Pecking at string by individually caged, adult laying hens: colour preferences and their stability

Jones, Robert B.; Carmichael, Nina L

doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(98)00151-8

Cited by 39 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These two terms are not the same, according to Kirkden and Pajor (2006): preference denotes a difference between the strength of motivation to obtain or avoid something, while choice describes characteristics of an animal (e.g., an animal prefers bananas to oranges). In recent years, both of these tests have been used with poultry to develop preference studies with very different objectives, such as studying color in pecking devices (Jones & Carmichael, 1998), light sources (Moinard & Sherwin, 1999;Kristensen et al, 2007), type of cages (Elston et al, 2000) or ammonia concentrations (Kristensen & Wathes, 2000). Therefore, the first aim of the present research was to assess the selection by broiler chickens of different types of materials widely used as litter in the poultry industry (sand, wood shavings, straw and rice hulls) using a choice test.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavior of broiler chickens in four different substrates: a choice test

Villagrá¹,

Olivas²,

Althaus³

et al. 2014

Rev. Bras. Cienc. Avic.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to determine the selection of bedding material by broiler chickens during the rearing period and whether the choice was determinant to their performing a specific behavior. To achieve this objective, a choice test was designed. A choice pen was constructed where birds could move freely around the four selected materials (straw, wood shavings, rice hulls and sand). Chickens were introduced in this pen in four groups of eight birds, three days a week for one hour per day and group, for four weeks. The location and the activity performed by each broiler were recorded every five minutes. Results showed a preference for sand compared with the other three substrates. However, differences between the behaviors performed in each bedding material were shown mainly for resting (preferably performed on wood shavings and straw), dust bathing (on sand), pecking and scratching (on rice hulls). Other factors, such as the time of day, were also found to have effects on fighting and drinking, and changes in behavioral patterns (resting, preening, eating, standing and pecking) were also detected as broilers grew older.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavior of broiler chickens in four different substrates: a choice test

Villagrá¹,

Olivas²,

Althaus³

et al. 2014

Rev. Bras. Cienc. Avic.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Schuler & Hesse 1985;Sillén-Tullberg 1985;Roper & Cook 1989;Mastrota & Mench 1995;see Schuler & Roper 1992 for review), although the results of these studies are not always consistent (e.g. Fischer et al 1975;Roper 1990;Roper & Marples 1997b;Jones & Carmichael 1998).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Colour biases are a question of taste

Rowe

Stachurski

2005

Animal Behaviour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unpalatable insects often advertise their defences to avian predators by conspicuous colours, such as red and yellow. Therefore, perhaps not surprisingly, birds tend to have unlearned biases against warningly coloured food. These biases are particularly evident when other components of insect warning displays, such as novel sounds and odours, are also present. We tested whether bitter taste, often associated with the defensive chemicals used by aposematic insects, can elicit or enhance specific colour aversions to red and yellow food in young domestic chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus. In our first experiment, subjects were given familiar brown chick crumbs sprayed with either a 0, 1, or 4% quinine solution. In each palatability treatment, chicks were then offered a choice of palatable crumbs that were coloured either red and green or yellow and green. Chicks attacked (pecked or ate) fewer red and yellow crumbs and more green crumbs with increasing quinine concentrations. Chicks also ate fewer red and yellow crumbs with increasing unpalatability, although there was no effect on the numbers of green crumbs eaten. In a second experiment, we gave chicks a colourless drop of either 0 or 0.3% quinine solution and found that this also produced similar attack biases against red and yellow as is in the first experiment. Taken together, these results show that birds use unpalatable taste to adapt their visual foraging decisions, which has consequences for the evolution and stability of mimicry systems, and also has implications for the pairing of colour and taste in psychological experiments.

show abstract

“…In fact, string elicited substantially more interest than a variety of other intuitively attractive stimuli, such as chains, beads, baubles and feathers (Jones et al 1997Carmichael, 1998, 1999). Bunches of plain white or yellow string were pecked much more than red, green, blue, orange or multi-coloured ones (Jones and Carmichael, 1998;, size was unimportant and the incorporation of shiny metal beads actually reduced pecking . Although the birds in most of our studies were only exposed to the devices for brief periods on each of up to 5 consecutive days, they pecked progressively more at virtually all of them with repeated exposure rather than showing habituation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…We reasoned that movement of the device might increase its conspicuousness and thereby increase the likelihood that the chicks would pay attention to it. Because a bunch of white string has consistently been the most attractive pecking stimulus in our previous studies (Jones and Carmichael, 1998; we elected to use the same colour here. In experiment 1 we compared the responses of pairhoused chicks to string when the devices in adjacent cages were either linked or not; if the chicks pecked or pulled at the linked string in one cage this moved the adjoining device.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does occasional movement make pecking devices more attractive to domestic chicks?

Jones¹

2001

British Poultry Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. The perception of UVA light (320 < lambda < 400 nm) by domestic fowl may be an adaptation to naturally lit habitats and may still be functional in farmed varieties, although not utilised owing to the absence of these wavelengths in commercial house lighting. One function may be the mediation of sexually related signalling or communication. 2. In experiment 1, two groups of 41 adult broiler breeders (four cockerels, 37 hens) were kept under conventional fluorescent light, with or without fluorescent UVA supplementation amounting to 16.9% of the total spectral power output of the luminaires. Each light environment was approximately iso-illuminant as perceived by the birds. The two groups were exposed to the light environments alternately for five 2-day periods in a cross-over design. Mating behaviour, production measures and time budgets were recorded on the second day of each period. 3. A UVA-enriched environment increased the number of attempted matings (1.27 vs 0.99 matings/cockerel.h) and locomotion (5.3 vs 3.7 min/bird.hour). 4. In a second experiment, 10 hens were allowed to choose between four cockerels lit under different power levels of UVA (1.6%, 14.6%, 43.5%, 57.5% of the total spectral power output of the luminaires) in a four-armed maze. Again, each light environment was approximately iso-illuminant as perceived by the birds. Each hen was allowed to make one choice per day over four days, with the position of the cockerels and the UVA levels interchanged each day. This schedule was repeated with the same hens for two other groups of four cockerels. 5. At a distance of no less than 60 cm from the cockerel, the hens spent most time inspecting whichever cockerel was lit by 1.6% or 14.6% UVA (1.33 vs 1.37 vs 1.22 vs 1.16 log seconds/hen.choice, respectively for increasing UVA level). Similarly, when allowed to approach closer to the cockerels, the hens spent most time in the arm which contained a cockerel lit by 14.6% UVA light, (1.62 vs 1.88 vs 1.69 vs 1.51 log s/hen.choice, respectively for increasing UVA level). 6. UVA is clearly implicated in the transmission of sexual signals or communication which may have implications for the welfare and production of broiler breeders.

show abstract

Pecking at string by individually caged, adult laying hens: colour preferences and their stability

Cited by 39 publications

References 30 publications

Behavior of broiler chickens in four different substrates: a choice test

Behavior of broiler chickens in four different substrates: a choice test

Colour biases are a question of taste

Does occasional movement make pecking devices more attractive to domestic chicks?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About