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The Behavioural Biology of Chickens

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Christine Janet Nicol at Royal Veterinary College
Christine Janet Nicol
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It does not just advertise what the author thinks we know about chicken behavioural biology but actually lays out the evidence… Of tremendous value to all students of poultry science, animal behaviour and animal welfare in general… A masterpiece in the communication of science.' Professor Dr. Hanno Würbel, University of Bern, Switzerland. Chickens are by far the world's most widely farmed animal, kept for both meat and egg production. They are at the centre of debates regarding housing and production systems, fuelling significant interest in what explains and influences chicken behaviour. Authored by an authority on chicken ethology, this book: • covers topics important to chicken welfare, such as sensory biology, behavioural development, preferences and aversions, social behaviour, learning and cognition; • addresses behavioural problems across different systems and provides solutions to improve the lives of farmed chickens around the world; and • brings together the diverse fields of animal behaviour, neuroscience, psychology and epidemiology to provide a comprehensive understanding of chicken behaviour. Practical and accessible, this book forms an essential resource in chicken biology and behaviour for students of veterinary science, behaviour and welfare, as well as commercial poultry producers and smallholder farmers wanting to improve their chickens' quality of life.
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ISBN included
Livestock Handling and Transport,
4th Edition
Edited by T. Grandin
2014 496 pages ISBN 978 1 78064 321 2
Animal Machines
R. Harrison and M. Stamp-Dawkins
2013 224 pages ISBN 978 1 78064 284 0
Alternative Systems for Poultry:
Health, Welfare and Productivity
Poultry Science Symposium Series
Edited by V. Sandilands and P.M. Hocking
2012 376 pages ISBN 978 1 84593 824 6
Biology of Breeding Poultry
Poultry Science Symposium Series
Edited by P.M. Hocking
2009 480 pages ISBN 978 1 84593 375 3
For further information on these titles and other publications, see our website at www.cabi.org
Related titles
Nicol
The Behavioural Biology of Chickens
The Behavioural Biology of Chickens
Christine J. Nicol
’It does not just advertise what the author thinks we know about chicken behavioural
biology but actually lays out the evidence… Of tremendous value to all students of
poultry science, animal behaviour and animal welfare in general… A masterpiece in
the communication of science.’
Professor Dr. Hanno Würbel, University of Bern, Switzerland
Chickens are by far the world’s most widely farmed animal, kept for both meat
and egg production. They are at the centre of debates regarding housing and
production systems, fuelling significant interest in what explains and influences
chicken behaviour. Authored by an authority on chicken ethology, this book:
• covers topics important to chicken welfare, such as sensory biology,
behavioural development, preferences and aversions, social behaviour,
learning and cognition;
• addresses behavioural problems across dif ferent systems and provides
solutions to improve the lives of farmed chickens around the world; and
• brings together the diverse fields of animal behaviour, neuroscience,
psychology and epidemiology to provide a comprehensive understanding
of chicken behaviour.
Practical and accessible, this book forms an essential resource in chicken biology
and behaviour for students of veterinary science, behaviour and welfare, as well as
commercial poultry producers and smallholder farmers wanting to improve their
chickens’ quality of life.
The Behavioural
Biology of Chickens
Christine J. Nicol
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... Il est maintenant admis que tous les oiseaux domestiques possèdent des capacités visuelles, auditives, olfactives et tactiles bien développées (Nicol, 2015 ;Marino, 2017 ;Garnham & Løvlie, 2018). Leur acuité visuelle est remarquable et joue un rôle primordial dans leur rapport à l'environnement (figure 2). ...
... À l'état sauvage comme à l'état domestique, les poules sont des animaux sociaux qui vivent en groupe, au sein d'une structure sociale complexe et hiérarchisée. Afin de pouvoir évoluer au sein d'une telle structure, elles ont développé des capacités spécialisées (Bradshaw & Dawkins, 1993 ;Nicol, 2015). Dès leur plus jeune âge, les poussins sont capables de se servir des informations sociales pour s'adapter à leur environnement via une capacité d'apprentissage social. ...
Comment les volailles perçoivent et interprètent leur environnement : recherche scientifique et exemples d'applications
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  • Sep 2023
La science s’intéresse de longue date aux pratiques d’élevage et à la notion de sensibilité animale. En accord avec ces questionnements, il existe une demande sociétale croissante pour l’amélioration des conditions de vie des animaux de rente. Cette amélioration nécessite des connaissances de leurs capacités cognitives, qui permettent à l’animal de traiter, mémoriser, interpréter ce qui se passe dans son environnement. Ces connaissances permettent d’expliquer voire limiter certains comportements observés en élevage. [ Cet article est issu d’une synthèse présentée aux 14èmes Journées de la Recherche Avicole des 9-10 mars 2022 à Tours. (Calandreau et al., 2022) ]
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... Fear can have a negative impact on one's health as well as productivity in husbandry systems [8]- [13]. Fear can be understood as an animal's response to perceived danger and, under ideal conditions, is an adaptive state designed to shield the animal from psychophysical harm [10]. ...
