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New approaches to selecting a scan-sampling method for chicken behavioral observations and their practical
Alice Cartoni Mancinelli1, Angela Trocino2, Laura Menchetti3
1Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, 06100, Perugia, Italy.
Scientific Reports
|October 11, 2023
Summary
Choosing the right scan-sampling interval is crucial for accurate chicken behavior studies. Longer intervals (30 min) capture general activity, while shorter ones (10 min) are better for rare behaviors like attacking.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Ethology
- Quantitative Biology
Background:
- Scan-sampling is widely used in behavioral studies, particularly with large datasets.
- Lack of standardized guidelines for selecting sampling intervals hinders consistent video analysis.
- Establishing a standard approach for video analysis is vital for the scientific community.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of sampling interval length on chicken behavioral study results.
- To evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and validity of 10, 15, and 30-minute sampling intervals.
- To introduce the Bland-Altman test as a method for comparing sampling intervals.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation of three scan-sampling intervals (10, 15, and 30 minutes) for chicken behavior.
- Application of the Bland-Altman test to compare the chosen sampling intervals.
- Comparison of behaviors across four chicken genotypes under free-range conditions.
Main Results:
- Bland-Altman plots indicated that sampling intervals longer than 10 minutes introduce bias in estimating rare behaviors like "Attacking".
- The 30-minute sampling interval effectively detected differences among genotypes in high-occurrence behaviors, such as locomotory activity.
- A 30-minute interval offers a practical balance between resource allocation and comprehensive behavioral characterization of chicken genotypes.
Conclusions:
- Sampling interval length significantly impacts the accuracy of behavioral data in chickens.
- The 30-minute scan-sampling interval is recommended for broad characterization of chicken genotypes, balancing efficiency and results.
- The Bland-Altman test provides a valuable tool for researchers to select appropriate sampling intervals.
