Using artificial cover to reduce aggression and disturbances in domestic fowl
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2002 |
Authors: |
T. Cornetto, I. Estevez, L.W. Douglass |
Publication/Journal: |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Keywords: |
aggression, chicken agonistic behavior, chicken agonistic behaviour, chicken housing, disturbances |
Abstract:
Differential use of space by domestic fowl may contribute to unnecessary aggressive interactions and disturbances among birds. Greater use of space near pen walls results in aggregations of birds around peripheral regions, leaving central areas unoccupied. These open areas provide opportunities for aggressive interactions between birds, while high levels of disturbances occur along the periphery as birds enter and leave the wall region to rest. This paper investigates the effects of increased environmental complexity on the occurrence of aggression and disturbances among broiler chickens. It was hypothesized that the provision of vertical panels to pen centers would reduce unnecessary interactions between birds by increasing the number of quality resting places and decreasing the amount of open areas. The experiment consisted of three cover treatments (mesh panels, frame panels and no cover) and two group sizes (80 and 110). Vertical panels, constructed of PVC piping, were positioned in pen centers, while pen centers in no cover treatments were left empty. Disturbances and aggressive interactions were recorded during 5min continuous focal samples of 180 focal individuals from 1 to 6 weeks of age. The presence of cover did not significantly influence the appearance of aggressive interactions (P>0.05). The percentage of pens with observed aggression was significantly affected by age (P<0.0001) and location within the pen (P<0.05). Aggression did not change with increasing group size (P>0.05). Disturbance frequency was influenced by the presence of cover (P<0.001) and was highest for the no cover treatment. In general, disturbances occurred most often along the pen wall. These results suggest that when birds are provided with cover, costly disturbances among birds can be reduced.