Records |
Author |
Nicol, C.J.; Brown, S.N.; Glen, E.; Pope, S.J.; Short, F.J.; Warriss, P.D.; Zimmerman, P.H.; Wilkins, L.J. |
Title |
Effects of stocking density, flock size and management on the welfare of laying hens in single-tier aviaries |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
British poultry science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Br Poult Sci |
Volume |
47 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
135-146 |
Keywords |
Animal Husbandry/*methods; *Animal Welfare; Animals; Body Constitution/*physiology; Chickens/*physiology; Crowding; Feathers; Female; *Housing, Animal/standards; Mortality; Organ Size; Oviposition/physiology; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Random Allocation |
Abstract |
Management practices, stocking rate and flock size may affect laying hen welfare but there have been few replicated studies in commercial non-cage systems that investigate this. This study used a broad range of physical and physiological indicators to assess the welfare of hens in 36 commercial flocks. Six laying period treatments were examined with each treatment replicated 6 times. It was not possible to randomly allocate treatments to houses, so treatment and house were largely confounded. Three stocking rates were compared: 7 birds/m(2) (n = 2450), 9 birds/m(2) (n = 3150) and 12 birds/m(2) in either small (n = 2450) or large (n = 4200) flocks. In addition, at 12 birds/m(2), in both small and large flocks, birds were subjected to either standard (SM) or modified (MM) management. MM flocks had nipple drinkers and no nest-box lights. Bone strength, fracture incidence, heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L) ratio, live weight, organ weights, serum creatine, serum osmolality, muscle pH and faecal corticosterone were measured on samples of birds at the end of the rearing period and at the end of lay. During the laying period, mortality, production and integument condition were recorded at regular intervals. Birds housed at 9 birds/m(2) had higher mortality than birds housed at 12 birds/m(2) by the end of lay, but not higher than birds housed at 7 birds/m(2). Birds housed at 7 and 9 birds/m(2) had lower percent liver weight, and worse plumage condition than most of the 12 bird/m(2) treatments. Modified management tended to improve plumage condition. There were no clear effects of flock size on the welfare indicators recorded. At the end of the rearing period fracture incidence was almost negligible and H:L ratio was within a normal range. By the end of lay fracture incidence was 60% and H:L ratio was high, with no treatment effect for either measure. This, together with information on faecal corticosterone, feather loss and mortality, suggests that the welfare of birds in all treatments was relatively poor by the end of lay. |
Address |
School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford BS40 5DU and ADAS Gleadthorpe, Meden Vale, Mansfield, Notts NG20 9PF, England. c.j.nicol@bristol.ac.uk |
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0007-1668 |
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PMID:16641024 |
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no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
65 |
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Author |
Dixon, G.; Green, L.E.; Nicol, C.J. |
Title |
Effect of diet change on the behavior of chicks of an egg-laying strain |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Journal of applied animal welfare science : JAAWS |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Appl Anim Welf Sci |
Volume |
9 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
41-58 |
Keywords |
*Animal Feed; *Animal Nutrition Physiology; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; Chickens/*physiology; Crowding; Feeding Behavior/*physiology; Female; Food Preferences/physiology; Oviposition; Random Allocation; Taste |
Abstract |
Injurious pecking has serious welfare consequences in flocks of hens kept for egg laying, especially when loose-housed. Frequent diet change is a significant risk for injurious pecking; how the mechanics of diet change influence pecking behavior is unknown. This study investigated the effect of diet change on the behavior of chicks from a laying strain. The study included a 3-week familiarity phase: 18 chick pairs received unflavored feed (Experiment 1); 18 pairs received orange oil-flavored (Experiment 2). All chicks participated in a dietary preference test (P); a diet change (DC); or a control group (C), 6 scenarios. All P chicks preferred unflavored feed. In Experiment 1, DC involved change from unflavored to orange-flavored; Experiment 2, orange- flavored to unflavored. Compared with controls, Experiment 2 DC chicks exhibited few behavioral differences; Experiment 1 DC chicks exhibited increased behavioral event rates on Days 1 and 7. They pecked significantly longer at their environment; by Day 7, they showed significantly more beak activity. There was little evidence of dietary neophobia. Change from more preferred to less preferred feed led to increased activity and redirected pecking behavior. |
Address |
School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, England |
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ISSN |
1088-8705 |
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PMID:16649950 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
64 |
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Author |
Palleroni, A.; Hauser, M.; Marler, P. |
Title |
Do responses of galliform birds vary adaptively with predator size? |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
8 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
200-210 |
Keywords |
Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; *Avoidance Learning; *Behavior, Animal; Body Size; Chickens; Female; Food Chain; Male; *Pattern Recognition, Visual; *Predatory Behavior; *Recognition (Psychology); Risk Assessment |
Abstract |
Past studies of galliform anti-predator behavior show that they discriminate between aerial and ground predators, producing distinctive, functionally referential vocalizations to each class. Within the category of aerial predators, however, studies using overhead models, video images and observations of natural encounters with birds of prey report little evidence that galliforms discriminate between different raptor species. This pattern suggests that the aerial alarm response may be triggered by general features of objects moving in the air. To test whether these birds are also sensitive to more detailed differences between raptor species, adult chickens with young were presented with variously sized trained raptors (small, intermediate, large) under controlled conditions. In response to the small hawk, there was a decline in anti-predator aggression and in aerial alarm calling as the young grew older and less vulnerable to attack by a hawk of this size. During the same developmental period, responses to the largest hawk, which posed the smallest threat to the young at all stages, did not change; there were intermediate changes at this time in response to the middle-sized hawk. Thus the anti-predator behavior of the adult birds varied in an adaptive fashion, changing as a function of both chick age and risk. We discuss these results in light of current issues concerning the cognitive mechanisms underlying alarm calling behavior in animals. |
