Stress as a state of motivational systems
The complexity and apparent inconsistency in most physiological ‘stress indicators’ has led many scientists to doubt the scientific value of the concept. However, there is clear evidence that the psychological perception of the stressor and the situation modulates the physiological reactions, and psychological concepts such as predictability and controllability are central to contemporary stress research. […]
Why in earth? Dustbathing behaviour in jungle and domestic fowl reviewed from a Tinbergian and animal welfare perspective
Dustbathing has been the subject of much research in captive birds. In the present review we bring together the studies of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) and jungle fowl (G. gallus) to provide a more complete picture of the behaviour. Dustbathing is discussed from the four aspects suggested by Tinbergen [Tinbergen, N., 1963. On aims […]
Water bathing alters the speed-accuracy trade-off of escape flights in European starlings
Birds of most species regularly bathe in water, but the function of this behaviour is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that water bathing is important in feather maintenance, and hence should enhance flight performance. We manipulated European starlings’, Sturnus vulgaris, access to bathing water in a 2 × 2 design: birds were housed in aviaries either with […]
Feather pecking in domestic chicks: its relation to dustbathing and foraging
Feather pecking is a serious problem in poultry housing, as it may lead to feather damage, injuries and even mortality. We tested predictions of the two prevalent hypotheses claiming that feather pecking is related to dustbathing and foraging, respectively. Forty-two groups of 30 laying hen chicks,Gallus gallus domesticuswere reared in pens with a slatted floor. […]
Hens are motivated to dustbathe in peat irrespective of being reared with or without a suitable dustbathing substrate
Birds usually dustbathe in litter, but in the absence of this they sham dustbathe. The question addressed in this study was whether laying hens, Gallus gallus domesticus reared without litter and used to performing sham dustbathing consider this to be [`]real’ dustbathing and are satisfied with this or, if given the opportunity, would choose to […]
Effects of long-term deprivation of sand on dustbathing behaviour in laying hens
During 21 weeks of sand deprivation, intact and beak-trimmed laying hens, Gallus gallus domesticus, dustbathed on a barren floor (sham-dustbathing). The amount of dustbathing increased during the experiment to the same level (in the intact hens) as in non-deprived control hens, or to a higher level (in the beak-trimmed hens). During deprivation, the proportion of […]
Regulation of dustbathing in feathered and featherless domestic chicks: the Lorenzian model revisited
In Lorenz’s [`]psychohydraulic model’, behaviour is regulated by performance: the motivation to perform a behaviour builds up with time and can be reduced only by performance itself. However, a convincing example of Lorenzian regulation has been lacking. We studied dustbathing in featherless and feathered chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, the latter trained to dustbathe on glass […]
What’s in a peck? Using fixed action pattern morphology to identify the motivational basis of abnormal feather-pecking behaviour
Like many captive animals, hens, Gallus gallus, used for agricultural production perform abnormal behaviours. They are particularly prone to feather pecking, the severest form of which involves the pecking at and removal of feathers, which can cause bleeding and even stimulate cannibalism. The two main hypothesized explanations for feather pecking concern frustrated motivations to forage […]
Influence of prior exposure to wood shavings on feather pecking, dustbathing and foraging in adult laying hens
It has been proposed that chicks acquire substrate preferences during an early ‘sensitive’ period. If a suitable substrate is absent during this period birds may develop alternative preferences for pecking at feathers. The aim of this study was to examine whether early substrate exposure has durable effects on the subsequent behaviour of adult hens. The […]
Why do hens sham dustbathe when they have litter
Hens in cages perform sham dustbathing, that is they go through the behavioural sequence of dustbathing, but on the wire-floor. Such sham dustbathing is found in conventional cages and even in furnished cages which include a dustbath. Consequently, sham dustbathing behaviour cannot be explained only by the absence of litter. Three suggested explanations for sham […]