Feather Condition Research Articles

Effect of clipping feathers, dietary ascorbic acid supplementation and season on performance of laying chickens

Feathers may be problematic to chickens in thermoregulation during heat stress. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of clipping feathers, dietary ascorbic acid supplementation and season on performance of laying chickens. 180 ‘Isa Brown’ (IB) layers of about 30 weeks old were subjected to a 2×2×2 factorial combination of feather conditions (intact and clipping), dietary ascorbic acid supplementation (0 and 300 ppm) and season (early dry, ED and late dry, LD) during a trial using a factorial design. The birds were randomly allotted to 8 treatments consisting of treatment one (basal diet and intact feathers); treatment two (basal diet and clipped feathers); treatment three (basal diet supplemented with 300 ppm ascorbic acid and intact feathers) and treatment four (basal diet supplemented with 300 ppm ascorbic acid and clipped feathers) in both ED and LD seasons. Results showed that clipping feathers significantly improved (P 0.05) on HDP, WI, F/Doz., EW, and ESW. However, the effect of the interactions of the three factors were not significant (P>0.05) on FC, EM, EST and %ESW. Finally, clipping of feathers alone; secondly, dietary ascorbic acid supplementation at 300 ppm alone; and thirdly, a combination of the two, can be efficient in condition of heat stress. Key words: Feathers, ascorbic acid, season.

The influence of sequential feeding on behaviour, feed intake and feather condition in laying hens

Feeding of whole-wheat grains and a protein–mineral concentrate in sequence had been shown to modify behaviour in broilers and performance in laying hens. The objective of this study was to test whether sequential feeding with wheat would induce changes in laying hen's behaviour, feed intake, feather condition, and egg production. These parameters were measured on 320 non-beak-trimmed ISA Brown laying hens from 30 to 37 week of age. The birds were placed in 64 standard cages (five birds/cage) and allotted to one of four treatments. The control (C) was fed a complete conventional diet. Three treatments were fed sequentially with whole wheat (SWW), ground wheat (SGW) or ground wheat with added vitamin premix + phosphorus + 2% oil (SGWI). In sequential treatments, 50% of the ration was fed as wheat and the remaining 50% as a protein–mineral concentrate (balancer diet). All treatments received their daily ration in two distributions: 09:00 (4 h after light on) and 16:00 h (5 h before light off). During weeks 30, 32 and 34, hens’ behaviour was recorded using scan sampling method (once per week during the light period), while focal sampling was used between the 32 and 34 weeks (2 h after each feeding, and 2 h in between). Feather condition of individual hen was scored at 30 and 37 weeks, number of eggs and feed intake were recorded weekly. Sequential feeding delayed the oviposition for almost 1 h. When fed wheat-based diet (09:00–16:00 h) SWW birds spent less time feeding and stood still longer compared to birds in other treatments. Four hours after distribution of wheat diets, the occurrence of feather peaking was the highest in SWW and the lowest in the SGW treatment. The poorest feather condition was recorded in the SWW treatment. Total feed intake was the highest in the C treatment, while the intake of wheat diet and the ratio wheat diet intake/total feed intake was the highest in the SGWI treatment. We concluded that sequential feeding with whole wheat had detrimental effect on behaviour of laying hens probably due to long period of access to wheat used in this work. It is therefore suggested that wheat should be used either ground or presented on shorter time sequence. The time access should be reduced when whole wheat is used.

The effect of essential oils showing acaricidal activity against the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) on aspects of welfare and production of laying hens

AbstractThe poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) causes severe welfare concerns for laying hens arising from anaemia and disease transmission, and has been identified as an associated risk factor in cannibalistic feather pecking. Previous work suggests that essential oils may offer an alternative to synthetic acaricides to control D. gallinae. Such alternatives are needed due to the limitations of synthetic acaricides (eg availability, resistance, environmental concerns and product residues). The aim of the current study was to ensure that selected essential oils have no negative impact on either hen welfare or egg production. To achieve this aim, small groups of laying hens were confined in poultry huts for a period of eight weeks during which time the interior of the huts was sprayed at weekly intervals with one of four different treatments: i) Thyme essential oil at 5× the LC90 level (the concentration of oil previously found to kill 90% of D. gallinae under laboratory conditions) for D. gallinae in 500 ml of water, ii) Pennyroyal essential oil at 5× the LC90 level for D. gallinae in 500 ml of water, iii) Solvent-only (huts treated with 500 ml of water); and iv) Pseudo-spray where huts were not treated with any product, but subjected to sham-spraying. The results suggest that pennyroyal essential oil would not be suitable for further development as an acaricide for D. gallinae, since this treatment had to be terminated early in the study period as a result of concerns about the welfare of hens exposed to this oil. Conversely, there were few differences in feather condition, hen weight, feed intake, feeding efficiency, egg production or egg weight between thyme-treated huts and huts that were either pseudo-sprayed or sprayed with solvent-only (water). It is concluded that thyme essential oil is a promising candidate for further development as an acaricide for D. gallinae to help safeguard the welfare of laying hens in commercial poultry systems.