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This study was carried out on a poultry farm in the Department of Animal Production – College of Agriculture - University of Anbar, the experiment aimed to determine broiler chicks' undesired behavior, including fear, gathering, and isolation. Seventy-five unsexed chicks were used that belong to strain Ross 308 with the age of one day. Chicks were randomly distributed to five replications, each replicate contained 15 chicks. The fear behavior was studied by observing the situation in which the chicks of each repeater are present at different times of the day when observing the chicks, we counted the number of isolated chicks, that is, located at the corners of the field, and recorded them, considering that they were very afraid. Chicks that are a little far from the corner were considered Medium afraid, and those that are farther away from the corner are a little afraid. As for the chicks that are spread out, far from the corners and walls, they are considered natural and not afraid, this is what was applied to each repeater (color) and at each of the specified times to take Data per day during the trial period. The results showed significant differences between the treatments in each of the traits of fear, grouping, and isolation due to the natural stimulator (sound) to broiler chicks.
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... Pain associated with rapid growth may also impact a bird's behavioral repertoire resulting in lower activity and less performance of behaviors associated with positive affective states such as comfort behaviors [39,82]. Broilers exhibit comfort behaviors such as preening, dustbathing, wing flapping, and leg stretching [83]. The inability to perform comfort behaviors is considered a major welfare concern [84]. ...
Impact of Growth Rate on the Welfare of Broilers
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2024
Selection for the more efficient production of broilers has resulted in rapid growth rates. The aim was to review the existing knowledge on the effect of growth rate on broiler welfare. Genotypes with faster growth rates consistently demonstrate poorer gait scores and increased prevalence of disorders affecting their legs than slower-growing genotypes. Reduced mobility places faster-growing broilers at an increased risk of developing contact dermatitis, as they spend increased durations sitting in contact with litter. Poor walking ability, heavy body weights, and conformational differences such as proportionally larger breast muscle in genotypes with faster growth can impact a bird’s ability to walk and navigate the environment, making it difficult to access resources and express natural behaviors. Faster growth has also been associated with poor cardiovascular health, increased susceptibility to heat stress, increased prevalence of mortality, ascites, as well as multiple breast muscle myopathies. Feed restriction, a practice associated with hunger and frustration, may be used to control the growth of broiler breeders, with birds having higher growth potential typically experiencing higher restriction levels. Overall, there is strong evidence that fast growth rates negatively impact welfare, and that slower-growing genotypes show significantly improved welfare. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that even minor reductions in growth rate can lead to welfare improvements.
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... This fear response in both treatments may be linked to the anti-predatory response in chickens. Chickens are precocial [67,68], exhibit anti-predatory and avoidance behaviors already early in life [69,70]. They do not need previous experience to flee or freeze in response to a predator threat [64]. ...
Pharmacological validation of an attention bias test for conventional broiler chickens
Article
Full-text available
Fear and anxiety are considered concerns for animal welfare as they are associated with negative affective states. This study aimed to pharmacologically validate an attention bias test (ABT) for broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) as a cognitive bias test to determine anxiety. Two-hundred-and-four male Ross 708 broiler chickens were arbitrarily allocated to either the anxiogenic or control treatment at 25 days of age (n = 102/treatment). Birds from the anxiogenic group were administered with 2.5 mg of β-CCM (β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid-N-methylamide [FG 7142]) per kg of body weight through an intraperitoneal injection (0.1 ml/100 g of body weight). Birds from the control group were administered with 9 mg of a saline solution per kg of body weight. During ABT, birds were tested in groups of three (n = 34 groups of three birds/treatment) with commercial feed and mealworms as positive stimuli and a conspecific alarm call as a negative stimulus. Control birds were 45 s faster to begin feeding than anxiogenic birds. Birds from the control group vocalized 40 s later and stepped 57 s later than birds from the anxiogenic group. The occurrence of vigilance behaviors did not differ between treatments. This study was successful in pharmacologically validating an attention bias test for fast-growing broiler chickens, testing three birds simultaneously. Our findings showed that latencies to begin feeding, first vocalization, and first step were valid measures to quantify anxiety.
