Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
Poult Sci. 2021 Feb;100(2):431-440. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.041. Epub 2020 Nov 27.
Early chick environment, such as provision of litter and perches, can be a predictor of laying hen welfare. Inadequate or nonpreferred litter and perch types could have similar negative effects as those seen when not providing these resources at an early stage, such as increased feather pecking and cannibalism in adult flocks. However, suitable litter and perch types for chicks are not well explored. In the present project, 6 different types of litter (crushed straw pellets, hemp shavings, peat, sand, straw, wood shavings) and 6 different types of perches (narrow or wide forms of rope, flat or round wood) were presented in a controlled way (3 at a time) to chicks in 6 pens. Usage was compared in 93 chicks of Lohmann Selected Leghorn Classic divided across the pens, during their first 3 wk after hatch. Different litter types were seen to be preferred for different behaviors. The majority of dustbathing bouts occurred in sand and peat. Chicks foraged more in wood shavings, hemp shavings, and sand than in peat and pellets (P < 0.05). Perch width and shape were found to affect both usage and perch balance, measured as the probability of successful or problematic landings. The wide rope was generally used more during the first week (P < 0.05) and was used more for sleeping or resting (P < 0.05) than the other wide perch types. Furthermore, birds were more likely to land on the wide rope or on flat perches successfully than they were to have a problematic landing (P < 0.05). That birds were more likely to be observed preening on flat perches than on the potentially shaky rope perches could further reflect a sense of security. Our results suggest that presenting several litter types could better fulfill chicks' behavioral needs and that flat perches or a wide rope (4.5-cm diameter) could be appropriate perch types for laying hen chicks and thereby promote early perch use and training.
早期雏鸡的环境，如提供垫料和栖木，可以预测蛋鸡的福利。不合适或不受雏鸡欢迎的垫料和栖木类型可能会产生与早期不提供这些资源类似的负面影响，例如成年鸡群中啄羽和互啄行为增加。然而，适合雏鸡的垫料和栖木类型尚未得到充分探索。在本项目中，6 种不同类型的垫料（压碎的稻草颗粒、麻屑、泥炭、沙子、稻草、木屑）和 6 种不同类型的栖木（宽窄绳、扁圆木）以受控的方式（每次 3 种）提供给 6 个围栏中的雏鸡。在孵化后 3 周内，对 93 只罗曼洛曼精选莱亨蛋鸡雏鸡进行了比较。不同的垫料类型被观察到与不同的行为有关。大多数沙浴行为发生在沙子和泥炭中。雏鸡在木屑、麻屑和沙子中的觅食行为多于在泥炭和颗粒料中（P < 0.05）。栖木的宽度和形状被发现既影响使用，也影响栖木平衡，表现为成功或有问题的着陆的概率。宽绳在第一周内通常使用更多（P < 0.05），并且更常用于睡眠或休息（P < 0.05）比其他宽栖木类型。此外，与有问题的着陆相比，鸟类更有可能成功地落在宽绳或平栖木上（P < 0.05）。鸟类更有可能被观察到在平栖木上梳理而不是在可能摇晃的绳栖木上梳理，这进一步反映了一种安全感。我们的结果表明，提供几种垫料类型可以更好地满足雏鸡的行为需求，而平栖木或宽绳（直径 4.5 厘米）可能是蛋鸡雏鸡的合适栖木类型，从而促进早期栖木使用和训练。