Across-Line SNP Association Study for Direct and Associative Effects on Feather Damage in Laying Hens

An association study between SNP markers and feather condition score on the back, rump and belly of laying hens was performed. Feather condition score is a measure of feather damage, which has been shown to be closely related to feather pecking behaviour in hens housed in groups. A population of 662 hens was genotyped for 1536 SNPs of which 1022 could be used for the association study. The analysis was conducted across 9 different lines of White Leghorn and Rhode Island Red origin. Across lines linkage disequilibrium is conserved at shorter distances than within lines; therefore, SNPs significantly associated with feather condition score across lines are expected to be closer to the functional mutations. The SNPs that had a significant across-line effect but did not show significant SNP-by-line interaction were identified, to test that the association was consistent across lines. Both the direct effect of the individual's genotype on its plumage condition, and the associative effect of the genotype of the cage mates on the individual's plumage condition were analysed. The direct genetic effect can be considered as the susceptibility to be pecked at, whereas the associative genetic effect can be interpreted as the propensity to perform feather pecking. Finally, 11 significant associations between SNPs and behavioural traits were detected in the direct model, and 81 in the associative model. A role of the gene for the serotonin receptor 2C (HTR2C) on chromosome 4 was found. This supports existing evidence of a prominent involvement of the serotonergic system in the modulation of this behavioural disorder in laying hens. The genes for IL9, IL4, CCL4 and NFKB were found to be associated to plumage condition, revealing relationships between the immune system and behaviour.

Effects of plastic bits on the condition and behaviour of captive-reared pheasants

Between 2005 and 2007, data were collected from game farms across England and Wales to examine the effects of the use of bits on the physiological condition and behaviour of...

Effects of nutrient dilution and nonstarch polysaccharide concentration in rearing and laying diets on eating behavior and feather damage of rearing and laying hens

An experiment was conducted with 768 non-cage-housed ISA Brown pullets, of which 576 hens were followed during the laying period, to investigate the separate effects of dietary energy dilution and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) concentration (oat hulls as NSP source) on eating behavior and feather damage. Day-old pullets were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments according to a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement (3 dilution and 2 NSP levels), with 8 replicates (pens) per treatment. At 17 wk of age, pens with hens were allotted to 1 of 8 dietary treatments according to a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement (4 dilution and 2 NSP levels), with 6 replicates per treatment. Compared with 0% dilution level, feed intake of laying hens of 10, 15, and 20% dilution levels increased by 8.4% (9.5 g/hen per d), 16.5% (18.1 g/hen per d), and 20.9% (23.6 g/hen per d), respectively. The ME(n) intake was similar for all dilution levels. Hens fed standard-NSP laying diets had similar insoluble NSP intake for all dilution levels (9.3 g/hen per d). Insoluble NSP intake of hens fed high-NSP laying diets increased from 15.6 g/hen per day (0% dilution) to 18.9 g/hen per day (20% dilution). Providing high- vs. standard-NSP layer diet decreased relative proventriculus contents (1.1 vs. 0.3 g/kg of BW) and increased empty gizzard weight (14.3 vs. 24.4 g/kg of BW). Hens that were fed standard-NSP diets had more feather damage compared with hens fed high-NSP diets (0.58 vs. 0.30 arbitrary units). Increasing the insoluble NSP intake resulted in decreased proventricular weight and increased gizzard weight and its contents, which are indicators of improved functioning of the gut, thereby linearly reducing feather damage. Providing diluted rearing diets increased feed intake from the first weeks of life onwards. It was hypothesized that pullets were increasingly "imprinted" on feed as pecking substrate if dilution level increased. This may decrease feather pecking and could explain the improved feather condition at 49 wk of age when 15% diluted rearing diet was fed.

