The prevention and control of feather pecking: application to commercial systems

Nicol, CJ; Bestman, Monique; Gilani, A-M.; Haas, E.N. de; Jong, I.C. de; Lambton, Sarah L; Wagenaar, Jan-Paul; Weeks, Claire A; Rodenburg, T.B.

doi:10.1017/s0043933913000809

Cited by 99 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Feather pecking concerns a number of stakeholders. It has economic implications for farmers because it is associated with decreased egg production, heat loss, higher feed costs, and increased mortality [7]. Supermarkets are involved as they profit from cheap egg production.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social learning facilitates feather pecking and cannibalistic behaviors to transmit through a flock [3,6]. Stocking density and group size appear to have an interactive effect on feather pecking, but the exact mechanisms and causes of such interactions are not yet determined [7].…”

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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“…A large variation exists in the expression of SFP between and within breeds of laying hens (Kjaer et al, 2001;Rodenburg et al, 2003;Nicol et al, 2013). There is growing evidence suggesting that the existence of sub-groups of individual birds with an extreme expression of SFP (EFP).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Feather pecking in commercial hens is one of the most frequent behaviour patterns during the laying period. Despite the many research focusing on the prevention of this pattern, it remains a critical welfare issue in the commercial flocks (Nicol et al., ). Feather pecking and associated low feather quality are a multifactorial enigma (Rodenburg et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Royal Jelly on behavioural patterns, feather quality, egg quality and some haematological parameters in laying hens at the late stage of production

El‐Tarabany

2017

Animal Physiology Nutrition

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The aim was to elucidate the impact of Royal Jelly (RJ) on behavioural patterns, feather cover, egg quality and some blood haematological indices in laying hens (58-64 weeks of age). A total of 108 Tetra Brown laying hens were used in the current trial. The birds were divided into three equal groups (36 birds each). The pure RJ was prepared for immediate injection subcutaneously, as follows: the first treated group (RJ :100 mg/kg); the second treated group (RJ :200 mg/kg); the control group. The eating and drinking activities in the RJ group were significantly (p = .009 and .015 respectively) higher than the control and RJ groups. Furthermore, the aggressive pecks, feather pecks and threating behaviour in the RJ group were significantly (p = .005, .001 and .039 respectively) lower than the control and RJ groups. Both RJ-treated groups had the best feather cover on the neck and abdomen regions (p = .010 and .001 respectively; Figure ). Both RJ-treated groups had a significantly higher eggshell ratio (p = .019) and shell thickness (p = .001) in comparison with the control group. The albumen height, Haugh units and yolk index in both RJ-treated groups were significantly greater than those recorded in the control group (p = .026, .001 and .022 respectively). The erythrocyte and total leucocyte counts in the RJ group were significantly higher than those reported in the control and RJ groups (p = .029 and .013 respectively); however, the heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and heterophil % in both RJ-treated groups were significantly the lowest (p = .001 and .039). In conclusion, birds in the RJ group had superior feather cover, welfare and behavioural indices, probably due to the impact of active flavonoids components of RJ on laying hen performance. Furthermore, the RJ-treated groups had significantly improved egg quality parameters and some blood haematological indices.

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The prevention and control of feather pecking: application to commercial systems

Cited by 99 publications

References 72 publications

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

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

The presence of extreme feather peckers in groups of laying hens

Effect of Royal Jelly on behavioural patterns, feather quality, egg quality and some haematological parameters in laying hens at the late stage of production

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