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... of results that supplement extant literature. Refs.[76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84] are cited in the Supplementary Materials. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, J.L.M.; data curation, J.L.M.; formal analysis, J.L.M.; investigation, J.L.M.; methodology, J.L.M.; project administration, J.L.M.; resources, A.K.; supervision, A.K.; writing, original draft, J.L.M.; writing, review and editing, J.L.M. and A.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. ...
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... This was the beginning of limited chicken farms. This chicken mortality rate has dropped to 5 percent [2]. In the 1970s, the modern era of the chicken industry began with advances in nutrition, the selection of genetically modified birds and the use of antibiotics and other substances in the feed. ...
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Full-text available
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... La prevención y el control del picoteo de plumas en aves de corral requieren enfoques integrales, esto implica proporcionar un entorno enriquecido y estimulante, con acceso a objetos para picotear, perchas, áreas de polvo para baños y espacio suficiente para el movimiento; además, una alimentación adecuada y el manejo de posibles causas de estrés, como la temperatura y la calidad del aire, también son importantes para prevenir esta estereotipia (Hemsworth & Edwards, 2020) Al hablar de la estereotipia torcedura de cuello, Sarovy (1995), argumenta que puede ser causada por factores genéticos, deficiencias nutricionales, enfermedades infecciosas, lesiones en el sistema nervioso, condiciones de estrés crónico o traumatismos físicos; por otro lado, Nicol (2015) anexa que el manejo y las condiciones de bienestar en las gallinas pueden influir en la aparición de la torcedura del cuello. ...
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Full-text available
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Broiler Behaviour in three different housing systems
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2005
  • LANDBAUFORSCH VOLK
The aim of this study was to test the effects of different housing systems ("INTENSIVE", "FREE RANGE" and "ORGANIC") on the behaviour of broilers. The study was done on commercial farms with broilers of various hybrids (Cobb, Ross, Lohmann Meat und ISA). Scansampling method with 20 minute intervals was used for behavioural observations. Using video technique the behaviour feeding, resting, standing and moving were observed. The results indicate that the behaviour of broilers kept in INTENSIVE is more passive when compared to FREE RANGE and ORGANIC. Under intensive conditions (floor system) broilers rested most and moved least. Behavioural differences were found indoors when comparing FREE RANGE and ORGANIC. The birds spent more time eating in the ORGANIC than in the FREE RANGE. In contrary, moving was more frequently in FREE RANGE than in ORGANIC. Between week 3 and 4 of age no differences in the moving behaviour indoors could be found, whereas the frequency of feeding behaviour increased in INTENSIVE and decreased in FREE RANGE and ORGANIC. Age (weeks of age 5, 6 or 8) had only a small effect on the behaviour outdoors. A difference could be seen in FREE RANGE where the frequency of standing decreased over time. In ORGANIC birds rested less in week 6 than in week 5. These minor differences in the behaviour of broilers in the outdoor area of both systems with free range could indicate that the larger area in the organic production is not really necessary for the birds or that the free range was not sufficiently structured, because it was observed that in both free range systems the broilers did use the area next to the stable most often.
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Relationship between time spent in the winter garden and shell colour in brown egg stock
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2011
  • ARCH GEFLUGELKD
From field reports and scientific papers, it is known that sunlight can have an effect on the egg shell colour of brown layers. Therefore, on the basis of up to 243 brown layers with individual recordings, the relation between the time spent in a winter garden and egg shell colour were analysed in this study. The effect daylight was represented by the average time which each single hen spent in a winter garden between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. per day. The number of days with shell colour recordings range between 11 and 15 days per flock. The hens of flocks 1 and 2 were tested at an age of 25 to 28 weeks, whereas the hens of flock 3 were already 47 weeks old. During data recording, the season was the same for all hens. The average duration of stay per hen and day varied for each flock between one and a half to nearly two and a half hours. For the hens of flock 1, which when compared to the others, spent the shortest time span outside, the eggs had the darkest average shell colour index. In regard to this relationship, more detailed information was expected from a regression analysis. However, widely spread dots, with a very low negative tendency for one of the tested flocks did not give the desired results. A highly significant influence of the duration in the winter garden on the egg shell colour index was also only estimated for two of the three tested flocks. A negative genetic correlation of r g = -0.54, confirms the assumingly negative relationship. However, it is not possible to emphasise that in general daylight makes egg shell paler.