Infrared beak treatment method compared with conventional hot-blade trimming in laying hens

Infrared lasers have been widely used for noninvasive surgical applications in human medicine, and their results are reliable, predictable, and reproducible. Infrared lasers have recently been designed for the express purpose of providing a less painful, more precise beak-trimming method compared with conventional beak trimming. This study was designed to examine the potential of the infrared (IR) beak treatment to provide a welfare-friendly alternative to the conventional hot-blade method for chickens. The birds were beak trimmed by IR at the hatchery or by hot blade at 7 to 10 d of age in a commercial production setting, in accordance with standard procedures. The beak morphology and associated physiological characteristics, including production and aggressive behavior of the birds, were analyzed at 30 wk of age. There was no difference in egg production or bird BW between the 2 beak-trimming treatments. Birds also exhibited no difference in stress physiology measured in the study, such as fluctuating asymmetry and heterophil and lymphocyte profiles. However, birds receiving the IR treatment showed a superior feather condition and reduced aggressiveness under high light intensity, even though they had longer beak stumps. The results may indicate that the IR beak treatment may reduce the damage done by aggressive pecking and feather pecking. Indeed, IR trimming may provide a more welfare-friendly alternative to conventional beak trimming without compromising productivity.

Ethological parameters and performance of Hy Line W-98 and ISA Brown hens when housed in furnished cages

This study was carried out throughout a laying period to compare the behaviour and performance of two groups of commercial layers, 180 ISA Brown and 120 Hy line W98, housed at 17 weeks of age in furnished cages with a nest box, perches, dust-bath, and claw shortening device. Based on productive parameters, the model of furnished cages studied is suitable for both, Isa Brown and Hy line hens. The study suggested that strain has a significant effect on feather condition and on some behavioural displays, particularly those related to the use of a dust-bath.

The influence of different beak trimming age on performance, H-L ratio and antibody production to SRBC in laying hens

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of beak trimming age on performance criteria, H-L ratio, antibody production, the percentage of spleen and liver and external appearance. The chicks (Barred Rock) were randomly divided into 4 beak-trimming groups (non-trimmed (control), a trim at 1 d (1D), at 10 d (10D) and at 10 wk (10W)), each of 132 chicks. There were 6 replicate cages at beak trimming groups at rearing period. At 18 wk of age a total of 144 pullets were transferred to the layer house, and the pullets were housed at 323 and 646 cm(2)/hen with 8 and 4 birds per cage in three-deck layer cages. There were a total of 24 replications with 12 replications equally divided between the high and low density cages, and the beak trimmed treatments were randomly and equally divided within each density. As a result of this experiment differences among groups in body weight in rearing phase were disappear in the laying phase. Low feather condition was found in untrimmed hens. H-L ratio in both pullet and laying phase was higher in hens of untrimmed groups. Cage area affected all examined parameters except that body weight, mortality rate, cracked, broken and unshell egg rates, shell breaking, shape index, shell thickness, meat-blood spot rates, spleen and liver percentages, throat injures and antibody production to SRBC.

Optimizing the use of shed feathers for genetic analysis

Shed feathers obtained by noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) are a valuable source of DNA for genetic studies of birds. They can be collected across a large geographical range and facilitate research on species that would otherwise be extremely difficult to study. A limitation of this approach is uncertainty concerning the quality of the extracted DNA. Here we investigate the relationship between feather type, feather condition and DNA quality (amplification success) in order to provide a simple, cost-effective method for screening samples prior to genetic analysis. We obtained 637 shed feathers of the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) from across its range in southeastern Australia. The extracted DNA was amplified using polymerase chain reaction for a range of markers including mitochondrial DNA, ND3 and nuclear DNA, a simple sequence repeat (Nst02) and a portion of the CHD-1 gene (P2/P8). We found that feather condition significantly influenced the amplification success of all three loci, with feathers characterized as 'good' having greater success. Feather type was found to be of lower importance, with good quality feathers of all types consistently producing high success for all three loci. We also found that the successful amplification of multilocus genotypes was dependant on the condition of the starting material and was highly correlated with successful amplification of the sex-linked CHD-1 locus. Samples with low DNA quality have a higher probability of amplification failure and are more likely to produce incorrect genotypes; therefore, identifying samples with high DNA quality can save substantial time and cost associated with the genetic analysis of NGS. As a result, we propose a method for screening shed feathers in order to provide a subset of samples which will have a greater probability of containing high quality DNA suitable for the amplification of multilocus genotypes.

