Light exposure during incubation and social and vigilance behaviour of domestic chicks

Abstract

Light exposure of chick eggs during a sensitive period at the end of the incubation period leads to the development of lateralised visual behaviour, and here we show that social behaviour is also influenced by this exposure. Groups of eight chicks of three types(1) all incubated in the dark (Da), (2) all exposed to light (Li), (3) half Da and half Li (Mixed)were tested on a range of tasks involving social competition and vigilance for a simulated predator. We confirmed a previous finding that lowest-ranking chicks in Li groups gained less access to a food bowl when they had to compete with group members than did the lowest-ranking chicks in the Da groups, and we extended this result to show that the Mixed groups performed like the Li groups. We also showed that before presentation of a novel stimulus resembling a predator, fewer of the chicks in the Da groups than in the Li and Mixed groups looked up, but during presentation of the predator more Da than Li chicks looked up. Hence, light exposure before hatching affects post-hatching social and vigilance behaviour.

Keywords

Domestic chick; Gallus gallus domesticus; Laterality; Sensitive period; Social behaviour; Vigilance

Published in

Laterality
2009, volume: 14, number: 4, pages: 381-394
Publisher: PSYCHOLOGY PRESS

SLU Authors

• Wichman, Anette

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG2 Zero hunger

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science
Veterinary Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500802440616

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/61644