Translocation stress is reflected in corticosterone metabolites in pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) droppings

Martina Volfová,Eva Voslářová,Zuzana Machovcová,Gabriela Lukešová,Vladimír Večerek,Rupert Palme

doi:10.2754/avb202291010051

Abstract

Translocation (including transportation and experiencing a new environment) represents a significant stressor for animals. The aim of this study was to assess changes in corticosterone metabolite (CM) levels related to translocation in common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Sixteen birds (8 males and 8 females) aged 17 weeks were crated and transported for 3.5 h (distance travelled 140 km) to the target customer. Serial individual droppings were collected from 2 days prior until 3 days after transport. Concentrations of CMs in droppings were determined with a non-commercial cortisone enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Transport stress resulted in increased CM concentrations in the droppings in our study. The CM concentrations significantly increased within 2.5 h of transport (P < 0.01) compared to pre-transport levels (747 ng/g vs. 187 ng/g). After additional 3 h, the CM concentrations fell back to the baseline levels (207.7 ng/g). In the new environment, the second peak (median: 1383 ng/g) was determined with CM concentrations increasing (P < 0.01) compared to baseline levels. This increase was likely connected to the stress resulting from the new environment. The CM levels returned back to the baseline level 26 h after the start of transportation. No differences in concentrations of CM between sexes were found in our study. The utilized cortisone EIA proved suited to detect biologically meaningful alterations in adrenocortical activity of pheasants exposed to procedures related to their transport.

Highlights

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to animal welfare issues on all types of farms (e.g. Večerek et al 2020; Renčínová et al 2021)
The baseline corticosterone metabolite (CM) levels of the 16 pheasants included in the study ranged from 89–525 ng/g droppings, the overall median baseline level was 187 ng/g droppings, while the median peak level was 747 ng/g droppings (Table 2)
The organism’s response to stress was expected to be reflected in CM levels in the droppings. This has been confirmed in our study, in which the transport of common pheasants for around three hours resulted in CM levels higher than those before transport

Summary

Introduction

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to animal welfare issues on all types of farms (e.g. Večerek et al 2020; Renčínová et al 2021). Non-invasive methods for monitoring adrenocortical activity, require validation for each new species under investigation (Dehnhard et al 2003; Möstl et al 2005; Touma and Palme 2005; Palme 2019). Non-invasive evaluation of stress levels in birds has been conducted in a number of studies (Palme 2019). The relationship between levels of corticosterone in plasma and droppings in three bird species, the chicken (Gallus domesticus), great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) was assessed by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge test (Dehnhard et al 2003). In all three species the same cortisone EIA has proved well suited No such non-invasive methods have been utilized so far in the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), another gallinaceous bird frequently kept in captivity worldwide. Transport has been proven to represent a significant stressor for animals (Mitchell and Kettlewell 2009), such a procedure can be used to biologically validate the said methods (Touma and Palme 2005; Palme 2019)

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