The demand of laying hens for feathers and wood shavings

Abstract

Feather eating is related to feather pecking in laying hens. The aim of this study was to investigate the birds demand for feathers compared to their demand for food and litter as feather pecking has been described as redirected ground pecking/foraging. The maximum price in terms of the number of pecks that individual animals were prepared to pay was recorded to determine the importance of food (as a standard), feathers and wood shavings in operant conditioning test. Birds were also tested in a session in which no reward was given. Nine low feather pecking birds and 11 high feather pecking birds were used for this study and tested under progressive ratio 10 schedules (PR), where ratio values were progressively incremented by 10 each time reward was earned. Both high (HFP) and low (LFP) feather pecking birds completed the highest maximum ratios with feed as a reinforcement followed by wood shavings, feathers and “no reward” pecking. HFP and LFP birds did not differ in their achieved maximum PR with feed as reinforcement. HFP birds achieved higher maximum prices than LFP birds with feathers as reinforcement. No line differences were found in maximum ratios completed with wood shavings. The maximum price paid by HFP birds was higher than that of LFP birds in sessions where no reward was offered. The operant technique showed that HFP and LFP birds found feathers and wood shaving reinforcing when presented as a food component. For feathers, this was more pronounced in HFP birds.