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Long term selection for reduced or increased pecking behaviour in laying hens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2008

A.J. BUITENHUIS  and
J.B. KJAER
A.J. BUITENHUIS*
Affiliation:
Aarhus University, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Blichers Allé 20, P.O. Box 50, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
J.B. KJAER
Affiliation:
Federal Agricultural Research Centre, Institute for Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry, Dörnbergstrasse 25-27, 29223 Celle, Germany
*
Corresponding author: bart.buitenhuis@agrsci.dk
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Abstract

Feather pecking in laying hens is an important issue in animal welfare. Four studies in laying hens were selected which investigated increased or reduced pecking behaviour using direct or indirect measures of feather pecking behaviour. Direct comparison of the selected experiments is difficult, as the selection criteria and even the selection procedures varied. Keeping these differences in mind, the results of the experiments showed that a) It is possible to change pecking behaviour in the desired direction using selection, b) Aggressive pecking is not related to feather pecking, c) There is no clear consensus as to the relation between selection on pecking behaviour and laying performance and egg quality, d) Plasma serotonin level in the blood was reduced in the lines selected against pecking behaviour in both the individual selected lines and the group selected lines and there were indications that dopamine also plays a role in the regulation of pecking behaviour, and finally e) There are differences between the selected lines and their control lines with regard to the immune parameters both in the individual selected lines as the group selected lines, indicating that direct as well as indirect selection for reduced pecking behaviour changes the immune response.

Keywords

laying hensfeather peckingbehaviourselection
Type
Review Article
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 64 , Issue 4 , December 2008 , pp. 477 - 487
Copyright
Copyright © World's Poultry Science Association 2008

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