Role of loose feathers on the development of feather pecking in laying hens

1. The effect of the presence of loose feathers (on the floor) on the behaviour and plumage condition of laying hens (Lohmann Silver, LS) was studied during the rearing and laying periods. 2. From one day old, 60 birds in each of 4 straw-bedded pens (n = 240 in total) with 6·5 birds/m2 were either kept under conventional rearing and management conditions (CT: control group with feathers on the floor; n = 120) or in pens from which the feathers were collected from the floor 4 times/week (FR: feathers removed; n = 120). Fifty birds from each of these 4 groups (n = 200 in total) were randomly selected at the age of 16 weeks and allocated to 4 identical pens in a poultry layer house (PH; with perches and 1/3 slatted floor) with access to an outside area (winter garden, WG) at a stocking density of 6 birds/m2 in both PH and WG. 3. Observations on feather pecking and other behaviours (feeding, drinking, preening, standing, sitting, foraging, moving and dust bathing) were carried out at 8 ages: 6, 10, 15 (rearing period), 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 weeks (laying period). Feather scoring was carried out at 15, 32 and 39 weeks of age. 4. There were no differences in feather pecking rates, forms (gentle, severe and aggressive pecks) as well as in the plumage condition between groups at the end of the rearing period. 5. Birds in the FR group exhibited lower rates and less severe feather pecking during the laying period. Accordingly, birds in the control group had worse feather condition at 32 and 39 weeks of age. Feather pecking rates within groups were, in general, greater in the afternoon compared to the morning periods. Birds in the control group were more active in walking. 6. Wings, rump, tail and back were the main targets for feather pecking. The majority of feather pecking occurred on the floor (66%) followed by feeding area (26%), perches (4%) and slats (4%). 7. Our results suggest that loose feathers on the floor may play an important role in the development and severity of feather pecking behaviour in laying hens and support the hypothesis (McKeegan and Savory, 1999) that feather pecking can be viewed as redirected foraging behaviour.

Low Dietary Energy Concentration, High Nonstarch Polysaccharide Concentration, and Coarse Particle Sizes of Nonstarch Polysaccharides Affect the Behavior of Feather-Pecking-Prone Laying Hens

An experiment was conducted with 504 non-cage-housed ISA Brown laying hens from 18 to 40 wk of age to investigate the separate effects of dietary energy concentration, nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP) concentration, and particle sizes of added NSP source on the eating behavior, feather-pecking behavior, and hen performance of laying hens. Hens were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments according to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement, with 7 replicates per treatment. The factors were control and low energy concentration (2,825 vs. 2,540 kcal/kg), control and high NSP concentration (133 vs. 195 g/kg), and fine vs. coarse particle size of the added NSP source in the high-NSP diets. We hypothesized that eating time would be increased by feeding low-energy diets or coarsely ground, high-NSP diets, or both, resulting in reduced feather-pecking behavior, without negatively affecting hen performance. Energy reduction, NSP addition, and coarse grinding of NSP increased eating time by 14.2% (P= 0.001), 17.2% (P< 0.001), and 7.9% (P= 0.075), respectively, compared with the control level of these factors. Addition of NSP decreased eating rate (g/min) by 21.0% (P= 0.010). Layers already performed gentle feather-pecking behavior during the fifth week of the rearing period. Dietary treatments did not affect the maximal level of feather condition scores, but arise of feather damage was delayed by 10 wk in hens fed low-energy, coarsely ground, NSP-rich diets compared with hens fed control diets. Hens fed the control NSP diets showed reduced culling rates, because of less cannibalistic pecking, when energy concentration was decreased (44.1 vs. 13.1%), whereas in the high-NSP diets, culling rate decreased slightly when hens were fed the low-energy diets (31.6 vs. 28.6%; P= 0.071). Hens that were fed the low-energy diets compensated for the 10% reduction in energy concentration by a 9.3% higher maximal feed intake (143.0 vs. 130.8 g/d). Hen performance and BW gain of the hens were not affected by dietary treatments. We concluded that hens that were fed low-energy or high (coarsely ground)-NSP diets spend more time on feed intake, compared with hens that were fed the control diets. As a result, hens in some treatments showed less feather-pecking behavior.