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Behaviour and welfare of broiler chicken
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2006
  • ARCH GEFLUGELKD
The welfare problems in broilers are caused by fast growth rate, feeding- and lighting programs. Fast growing broilers decrease their locomotor activity and increase the sitting duration. Low locomotor activity level in combination with high growth rate leads to leg weakness and gait anomalies. The effect of locomotor activity was analysed by training of locomotion on treadmills. The increase of activity stimulated bone building processes and reduced leg disorders. The effect of body growth was analysed with special suspension devices. The alleviation of weight of fast growing broilers increased locomotor activity and bone density. Stocking density influenced mainly the welfare criteria through litter quality and air temperature. The temperature between and under the animals increased with higher density. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor the physical and behavioural conditions of broilers rather than fixing data on maximum stocking density and other environmental factors. Environmental enrichment affected locomotor activity only for short. An enhanced distance between feeder and drinker motivated broilers to higher activity level. The leg problems were reduced with distances of 12 meter. Light programs can also be use to stimulate the activity, but light programs with long dark periods affected the rhythm of behaviour.
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Red junglefowl have individual body odors
Article
  • May 2010
Olfaction may play an important role in regulating bird behavior, and has been suggested to be involved in feather-pecking. We investigated possible differences in the body odors of red junglefowl females by using an automated olfactometer which assessed the ability of trained mice to discriminate between the odors of uropygial gland secretions (the main carrier of potential individual odors in chickens) of six feather-pecked and six non-pecked birds. All mice were clearly able to discriminate between all individual red junglefowl odors, showing that each bird has an individual body odor. We analyzed whether it was more difficult to discriminate between the odors of two feather-pecked, or two non-pecked birds, than it was to discriminate between the odors of two randomly selected birds. This was not the case, suggesting that feather-pecked birds did not share a common odor signature. Analyses using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that the composition of aliphatic carboxylic acids in uropygial gland secretions differed consistently between individuals. However, chemical composition did not vary according to feather-pecking status. We conclude that red junglefowl have individual body odors which appear to be largely based on differences in the relative abundance of aliphatic carboxylic acids, but there is no evidence of systematic differences between the body odors of pecked and non-pecked birds.
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Evaluation of small group housing systems and furnished cages as regards particular behaviour patterns in the layer strain Lohmann Selected Leghorn
Article
  • Dec 2006
  • ARCH GEFLUGELKD
Evaluation of small group housing systems and furnished cages as regards particular behaviour patterns in the layer strain Lohmann Selected Leghorn During the 3rd, 6th and 9th month of the laying period, the effect of the small group housing system Eurovent 625+a-EU and the furnished cages Aviplus and Eurovent 625A-EU on the light-period behaviour was examined in the layer strain Lohmann Selected Leghorn. The small group housing system was housed with groups of 40 and 60 hens, while the furnished cages were designed for groups of 10 and 20 hens. The behavioural observations were taken during 4 consecutive days at each month of observation. Every examined behavioural pattern was registered by using direct observation and instantaneous sampling. The behavioural observations showed that the behavioural disorder feather pecking was significantly effected by the housing system. Feather pecking occurred most frequently in the furnished cage Aviplus. This result was due to the inefficiency of the dust bathing substrate to satisfy the requirement of pecking and manipulating substrates. As a consequence, the pecking activity was related to the cage mates' plumage. As regards dust bathing behaviour it was shown that the dust bath in the system Aviplus was significantly less frequently used compared to the Astroturf-, Aviplus- und Netlon mats in the other systems. In addition, the behavioural observations revealed that the nests were not only used for egg laying, but also as refuge site during the whole light-period. Resting on perches was significantly more frequently observed in the Eurovent systems than in the Aviplus. With an average frequency of 1.7%, locomotion activities were very rarely performed in every system examined. Despite this overall low locomotion activity, there were significant differences between the housing systems examined. Locomotion activity was significantly greater in the small group housing system Eurovent 625+a-EU (2.3%) than in the furnished cages Eurovent 625A-EU und Aviplus (1.4%). In addition, locomotion activity was significantly greater in groups of 60 hens compared to groups of 40 hens.
