Domestic chicks’ responses to PECKA-BLOCKS and string enrichment devices

Abstract

The PECKA-BLOCK (Breckland International Ltd.) is a commercially available, cereal and baked-sand-based device designed to enrich the environment and reduce the incidence of behavioural vices, such as feather pecking and cannibalism. Pecking at this novel stimulus loosens cereal grains that can then be eaten. This device reduced inter-bird pecking in broiler chicks (Guy, 2001) though it is not clear whether the authors measured gentle or severe feather pecking, allopreening, or aggression. White string (polypropylene twine) elicits sustained interest by chicks and hens of various laying and its provision reduced feather pecking and pecking-related feather damage (Jones, 2001). The present study compared the responses of layer chicks to simple string devices and to soft and hard PECKA-BLOCKS.