Effects of Breeder Age and Stocking Density on Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Some Stress Parameters of Broilers

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of breeder age and stocking density on performance, carcass characteristics and some stress parameters (H-L ratio, serum glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, tonic immobility test (TI), antibody production, relative asymmetry (RA) and external appearances). This experiment was carried out with 705 one-day old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) obtained from three different ages of broiler breeder (32, 48 and 61 wks). Each age group was randomly divided into two stocking density groups (11.9 and 17.5 broilers per m 2 ) with 5 replications per group. The experimental period was 6 weeks. Broilers from 32 wk-old breeders had lower initial weight (p<0.001), body weight gain of the first 3 week of rearing (p<0.01), the percentage of abdominal fat (p<0.001) and serum cholesterol level (p<0.01); higher percentage of gizzard (p<0.01) and longer TI duration (p<0.001) than those from 48 and 61 wk-old breeders. Broilers reared at 17.5 b/m 2 had lower final BW, body weight gain, feed consumption, feather condition and foot health (p<0.001), higher percentage of heart, H-L ratio, serum glucose and cholesterol levels (p<0.001), and longer TI durations (p<0.001). There were no significant interactions in examined parameters except for feed to gain ratio between breeder age and stocking density.

Plumage and timing of migration in bar‐tailed godwits: a comment on Drent et al. (2003)

Rudi Drent and co-workers presented data on the plumage and apparent quality of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica ) migrating northwards through the Netherlands en route from Africa to Siberia (Drent et al. 2003). They identified two groups of males in their samples based on the extent of the prebreeding moult birds with extensive red breeding plumage (‘dark’ birds) and birds with little red plumage (‘pale’ birds). The pale birds were considered to be low quality individuals, which showed a higher incidence of cestode infestation (32.4% of individuals c.f. 12.2%) and, while the dataset was very small, lower subsequent survival (no pale birds were recaptured in later years whereas 11 red males were). They radio-tracked birds to determine the migration date of pale and dark birds towards the breeding grounds and were surprised to find that, contrary to expectation, the pale birds left on migration earlier than the dark birds. Noting that there was no evidence for any age-related changes in the breeding plumage score of male godwits (though their Fig. 7 indicates they never recaptured any pale birds so could not test this), Drent et al. erected a hypothesis to explain the unexpected finding. The pale birds were suggested to be ‘desperates’, birds of low quality whose only chance of successful breeding was to arrive early on the breeding grounds and achieve the benefits of prior occupancy on good territories. Given that it is generally high-quality individuals that can afford the risks of early arrival on the breeding grounds (Moller 1994), the lower apparent survival of these pale godwits reflected the costs associated with this strategy. Appealing as this idea may be, data collected on the non-breeding grounds of a more accessible population of godwits show that most pale birds in Drent et al.’s study are almost certainly immature birds, potentially on their first migration. Together with colleagues from the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, I have individually colour-banded godwits (subspecies baueri ) in New Zealand since 2004 and aged these birds at capture. Godwits show delayed maturity and young birds remain on the non-breeding grounds for up to 3 4 years before migrating northward (McCaffery and Gill 2001). Where possible birds were aged as 1 (in the 1st year of life), 2 or 3 /, though at some times of year birds could simply be designated as immature (age 2/3). Ageing was by plumage (juveniles have distinctive upperpart contour feathers that are retained until birds reach the non-breeding grounds), timing of wing moult (adults start wing moult only after arrival on the non-breeding grounds in September-October, whereas immatures that did not migrate to the breeding grounds start earlier; juveniles may undergo partial wing moult in the southern autumn) and feather condition (juvenile primaries become highly abraded by the time of the southern winter; adult breeding plumage contour feathers and tertials become very worn during the breeding season). Checks were then made at high-tide roosts to determine the presence of colour-banded birds and, when practical, the breeding plumage of males was scored on the same scale as used by Drent et al. (where 1 /complete nonbreeding plumage, 2 /a trace of breeding plumage, 3 /25% breeding plumage, 4 /50% breeding plumage, 5 /75% breeding plumage, 6 /only a trace of non-breeding plumage remains, and 7 /complete breeding plumage). Resightings of marked birds in New Zealand show that the breeding plumage grown by male godwits is strongly age-related (Fig. 1). Across all birds, most age 1 and 2 godwits had very little breeding plumage, whereas many 3rd-year and most ‘adult’ godwits had substantial breeding plumage scores (Fig. 1, upper). The pattern of