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Effect of whole wheat and feed pellets distribution in the litter on broilers' activity and performance
Article
  • Apr 2011
  • ARCH GEFLUGELKD
The objective of this study was to enhance the locomotor activity of fast growing broilers by stimulation of foraging behaviour. The study included 120 Ross 308 broiler chickens of mixed sex fattened from 1-39 days of age in small groups (10 birds/group from 1 to 27 and 6-7 birds from 27 to 39 days of age). Chickens were randomly allotted to one of three treatments (four groups/treatment). The control birds (C) were fed with a complete feed mixture offered in a trough, W birds additionally to the feed in a trough received a small quantity of whole wheat scattered twice a day in the litter, and in the P treatment the trough was removed at 14 days of age and pelleted grower was scattered in the litter five times a day. Feed intake and feed conversion were similar in the C and W treatment. In the P treatment it was not possible to measure how much of the pellets offered in the litter the birds actually ate and how much remained in the litter. From 15 to 39 days of age the P birds grew significantly slower compared to the C and W birds, which resulted in 13% lower slaughter weight (C: 2186 ± 39 g, W: 2220 ± 55 g, and P: 1913 ± 64 g). P birds spent significantly (P < 0.05) less time lying in the third (P: 33.7 ± 5.0%, C: 66.1 ± 2.6%, W: 61.0 ± 1.5%) and fourth week (23.0 ± 6.8%, C: 62.3 ± 4.0%, W: 56.9 ± 6.1%) of age compared to the C and W birds, whereas this difference disappeared in the fifth week. Birds from the P treatment walked for a longer time than C and W birds from the third week onwards. They showed also more scratching and pecking. Scattering feed pellets in the litter significantly increased broilers activity, which was not achieved with the whole wheat scattered in the litter. Scattering pellets in the litter seems to be a promising method to enhance broilers' activity and thus contributes to their welfare. However, improvements should be brought to avoid that feed loss and reduction of growth rate.
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Mating behaviour and fertility
Article
  • May 2009
Mating behaviour in domestic fowl can be divided into an appetitive phase, courtship, and a consummatory phase, copulation. Courtship displays serve the important functions of arousing and synchronizing the participants. The main courtship displays are performed by the cock and comprise waltzing, wing-flapping, titbitting, cornering, strutting and rear approach. These have all been observed in the progenitor of the domestic fowl, the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus spadiceus). The development of mating behaviour is described. The presence of males during rearing has an accelerating effect on the sexual development of hens. Mate choice within a breeding flock of domestic fowl is not a random process. Both male and female fowl show mate preferences and these are probably based more on physical attributes than on the behaviour ofthe opposite-sex individual. Females may also choose males according to certain fitness characteristics, but it is argued that fluctuating asymmetry is probably not a factor under commercial conditions. There is a strong diurnal pattern of mating behaviour, with a peak in the late afternoon. Mating efficiency also increases at this time of day. There is a wide variation in both mating frequency and mating efficiency between cocks and little relationship between either of those traits and fertility. All these findings mean that the mating dynamics in large commercial flocks of breeders is extremely complicated. A ratio of about 1:10 or 1:11 of cocks:hens usually gives the best fertility, but the effective ratio is probably nearer 1:20, with many cocks not inseminating hens. The evidence suggests that the decline in fertility in broiler breeders after 50 weeks of age is probably due to the conformation of the cocks preventing cloacal contact rather than a reduction in libido. The recent problem of hyperaggressiveness in broiler breeder males is discussed and a possible cause suggested. Differences in the mating systems of turkeys and ducks compared with that of the domestic fowl are described.
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Use of functional areas, perch acceptance and selected behavioural traits in three different layer strains kept in furnished cages, small group systems and modified small group systems with elevated perches
Article
  • Oct 2010
  • ARCH GEFLUGELKD
Behavioural observations were conducted at two different farms in Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL), Lohmann Brown (LB) and Lohmann Silver (LS) laying hens kept in furnished cages (Aviplus (AP)), small group systems (Eurovent 625a-EU (SG)) and modified compartments of small group systems (MSG) with three variants of elevated perches (back perches elevated (BE), front perches elevated (FE), both perches elevated (ST)). The study comprised three trial periods and layers' use of functional areas (wire floor, dust bath, nest box, perch), resting behaviour, locomotion and dustbathing and pecking behaviour were analysed during daytime. The highest number of hens on the wire floor was recorded in AP. Hens in SG and MSG showed highest locomotion activities. The frequency of hens walking on the wire floor was highest in ST compartments when longer distances could be covered without crossing non-elevated perches. Dust baths were frequented more often for other activities rather than dust bathing behaviour. Feather pecking and pecking against objects was highest in AP (LSL, LB), whereas in LS layers, it mainly occurred in MSG. Perch use was highest in SG with non-elevated perches. In all three variants of MSG compartments, elevated back and/or front perches were only used to a small extent and highest perching and resting activity was observed on non-elevated perches. The study shows that SG and MSG housing systems could increase layers' locomotion activities, whereas the possibility to perform dust bathing appears insufficient. However, in LS hens, dust bathing on wire floor was more frequent in AP compared to SG and MSG and in the latter two systems more dustbaths were performed on dustbathing mats in comparison to wire floor. Elevated perches were only accepted to a small extent during the day, which might be due to inappropriate perch design and/or perch position.
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