Imitative pecking by budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus, over a 24 h delay
On video, budgerigars observed a conspecific demonstrator depressing a stopper by pecking or by stepping and then feeding from the box below. The observers were given access to the stopper, immediately after observation or following a 24 h delay, and we recorded the proportion of their stopper removal responses that were made by pecking and by […]
An enrichment object that reduces aggressiveness and mortality in caged laying hens
The effect on aggressive pecking activity and mortality by an environmental enrichment device was examined. In this study, 2955 White Leghorn chickens from three different lines were used in six separate experiments. Experiments were conducted with chickens during their first or second laying period. Half the cages in each experiment were equipped with colored key […]
The effects of novel floorings on dustbathing, pecking and scratching behaviour of caged hens
From the year 2012, conventional battery cages for laying hens will be banned under the European Union Council Directive 1999/74/EC. Enriched cages, which include a perch, a nest area, and a pecking and scratching area will not be banned, and have certain advantages over other systems of egg production. Previous studies have shown that even […]
Animal welfare: a social networks perspective
Social network theory provides a useful tool to study complex social relationships in animals. The possibility to look beyond dyadic interactions by considering whole networks of social relationships allows researchers the opportunity to study social groups in more natural ways. As such, network-based analyses provide an informative way to investigate the factors influencing the social […]