IMPACTO DA OFERTA DE POLEIROS SOBRE O BEM-ESTAR DE FRANGOS DE CORTE

A produção industrial de frangos de corte desafia de maneira importante o bem-estar das aves. O objetivo deste foi melhorar o grau de bem-estar de frangos de corte, através do fornecimento de poleiros e da avaliação de seu impacto no bem-estar dos animais. Foram utilizados 360 frangos de corte, machos, criadosde 1 a 42 dias de idade, em dois tratamentos com seis repetições de 30 aves cada, sendo T1 sem poleiros e T2 com três poleiros por box. Foram realizadas observações das atividades comportamentais por registro instantâneo do tipo varredura. Exames físicos para condição das penas do peito e distúrbios naspernas foram realizados aos 40 dias de idade. Foram avaliados: consumo de ração, ganho de peso, peso ao abate e conversão alimentar. Foi observada freqüência de empoleiramento crescente com a idade das aves, de 0,3%, 2,6% e 5,1% na quarta, quinta e sexta semanas de idade, respectivamente. Durante as duas últimas semanas de vida, as ocorrências de ciscar foram mais freqüentes e os eventos de comportamento agonista foram menos freqüentes no tratamento com poleiros (P&lt;0,05). Os resultados não foram conclusivos quanto ao efeito dos tratamentos na condição das penas do peito e distúrbios de pernas. Em geral, não houve diferença nos parâmetros zootécnicos (P&gt;0,05). Conclui-se que, nas condições deste experimento, a oferta de poleiros resulta em melhoria da Liberdade Comportamental no terço final de vida das aves. O efeito dos poleiros sobre a Liberdade Sanitária deve serestudado mais detalhadamente. Os resultados sugeremmelhoria do grau de bem-estar de frangos de corte devido à oferta de poleiros.

Differential effects of 4 types of environmental enrichment on aggressive pecking, feather pecking, feather loss, food wastage and productivity in Japanese quail

1. We examined the effects of 4 types of environmental enrichment (foraging opportunities, structural complexity, sensory stimulation/novelty, and social companionship) on aggressive and feather pecking, feather condition, food wastage, body weight, feed conversion, and egg production in adult Japanese quail. Sex differences were examined where possible. 2. GLM analysis was used to evaluate the effects of enrichment and housing, while test–retest reliability and the stability of measures over 18 d were assessed using partial correlation. 3. Foraging enrichment reduced food wastage. 4. Body weight, feed conversion, and egg production were not affected by enrichment. Rates of aggressive and feather pecking were also not significantly affected, but these behaviours were observed very infrequently in this study. 5. Socially-housed birds had poorer feather condition, lower body weight and less efficient feed conversion than singly-housed birds. Social housing did not affect food wastage. 6. There were no sex differences in feather pecking, feather condition, food wastage, or feed conversion. 7. All measures except feather pecking were reliable over 24 h, but only feather condition and body weight were stable over 18 d. The instability of the behavioural measures over time suggests that enrichment effects may vary with age.

Plumage Color and Feather Pecking—Behavioral Differences Associated with PMEL17 Genotypes in Chicken (Gallus gallus)

An F (5) generation of an advanced inter-cross between red junglefowl (wild-type) and White Leghorn (domesticated) was used to investigate earlier findings suggesting that a mutation in the plumage color gene PMEL17 protects against victimization to feather pecking (FP). F (4) parents were selected according to genotype to produce PMEL17 homozygous offspring (i/i and I/I respectively). Birds were raised and their behavior recorded in groups of either two wild-type i/i (dark colored) and one white I/I, or two I/I and one i/i. In addition each bird was tested for feather preference, reaction to novelty, open-field activity, fear for humans, and tonic-immobility. In the home-pens, i/i birds were more feather pecked and had poorer feather condition than I/I birds. No pecking preference for immobile dark colored feathers was observed. In the open-field test i/i birds vocalized more and earlier than I/I birds, and in the fear-for-human test I/I birds had higher activity at 21 weeks of age. No other behavior differences were observed, but clearly, genotypes of PMEL17 affected some aspects of behavior. Such behavioral differences might be important aspects of the mechanism which predispose i/i individuals for being victims of FP.

