Gunnarsson, Stefan
- Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
The incidence of behavioural problems, e.g. cannibalism, in aviaries for laying hens may be decreased by appriopriate rearing of the chicks. Early exposure to perches and lighttype may influence the feeding and perching behaviour of the birds as well as their later preference for lighttype. The aim of the study was to investigate the individual differences in perching behaviour and if environmental enrichment enhances perching at an early age. Furthermore, the effect of natural and artificial light, respectively, on perching and feeding of birds was studied, as well as, the lighttype preference at 14 weeks of age. Two experiments were performed: 1. Ninety LSL-chicks were divided into three treatments: control, floor enrichment and hanging enrichment. 2. 126 day-old LSL-chicks were divided into three light treatments; I8: 8 h incandescent light/16 h darkness, I16: 16 h incandescent light/8 h darkness, N8: 8 h natural light/16 h darkness. At the age of 14 weeks, the birds' light-type preference was tested. In experiment 1, latency to perch was positively associated with time spent under the perches (p=0.01) and it was negatively associated with interacting with other chicks (p
Published in
Title: Proc. of the 14th ISAH Congress 2009
Publisher: International Society for Animal Hygiene
Conference
14th International Congress of the International Society for Animal Hygiene (ISAH)
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Veterinary Science
Animal and Dairy Science
Publication identifier
- ISBN: 978-80-7399-800-4
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/26031