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Resilience indicator traits in chickens: a systematic review
Lisa Büttgen1, Malou van der Sluis1, Stina Auerbach2
1Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Poultry Science
|June 17, 2026
Summary
This review identifies key indicators of chicken resilience to stress, focusing on immune and thermal challenges. It highlights a need for standardized terminology and further research into behavioral indicators and recovery phases.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Veterinary Medicine
- Genetics
Background:
- Animal resilience is crucial for coping with short-term disturbances like pathogen exposure.
- Understanding resilience indicators in chickens is vital for improving animal welfare and productivity.
- Previous research has explored various indicators, but a comprehensive overview is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and identify resilience indicators studied in chickens.
- To analyze the contexts and stressors under which these indicators were examined.
- To identify research gaps in chicken resilience assessment.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review was conducted using predefined search criteria including 'chickens', stress exposure, and 'resilience'.
- AI-based tool ASReview assisted in screening titles and abstracts, followed by full-text analysis.
- 33 relevant publications were identified and analyzed based on selection criteria.
Main Results:
- The majority of studies focused on immune (13) or thermal (14) challenges, particularly heat stress.
- Production/performance and immunity/disease parameters were most frequently studied resilience indicators.
- Genetics/gene expression indicators were included in about half of the studies; behavioral indicators were limited (4).
Conclusions:
- This review offers a comprehensive overview of published chicken resilience indicators and identifies significant research gaps.
- There is a need for controlled use of terms like resilience, robustness, resistance, tolerance, and adaptability.
- Assessing the recovery phase after disturbance is relevant for a complete understanding of chicken resilience.
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