Feather Eating as Stressor in the Muscovy Duck

Abstract

CONTRARY to the domestic duck, the Muscovy duck inclines to feather eating, not only if reared in confinement but also on range (Snyder, 1962). Severe feather eating presumably represents not only a physical stressor due to the loss of feathers and blood but also a mental one, considering the almost permanent anxiety and excitement of the birds in a feather eating flock. The effect of severe and slighter feather eating on growth and some endocrine glands was studied in two groups of ducklings in which a spontaneous outbreak of feather eating occurred at the ages of 3 and 5 weeks, respectively. EXPERIMENTALIn a little group of 6 Muscovy ducklings reared in confinement feather eating had already commenced at the age of 3 weeks when the first tail and wing feathers appeared. The birds continued to pull out feathers until they were almost plucked at the age of 10 weeks…