Address |
Primate Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. aliparti@wjh.harvard.edu |
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ISSN |
1435-9448 |
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Notes |
PMID:15660209 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2496 |
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Author |
Werner, C.W.; Tiemann, I.; Cnotka, J.; Rehkamper, G. |
Title |
Do chickens (Gallus gallus f. domestica) decompose visual figures? |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
8 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
129-140 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Chickens; Conditioning, Classical; *Discrimination Learning; Female; *Pattern Recognition, Visual; Photic Stimulation; *Visual Perception |
Abstract |
To investigate whether learning to discriminate between visual compound stimuli depends on decomposing them into constituting features, hens were first trained to discriminate four features (red, green, horizontal, vertical) from two dimensions (colour, line orientation). After acquisition, hens were trained with compound stimuli made up from these dimensions in two ways: a separable (line on a coloured background) stimulus and an integral one (coloured line). This compound training included a reversal of reinforcement of only one of the two dimensions (half-reversal). After having achieved the compound stimulus discrimination, a second dimensional training identical to the first was performed. Finally, in the second compound training the other dimension was reversed. Two major results were found: (1) an interaction between the dimension reversed and the type of compound stimulus: in compound training with colour reversal, separable compound stimuli were discriminated worse than integral compounds and vice versa in compound training with line orientation reversed. (2) Performance in the second compound training was worse than in the first one. The first result points to a similar mode of processing for separable and integral compounds, whereas the second result shows that the whole stimulus is psychologically superior to its constituting features. Experiment 2 repeated experiment 1 using line orientation stimuli of reversed line and background brightness. Nevertheless, the results were similar to experiment 1. Results are discussed in the framework of a configural exemplar theory of discrimination that assumes the representation of the whole stimulus situation combined with transfer based on a measure of overall similarity. |
Address |
C. and O. Vogt Institute of Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Universitatsstr. 1, 40225, Dusseldorf, Germany. wernerc@uni-duesseldorf.de |
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ISSN |
1435-9448 |
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Notes |
PMID:15490291 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2503 |
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Author |
Nicol, C.J. |
Title |
Development, direction, and damage limitation: social learning in domestic fowl |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Learning & behavior : a Psychonomic Society publication |
Abbreviated Journal |
Learn Behav |
Volume |
32 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
72-81 |
Keywords |
Adaptation, Psychological; Age Factors; Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Chickens; *Feeding Behavior; *Food Preferences; *Imitative Behavior; Imprinting (Psychology); *Learning; Maternal Behavior; Reinforcement (Psychology); *Social Environment; *Social Facilitation |
Abstract |
This review highlights two areas of particular interest in the study of social learning in fowl. First, the role of social learning in the development of feeding and foraging behavior in young chicks and older birds is described. The role of the hen as a demonstrator and possible teacher is considered, and the subsequent social influence of brood mates and other companions on food avoidance and food preference learning is discussed. Second, the way in which work on domestic fowl has contributed to an understanding of the importance of directed social learning is examined. The well-characterized hierarchical social organization of small chicken flocks has been used to design studies which demonstrate that the probability of social transmission is strongly influenced by social relationships between birds. The practical implications of understanding the role of social learning in the spread of injurious behaviors in this economically important species are briefly considered. |
Address |
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol, England. c.j.nicol@bristol.ac.uk |
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ISSN |
1543-4494 |
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Notes |
PMID:15161142 |
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no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
75 |
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Author |
Foster, T.M.; Temple, W.; Cameron, B.; Poling, A. |
Title |
Demand curves for food in hens: Similarity under fixed-ratio and progressive-ratio schedules |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1997 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
Volume |
39 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
177-185 |
Keywords |
Progressive-ratio schedule; Fixed-ratio schedule; Demand curves; Behavioral economics; Animal welfare; Keypecking; Chickens |
Abstract |
Demand curves were generated for five domestic hens under progressive-ratio 5 schedules of food delivery and under fixed-ratio schedules of food delivery that began at fixed-ratio 5 and were incremented by 5 each session. All sessions ended after 10 consecutive minutes without a response. Although response rates at a given ratio were higher under the progressive-ratio schedule, all hens completed higher ratios under the fixed-ratio schedule. Similar, but not identical, demand curves were generated under progressive-ratio and fixed-ratio schedules. Under both schedules, consumption (reinforcers earned) decreased as cost (ratio size) increased. Data generally were well described by an equation in which elasticity of demand is constant, although an equation in which elasticity could vary accounted for slightly more of the variance. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
