for chickens became a high...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Augustin, A. J., Crabbs, M. A., Sour, M. C. et al. 2020. Efficient, effective, reusable, and customizable social housing for chickens in the laboratory. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 56-58.

Floor substrate preferences of chickens: A meta-analysis

Environmental enrichment promotes sensory and motor stimulation for species-typical behaviors, which in turn enhance animal well-being. For farmed Galliformes, housing systems often limit enrichment to bedding and litter, that simultaneously act as material for dustbathing and foraging. Therefore, this meta-analysis...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Monckton, V., Ellis, J. L., Harlander-Matauschek, A. 2020. Floor substrate preferences of chickens: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 584162.

Hens with benefits: Can environmental enrichment make chickens more resilient to stress?

Resilience, the degree to which individuals are physiologically and behaviourally impacted by stressors, can be enhanced by positive experiences (e.g. positive moods in human, environmental enrichment in rodents). Such effects are important for human health, but could also have important...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Ross, M., Rausch, Q., Vandenberg, B. et al. 2020. Hens with benefits: Can environmental enrichment make chickens more resilient to stress? Physiology Behavior, 226, 113077.

How does ultraviolet light affect layer production, fear, and stress

The lighting spectrum used in modern poultry production commonly lacks significant amounts of ultraviolet light; however, poultry can perceive the ultraviolet spectrum unlike humans and little research has been done to investigate the importance of this part of the spectrum...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Sobotik, E. B., Nelson, J. R., Archer, G. S. 2020. How does ultraviolet light affect layer production, fear, and stress. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 223, 104926.

Impact of flooring type on the sham dustbathing behaviour of caged laying hens

Feed particles are preferred for foraging and they are also a stimulus for sham dustbathing. Most sham dustbathing bouts start with bill raking in the feed by caged hens. As hens often exhibit a floor scratching behaviour, an element of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Moroki, Y. 2020. Impact of flooring type on the sham dustbathing behaviour of caged laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 230, 105066.

Importance of basic research on the causes of feather pecking in relation to welfare

Feather pecking is a prominent issue in the commercial egg industry, associated with economic losses and welfare problems. A non-systematic literature search suggests that studies on feather pecking are predominantly concerned with applied research goals. That is to say, they...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Fijn, L., van der Staay, F., Goerlich-Jansson, V. et al. 2020. Importance of basic research on the causes of feather pecking in relation to welfare. Animals 10(2), 213.

Play behaviour reduced by environmental enrichment in fast-growing broiler chickens

The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of environmental enrichment on play behaviour in fast-growing broiler chickens. Chicks (19 of each sex) were randomly assigned to 6 non-enriched (NE) pens and 6 pens enriched (E) with a raised...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Liu, Z., Torrey, S., Newberry, R. C. et al. 2020. Play behaviour reduced by environmental enrichment in fast-growing broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 232, 105098.

Rearing enrichments affected ranging behavior in free-range laying hens

Within Australia, free-range systems are prevalent, but pullets destined for range access are reared indoors. This mismatch between rearing and layer housing may hinder adaptation to the free-range environment. Rearing enrichments could enhance pullet development. A total of 1,386 Hy-Line...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Campbell, D. L. M., Dyall, T. R., Downing, J. A. et al. 2020. Rearing enrichments affected ranging behavior in free-range laying hens. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 446.

Relationships between rearing enrichments, range use, and an environmental stressor for free-range laying hen welfare

Enrichments during pullet rearing may improve adaptation and welfare of hens as they move from indoor rearing to a free-range system. Individual variation in outdoor ranging may also affect welfare. This study assessed the effects of rearing enrichments and an...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Bari, M. S., Downing, J. A., Dyall, T. R. et al. 2020. Relationships between rearing enrichments, range use, and an environmental stressor for free-range laying hen welfare. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 480.