Influence of vertical panels on use of space by domestic fowl (2001)

Cornetto, T. L., Estevez , I.

Abstract

In the wild, cover is used by animals to seek shelter from the elements, protection from predators and aggressive conspecifics and as a way to reduce inter-animal communication. Rearing environments for captive raised fowl often contain open areas that are lacking in complexity and that are greatly underused. As a result, use of space within pen-type enclosures is often not uniform. This paper investigates the effect of increase environmental complexity on the use of space by broilers. The experiment consisted of three cover treatments (mesh panels, frame panels and no cover) and three group sizes (80, 110 and 140). The vertical panels, constructed of PVC piping, were positioned in pen centers, while the pen centers in the no cover treatment were left empty. .. Use of space in the central region for the two cover treatments was significantly higher than for the no cover treatment (P<0.0001). .. Over 80% of the use of pen center occurred at the ends and sides of the panels. These results support the hypothesis that the presence of vertical panels results in a more uniform distribution of birds within the pen by increasing the number of birds using the center.