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Laying hens learn to avoid feathers
A Harlander-Matauschek1, F Wassermann, J Zentek
1Department of Farm Animal Ethology and Poultry Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. harland@uni-hohenheim.de
Poultry Science
|August 30, 2008
Summary
Feathers treated with quinine sulfate, an unpalatable substance, reduced feather eating and feather pecking in laying hens. This suggests digestive feedback influences feather damaging behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Avian Nutrition
- Animal Welfare
Background:
- Feather pecking and feather eating are linked in laying hens.
- The role of digestive feedback in these behaviors is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if digestive feedback influences feather eating and feather pecking in laying hens.
- To test the hypothesis that palatable (sucrose) and unpalatable (quinine sulfate) feather enrichment differentially affects these behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Forty-eight laying hens were divided into groups.
- One group received feathers soaked in sucrose solution (S), another in quinine sulfate solution (Q), and a control group (C) received no feathers.
- Feather pecking behavior was assessed after the feeding period.
Main Results:
- Significantly fewer quinine sulfate-treated feathers were consumed compared to sucrose-treated feathers.
- Hens exposed to quinine sulfate feathers exhibited less severe feather pecking than sucrose or control groups.
- Quinine sulfate acted as an aversive signal, reducing feather damage.
Conclusions:
- Digestive feedback, specifically through taste aversion, can mitigate feather pecking and feather eating in laying hens.
- Unpalatable substances on feathers can serve as a protective mechanism against feather damage.
- This finding has implications for improving laying hen welfare and feather cover.
