Quantitative genetic analysis of causal relationships among feather pecking, feather eating, and general locomotor activity in laying hens using structural equation models

Lutz, Vanessa; Kjaer, Joergen; Iffland, Hanna; Rodehutscord, M.; Bessei, W.; Bennewitz, Jörn

doi:10.3382/ps/pew146

Cited by 18 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The occurrence of EFP birds may also be the result of the co-occurrence of SFP with other facilitating behaviors. Chickens from an HFP line were found to have significantly higher locomotor activity compared with chickens from an LFP (Kjaer, 2009;Lutz et al, 2016). Other behaviors, such as those involved in aggression (Bessei et al, 2013;Bennewitz et al, 2014), exploration (de Haas et al, 2010Brunberg et al, 2011) and fear Boegelein et al, 2014, Grams et al, 2015b have been reported to be associated with feather pecking and may have a complementary effect on this behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The presence of extreme feather peckers in groups of laying hens

Piepho

Lutz

Kjaer

et al. 2017

Animal

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Feather pecking is a serious economic and welfare problem in laying hens. Feather damage occurs mainly through severe feather pecking (SFP). Selection experiments have proved that this behavior is heritable and lines have been divergently selected for high (HFP) and low feather pecking (LFP). The number of bouts of SFP per hen follows a Poisson distribution with a maximum nearby 0. A few studies indicate that the distribution within flocks is not homogenous but contains sub-groups of birds showing extremely high levels of feather pecking (EFP). It was the aim of the current study to re-analyze data on SFP of lines selected for HFP/LFP and their F2 cross so as to uncover hidden sub-populations of EFP birds. Data of seven selection generations of HFP and LFP selection lines as well as their F2 cross have been used. We fitted a two-component mixture of Poisson distributions in order to separate the sub-group of EFP from the remaining birds. HFP and LFP lines differed mainly in mean bouts per bird. The proportion of EFP was only marginal in the LFP as compared with the HFP and the F2 population. Selection for LFP did not result in total elimination of EFP. The presence of even small proportions of EFP may play an important role in initiating outbreaks of feather pecking in large flocks. Further studies on feather pecking should pay special attention to the occurrence of EFP sub-groups.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The presence of extreme feather peckers in groups of laying hens

Piepho

Lutz

Kjaer

et al. 2017

Animal

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“…So far, the majority of studies have applied research goals, while only few are categorized as oriented basic [17] or use-inspired basic research [18]. Despite the large body of research, the causes of feather pecking remain largely unknown [19]. Questions concerning the adaptive capacity of chickens, their behavioral repertoire and needs, and indices of negative and positive welfare states, would greatly benefit from basic research approaches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This skew suggests that the focus on a practical solution may have resulted in fundamental questions regarding feather pecking to remain unanswered and we consequently find ourselves with incomplete information on the causes of feather pecking. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, the causes of feather pecking remain largely unknown [19]. Additionally, the focus understandably has mainly been on the welfare of the victims of feather pecking and solutions to improve their situation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of Basic Research on the Causes of Feather Pecking in Relation to Welfare

Fijn

Staay

Goerlich-Jansson

et al. 2020

Animals

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Feather pecking is a prominent issue in the commercial egg industry, associated with economic losses and welfare problems. A non-systematic literature search suggests that studies on feather pecking are predominantly concerned with applied research goals. That is to say, they aim to solve or diminish the effects of this problematic behavior by orienting towards practical approaches. The strong emphasis on this research approach has skewed our knowledge of the causes of feather pecking in relation to welfare. While the need for such research is high, there is an equivalent need for basic research that has not received corresponding effort. Also, current research predominantly focuses on the negative effects on the birds being pecked, whereas too little attention is given to the possible welfare problems of the peckers. We argue that more basic research is needed for obtaining comprehensive science-based knowledge of behavioral needs and abilities of hens, in particular with respect to behavioral problems that threaten their welfare.

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“…where y i is the number of bpb of each hen i and y ti is the transformed observation. The power parameter −0.2 was used according to Lutz et al [20] and Su et al [21] showing the best fit for feather pecking data.…”

Section: Experimental Design Data Collection and Editingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomewide Mapping of Selection Signatures and Genes for Extreme Feather Pecking in Two Divergently Selected Laying Hen Lines

Iffland

Wellmann

Schmid

et al. 2020

Animals

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Feather pecking (FP) is a longstanding serious problem in commercial flocks of laying hens. It is a highly polygenic trait and the genetic background is still not completely understood. In order to find genomic regions influencing FP, selection signatures between laying hen lines divergently selected for high and low feather pecking were mapped using the intra-population iHS and the inter-population FST approach. In addition, the existence of an extreme subgroup of FP hens (EFP) across both selected lines has been demonstrated by fitting a mixture of negative binomial distributions to the data and calculating the posterior probability of belonging to the extreme subgroup (pEFP) for each hen. A genomewide association study (GWAS) was performed for the traits pEFP and FP delivered (FPD) with a subsequent post GWAS analysis. Mapping of selection signatures revealed no clear regions under selection. GWAS revealed a region on Chromosome 1, where the existence of a QTL influencing FP is likely. The candidate genes found in this region are a part of the GABAergic system, which has already been linked to FP in previous studies. Despite the polygenic nature of FP, selection on these candidate genes may reduce FP.

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Quantitative genetic analysis of causal relationships among feather pecking, feather eating, and general locomotor activity in laying hens using structural equation models

Cited by 18 publications

References 38 publications

The presence of extreme feather peckers in groups of laying hens

The presence of extreme feather peckers in groups of laying hens

Importance of Basic Research on the Causes of Feather Pecking in Relation to Welfare

Genomewide Mapping of Selection Signatures and Genes for Extreme Feather Pecking in Two Divergently Selected Laying Hen Lines

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