The development of fault bars in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) increases with acute stressors and individual propensity: implications for animal welfare
Negative experiences during feather growth can result in fault bar formation. Fault bars are malformations perpendicular to the rachis of the feather caused by stressful experiences during feather growth. However, there are little data on the causal effect of psychological stress on the formation of fault bars in chickens. The objective of this study was […]
Behaviour of domestic fowl in anticipation of positive and negative stimuli
Underlying the study of animal welfare is the assumption that animals experience emotional states. Although there has been a bias towards studying negative emotions, research into positive emotions is necessary for an overall welfare assessment. The aim of the current study was to find behavioural expressions specific for anticipation of different events in domestic fowl, […]
Using motivation to feed as a way to assess the importance of space for broiler chickens
This paper describes a novel combination of feeding motivation and spatial preference testing. We used the feeding motivation test to determine a [`]low’ barrier height that broiler chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus, that were not food deprived would cross to get to food, and a [`]high’ barrier height that food-deprived chickens would cross to get to […]
Use of space in the domestic fowl: separating the effects of enclosure size, group size and density
An understanding of how confined animals move within the space available to them is essential in the design of effective captive environments that maximize animal welfare. In addition to the obvious effect of enclosure size, other factors such as the number of individuals in the group and their density per unit of area are likely […]
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 […]
Behavioural and physiological effects of absence of ultraviolet wavelengths for domestic chicks
It is increasingly clear that ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths are a component of normal avian colour perception and influence their behaviour. As artificial lighting is designed to human specifications, and so is usually deficient in UV light, there may be welfare implications for captive birds, with both context-dependent and chronic long-term effects in its absence. Domestic […]
Effect of heterogeneity of nest boxes on occurrence of gregarious nesting in laying hens
Gregarious nesting, where hens select already occupied nest boxes even when other nest boxes are unoccupied, is an unwanted behaviour in laying hens that may reduce animal welfare and pose a financial cost to the producer. It has been suggested that gregarious nesting is caused by the difficulties experienced by hens in distinguishing between nest […]
Protective mother hens: cognitive influences on the avian maternal response
We previously demonstrated that domestic hens, Gallus gallus domesticus, show behavioural and physiological responses when witnessing mild chick distress, and possess the underlying foundations of emotional empathy. However, no studies have determined how cognitive influences affect empathic processes in birds. A fundamental question is whether a mother hen’s response to chick distress is mediated by […]
Use of space by domestic chicks housed in complex aviaries
To improve the understanding of the development of locomotor capacity in layer hens, we measured how female laying hen chicks (n = 120) of four different strains (LSL-lite, Hyline Brown, Dekalb White, Lohmann Brown; 3 groups of 10 chicks per line) utilized the ground, the air, elevated horizontal (platforms and perches) and inclined surfaces (ramps […]