Clicker Training as an Applied Refinement Measure in Chickens.

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Animal welfare science
• Laboratory animal science

Background:

• Handling chickens in research settings can induce stress due to their prey animal instincts.
• Assessing and mitigating stress in research animals is crucial for ethical and scientific integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a three-week clicker training program in reducing stress perception in chickens.
• To explore clicker training as a cognitive enrichment and refinement measure in animal studies.

Main Methods:

• Plasma and salivary corticosterone levels were measured.
• New Arena Test behavior was observed.
• Fecal output was quantified.
• A three-week clicker training intervention was implemented.

Main Results:

• Clicker training showed potential as a cognitive enrichment strategy for chickens.
• Three weeks of training was insufficient to sustainably reduce stress responses to prolonged stressors.
• Routine procedures like blood sampling were perceived as less stressful than anticipated.

Conclusions:

• Clicker training can be a valuable refinement technique in animal research, offering cognitive enrichment.
• Extended training durations and higher stressor potentials are necessary for more significant stress reduction.
• Further research should investigate training proportionality and assessment parameters for broader application in animal experiments.