3603 |
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Author |
Zentall, T.R. |
Title |
Configural/holistic processing or differential element versus compound similarity |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Animal cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
Volume |
8 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
141-142 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Chickens; Conditioning, Classical; *Discrimination Learning; Female; *Pattern Recognition, Visual; Photic Stimulation; *Visual Perception |
Abstract |
Before accepting a configural or holistic account of visual perception, one should be sure that an analytic (elemental) account does not provide an equal or better explanation of the results. I suggest that when one forms a compound of a color and a line orientation with one element previously trained as an S+ and the other as an S-, the resulting transfer found will depend on the relative salience of the two elements, and most important, the similarity of the compound to each of the training stimuli. Thus, if a line orientation is placed on a colored background (a separable compound), it will appear more like the colored field used in training, and color will control responding. However, if the line itself is colored (an integral compound), the compound will appear more like the line used in training, and line orientation will control responding. Not only does this account do a better job of explaining the data but it is simpler and it is testable. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA. zentall@uky.edu |
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1435-9448 |
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PMID:15449103 |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
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229 |
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Author |
Cloutier, S.; Newberry, R.C.; Honda, K. |
Title |
Comparison of social ranks based on worm-running and aggressive behaviour in young domestic fowl |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
Volume |
65 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
79-86 |
Keywords |
Aggression; Social behaviour; Dominance; Play; Chickens; Animal welfare |
Abstract |
Worm-running is behaviour in which a chick runs carrying a worm-like object while flock mates follow and attempt to grab the object from its beak. We hypothesised that social ranks based on worm-running frequency are stable over time and are positively correlated with social ranks based on success in aggressive interactions when older. At 8-12 days of age, we scored worm-running in 17 groups of 12 female White Leghorn chicks during three 10-min tests. Based on instantaneous scans at 5-s intervals, the bird carrying the `worm' most often was placed in rank one and so on down the rank order. These tests were repeated at 68-70 days of age. An aggression index for each bird was calculated as the number of aggressive acts given, divided by the number given and received, during three 1-h observation periods when the birds were 68-70 days. Ranks obtained in worm-running tests were positively correlated over the two age periods (P<0.05) but were not correlated with ranks based on the aggression index (P>0.05). Our results indicate that worm-running ranks are not predictive of success in aggressive interactions. Instead, worm-running fits some criteria for play. |
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2090 |
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Author |
Andrew, R.J. |
Title |
Changes in visual responsiveness following intercollicular lesions and their effects on avoidance and attack |
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Journal Article |
Year |
1974 |
Publication |
Brain, Behavior and Evolution |
Abbreviated Journal |
Brain Behav Evol |
Volume |
10 |
Issue |
4-5 |
Pages |
400-424 |
Keywords |
Animals; Chickens; Humans; Male; Mutism; Superior Colliculi/*physiology; Tectum Mesencephali; Testosterone; Visual Fields; Vocalization, Animal |
Abstract |
In the normal chick, conspicuous visual stimuli induce targetting and pecking together, with vocalization. All three are abolished by lesion of the intercollicular area (ICo) or of connections passing through its medial margin. After such lesions, chicks also cease to treat significant visual stimuli as if they were startling and exciting, and may delay response as a result. However, they are still able to recognise, orient accurately to, and respond appropriately to, a variety of complex visual stimuli (e.g. food grains, copulation object). In addition, they are little affected by strange surroundings. Lesion evidence suggests the mammalian subcollicular area to have similar functions to the ICo and to be homologous with it. A route (present in bird), which is well-known in mammals for its association with threat, defense and escape evoked by strange and frightening objects (amygdala-diencephalic periventricular system-central mesencephalic grey, A-DPS-CMG) is stimuli via the 2 ICo (subcollicular area). Two different mechanisms may be involved caudal to the ICo. One consists of tectal afferents which might modulate the evocation of targetting, pecking and other responses via the tectum. The other is the predorsal system of tectal efferents which may mediate such responses. Classical syndromes of tameness and unresponsiveness produced by various interruptions of the A-DPS-CMG route may depend on interruption of connections to these midbrain mechanisms. Attack is depressed by ICo lesions as one aspect of reduced responsiveness to conspicuous and startling visual stimuli. Avoidance, which is apparently mediated by a separate system, much as in Anura, is facilitated. |
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0006-8977 |
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PMID:1169102 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4626 |
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Author |
Tempelis, C.H.; Nelson, R.L. |
Title |
Blood-feeding patterns of midges of the Culicoides variipennis complex in Kern County, California |
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Journal Article |
Year |
1971 |
Publication |
Journal of Medical Entomology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Med Entomol |
Volume |
8 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
532-534 |
Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cattle; Ceratopogonidae/*immunology; Chickens; Dogs; Ecology; Feeding Behavior; Female; Horses; Humans; Immune Sera; Mice; Precipitin Tests; Rabbits; Rats; Sciuridae; Sheep |
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0022-2585 |
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PMID:5160258 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2723 |
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