On-farm assessment of environmental enrichment for broiler breeders

1. A field experiment was conducted with commercial broiler breeder females to assess the hypothesis that the provision of bunches of string and bales of wood shavings would provide attractive environmental enrichment and improve welfare by decreasing aggression and feather damage. 2. The experiment was a randomised block factorial design conducted in a commercial flock of 21 600 female broiler breeders in 12 pens of 1800 chicks. Treatments were environmental enrichment (4 plastic coated bales of wood shavings and 50 bunches of string) from hatch (EE1) or 8 weeks of age (EE2) and a control treatment with no environmental enrichment. There were 4 replicates (rooms). 3. Bird activity was videotaped at 5, 10 and 16 weeks of age and subsequently scored for the number of birds using the perch or pecking at a bale, drinker, litter and section of the wall at 10-min intervals for 4 h throughout the photoperiod (24 times/d). Aggression was assessed by determining the number of aggressive acts in 2-min intervals during 8 periods of the day. The skin and feather condition of 25 birds in each pen were scored at 6, 12 and 18 weeks and the condition of the string bunches was scored at the end of the experiment. 4. The proportion of birds pecking the bales, wall and litter declined and the proportion pecking at the drinker and using the perch increased with age. The number of birds pecking at the bale was similar in EE1 and EE2 at 10 and 16 weeks of age. 5. The string bunches were not extensively used. The condition of the bunches of string in EE2 was worse than in EE1 at the end of the experiment. 6. The number of aggressive acts increased with age and there was no consistent difference between treatments. 7. There was an increase with age in the damage score for feathers over the back and wings and around the tail and vent but no differences between treatments. 8. Provision of litter in the form of unopened bales of wood shavings was a commercially acceptable form of environmental enrichment, but there was no evidence that behavioural changes associated with feed restriction, including the prevalence of aggression, were improved.

Effects of light intensity and beak trimming on preventing aggression in laying hens

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to investigate the effects of decreased light intensity and beak trimming on aggression prevention in laying hens. In total, 181 White Leghorns were used. At 17 weeks of age, 36 birds were allocated to battery cages (three birds/cage), 36 birds to furnished cages (four birds/cage), and 109 birds were transferred to an aviary. Since aggression increased in the birds from 23 weeks of age (from 0.3% to 6.0%) especially in the furnished cages, , the light intensity during the daytime was decreased to about one‐tenth (from 680 lux to 70 lux) at 28 weeks of age. The birds in the furnished cages then had their beaks re‐trimmed lightly by using a debeaker at 29 weeks of age. Behavioral observations using scanning techniques at 10 min intervals were conducted. Feed intake, bodyweight and feather score were also measured. There was no significant difference in aggression before and after decreasing the light in all three housing systems. On the other hand, the proportion of birds showing aggression decreased significantly just after trimming and four weeks after beak trimming in the furnished cages (P &lt; 0.05 and P &lt; 0.01, respectively). The aggression also became similar to the proportions observed in the battery cages and in the aviary. In proportion to the decreased aggression, the proportion of birds eating significantly decreased (P &lt; 0.05). However, their feed intake and bodyweight did not decrease significantly. Against this decreased aggression, the proportion of birds preening significantly increased (P &lt; 0.05). Aggression was observed more frequently at the dust bath in the furnished cages and at the litter floor in the aviary (both P &lt; 0.001). The total feather score for all body parts in the birds in furnished cages increased significantly (P &lt; 0.01) from 25 to 29 weeks of age (at beak trimming), but did not increase significantly from 29 to 33 weeks of age. The increments of neck, breast and tail feather scores in the furnished cages were smaller. In conclusion, there was no significant difference in aggression between just before and after decreasing the light in any housing system. However, aggression in the furnished cages was reduced not only by decreasing the light intensity, but by additional beak trimming. Aggravation of feather conditions – especially at the neck, breast and back – was prevented by the treatment.

The Feather Conservation Survey; Introduction to Conservation Issues for the Feather Creations Seminar

Feather creations represent a rich and varied group of objects, almost all of which are composed of feathers joined together with other materials. The feather condition and technical surveys were created in order to determine whether there is any observed relationship between deterioration and the construction of a feather object, its length of time on display, the type of display lighting, and how often the object has traveled. With the help of all of the seminar organizers, these surveys we...