Publications

Are practice recommendations for the prevention of feather pecking in laying hens in non-cage systems in line with the results of experimental and epidemiological studies?

Feather pecking (FP) in laying hens is an important animal welfare problem in practice, despite extensive research and increasing sources of advice for farmers. We aimed to give an overview over results from experimental and epidemiological studies. We included non-cage...

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

Citation: Jung, L., Knierim, U. 2018. Are practice recommendations for the prevention of feather pecking in laying hens in non-cage systems in line with the results of experimental and epidemiological studies? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 1-12.

Access to litter during rearing and environmental enrichment during production reduce fearfulness in adult laying hens

Exaggerated fear-reactions are associated with injurious flying, smothering, feather pecking and other events that compromise animal welfare in laying hens. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that chicks with access to litter during the first five...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Brantsæter, M., Tahamtani, F. M., Nordgreen, J. et al. 2017. Access to litter during rearing and environmental enrichment during production reduce fearfulness in adult laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 189, 49-56.

Nest alternatives: Adding a wire partition to the scratch area affects nest use and nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages

Furnished cages (FC) are designed to accommodate highly motivated behaviour patterns like nesting; however, how hens perceive the resources provided in FCs is not fully understood. Our previous research of hens in FCs with a curtained nest (plastic mesh floor)...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Hunniford, M. E., Widowski, T. M. 2017. Nest alternatives: Adding a wire partition to the scratch area affects nest use and nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 29-34.

Use of aerial perches and perches on aviary tiers by broiler breeders

Perching, especially during the night, is an innate behaviour of chickens and the provision of perches is mandatory for laying hens in multiple countries. We examined whether broiler breeders of the fast (Ross 308) and relatively slow (Sasso) growing hybrids...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Gebhardt-Henrich, S. G., Toscano, M. J., Würbel, H. 2018. Use of aerial perches and perches on aviary tiers by broiler breeders. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 203, 24-33.

Provision of a resource package reduces feather pecking and improves ranging distribution on free-range layer farms

The effect of a resource package designed to reduce inter-bird pecking and increase range use was tested on fourteen free-range farms in the UK. The package comprised two types of objects intended to attract pecking behaviour: ‘pecking pans' containing a...

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

Citation: Pettersson, I. C., Weeks, C. A., Nicol, C. J. 2017. Provision of a resource package reduces feather pecking and improves ranging distribution on free-range layer farms. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 195, 60-66.

Effect of free-range access, shelter type and weather conditions on free-range use and welfare of slow-growing broiler chickens

Free-range access for broiler chickens can benefit animal welfare because the birds have access to a more natural environment and more opportunities to perform natural behaviours than in indoor systems. Also, they have more space and more environmental enrichment, which...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Stadig, L. M., Rodenburg, T. B., Ampe, B. et al. 2017. Effect of free-range access, shelter type and weather conditions on free-range use and welfare of slow-growing broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 192, 15-23.

Use of a pneumatic push gate to measure dairy cattle motivation to lie down in a deep-bedded area

Persistence of willingness to work has been used to measure the importance of resources and performance of species-specific behaviors. Our objectives were to develop and validate a “push-door” model to assess cattle motivation to lie down in a deep-bedded area....

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Tucker, C. B., Munksgaard, L., Mintline, E. M. et al. 2018. Use of a pneumatic push gate to measure dairy cattle motivation to lie down in a deep-bedded area. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 201, 15-24.

Looking forward to interacting with their caretakers: dolphins’ anticipatory behaviour indicates motivation to participate in specific events

Anticipatory behaviour describes the actions taken to prepare for an upcoming event. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in captivity are known to display anticipatory behaviours before feeding sessions, but it is unknown whether they would anticipate non-alimentary events. Furthermore, there is...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Clegg, I. L. K., Rödel, H. G., Boivin, X. 2018. Looking forward to interacting with their caretakers: dolphins' anticipatory behaviour indicates motivation to participate in specific events. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 202, 85-93.

Exposing avian embryos to light affects post-hatch anti-predator fear responses

Environmental stimuli present during incubation can impact the behavior of birds post-hatch. To determine the effect of exposing broiler chicken embryos to light on fear-related behavior post-hatch, we conducted two experiments in which we incubated eggs under various light schedules,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Archer, G. S., Mench, J. A. 2017. Exposing avian embryos to light affects post-hatch anti-predator fear responses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 80-84.

Evaluation of a dustbathing substrate and straw bales as environmental enrichments in commercial broiler housing

The use of straw bales as an environmental enrichment is common for broiler chickens in enriched housing systems, however relatively little information exists about their effectiveness in improving welfare. There has also been no widespread introduction of a dustbathing material...

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

Citation: Baxter, M., Bailie, C. L., O'Connell, N. E. 2018. Evaluation of a dustbathing substrate and straw bales as environmental enrichments in commercial broiler housing. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 78-85.