Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 49, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Physiol Behav. 2013 Feb 17;110-111:96-101. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.12.017. Epub 2013 Jan 8.
Feather pecking in laying hens is a serious behavioral problem and is often associated with feather eating. There is some evidence that ingested feathers affect gut function. The aim of the present study was to explore whether differences in intestinal microbial metabolites in laying hens with high and low levels of repetitive feather-pecking behavior exist. Sixty high feather-pecking birds (H) and sixty low feather-pecking birds (L) of the White Leghorn breed were used for behavioral recordings of feather pecking. Feather pecking activity was observed for 5 weeks, after which 22 H birds with the highest and 22 L birds with the lowest feather pecking activity were chosen. The number of whole feathers and feather parts in the gizzard and intestinal microbial metabolites in the ileum and ceca of these laying hens was examined. Biogenic amines, short-chain fatty acids, ammonia and lactate were measured as microbial metabolites. A higher number of feather parts and particles were found in H than in L birds. Putrescine and cadaverine concentrations were higher in the ileum of the hens with low pecking activity (P<0.001 and P=0.012). In the cecum the amounts of l-lactate, d-lactate and total lactate and SCFA were higher in H birds (P=0.007, P=0.005, P=0.006, and P<0.001). Acetate, i-butyrate, i-valeriate and n-valeriate all displayed significantly higher molar ratios in the cecal contents of L birds (P=0.001, P=0.003, P=0.001, and P<0.001). Propionate and n-butyrate showed higher molar ratios in H birds (P<0.001 and P=0.034). Ammonia was higher in the ileum and cecum of the L birds (P<0.001 and P=0.004). For the first time, this study shows that birds with high and low numbers of repetitive pecking movements to the plumage of other birds differ in their intestinal microbial metabolism. Further experiments should be conducted to investigate whether these differences alter behavior in H and L feather pecking birds. The present results, however, open new avenues of research into implications of gut bacteria, their metabolites and the polyamine system on brain and behavior in laying hens.
啄羽行为在产蛋母鸡中是一种严重的行为问题，常伴有啄食羽毛。有证据表明，摄入的羽毛会影响肠道功能。本研究旨在探索高重复性啄羽行为和低重复性啄羽行为的产蛋母鸡之间是否存在肠道微生物代谢产物的差异。本研究选用 60 只高啄羽的白来航鸡（H）和 60 只低啄羽的白来航鸡（L）进行啄羽行为记录。观察 5 周后，选择 22 只啄羽活动最高的 H 鸟和 22 只啄羽活动最低的 L 鸟。检测这些产蛋母鸡的肌胃中完整羽毛和羽毛碎片的数量以及回肠和盲肠中肠道微生物代谢产物。生物胺、短链脂肪酸、氨和乳酸被作为微生物代谢产物进行测量。H 组中发现的羽毛碎片和颗粒比 L 组多。低啄羽活性母鸡的回肠中腐胺和尸胺浓度较高（P<0.001 和 P=0.012）。盲肠中 H 组的 l-乳酸、d-乳酸和总乳酸以及 SCFA 含量较高（P=0.007、P=0.005、P=0.006 和 P<0.001）。盲肠内容物中乙酸、异丁酸、异戊酸和正戊酸的摩尔比在 L 组中均显著较高（P=0.001、P=0.003、P=0.001 和 P<0.001）。丙酸和正丁酸在 H 组中的摩尔比较高（P<0.001 和 P=0.034）。L 组的回肠和盲肠中氨含量较高（P<0.001 和 P=0.004）。本研究首次表明，啄羽次数多的和啄羽次数少的鸟类在肠道微生物代谢方面存在差异。应该进行进一步的实验来研究这些差异是否会改变 H 和 L 啄羽鸟的行为。然而，本研究结果为肠道细菌、其代谢产物和多胺系统对产蛋母鸡大脑和行为的影响开辟了新的研究途径。
