Ferreira Vitor Hugo Bessa, Calesse Elise, Dumontier Lucille, Cornilleau Fabien, Lemarchand Julie, Foreau Auriane, Quentin Maxime, Lansade Léa, Tallet Céline, Boivin Xavier, Calandreau Ludovic
INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, Centre Val de Loire UMR Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
Poult Sci. 2025 Jul;104(7):105203. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105203. Epub 2025 Apr 22.
Positive perception of humans, extensively documented in domestic mammals, remains comparatively underexplored in domestic birds like chickens, with existing studies largely focusing on fear reduction. This research evaluated whether chickens perceive humans positively, accounting for interaction types and breed differences. Two breeds (Lohmann LSL Classic, Brown Classic) experienced physical contact (PC), visual-only contact (VC), or minimal human contact (MC) over 13 days (Days 35-51; PC and VC: 1-2 min/day). Birds were assessed using three behavioral tests. During the separation-reunion test (Days 52-53), individuals underwent two 3-min separations (experimenter absent) and reunions (experimenter present) in an open-field setting. Subsequently, the experimenter attempted up to six standardized capture attempts to catch the birds (the capture test). Lastly, the local enhancement test (Days 120-137) assessed birds' ability to use human presence/gestures to locate food. In the separation-reunion test, PC birds exhibited calmer/positive behaviors, such as reduced vigilance and increased foraging, in the presence of the experimenter compared to being alone. Conversely, MC birds displayed fewer calm behaviors and greater withdrawal when the experimenter was present. Brown birds showed more calm behaviors, reduced movement, and spent more time near the experimenter than white birds. The capture test supported these results, with PC and brown birds being easier to capture. In the local enhancement test, two PC individuals and the brown PC group as a whole successfully used human-given cues to locate food rewards. These results indicate that, as observed in other species, chickens-especially those with positive human experiences-can associate humans with rewarding outcomes. Positive interactions may also lead chickens to perceive humans as social buffers-that is, as factors that help mitigate stress in challenging situations. Although fundamental, this study highlights the potential of breed-sensitive approaches to improve poultry welfare and opens the discussion on adapting human-animal interactions to breed-specific characteristics. These insights can inform welfare-enhancing practices and provide practical tools for on-farm management that benefit both animals and farmers.
在家养哺乳动物中，对人类的积极认知已有大量记载，但在家养鸡等家养禽类中，这方面的研究相对较少，现有研究主要集中在恐惧减轻方面。本研究评估了鸡是否对人类有积极认知，同时考虑了互动类型和品种差异。两个品种（罗曼褐经典系、经典褐）在13天内（第35 - 51天；身体接触组和视觉接触组：每天1 - 2分钟）分别经历了身体接触（PC）、仅视觉接触（VC）或极少的人类接触（MC）。通过三项行为测试对鸡进行评估。在分离 - 重聚测试（第52 - 53天）中，个体在开阔场地环境中经历了两次3分钟的分离（实验者不在场）和重聚（实验者在场）。随后，实验者进行多达六次标准化的抓捕尝试来捕捉鸡（抓捕测试）。最后，局部增强测试（第120 - 137天）评估鸡利用人类在场/手势来定位食物的能力。在分离 - 重聚测试中,与单独状态相比，身体接触组的鸡在实验者在场时表现出更平静/积极的行为，如警惕性降低和觅食增加。相反，极少接触组的鸡在实验者在场时表现出较少的平静行为和更多的退缩行为。褐羽鸡比白羽鸡表现出更多的平静行为、活动减少，并且在实验者附近停留的时间更长。抓捕测试支持了这些结果，身体接触组和褐羽鸡更容易被捕捉。在局部增强测试中，两名身体接触组个体以及整个褐羽身体接触组成功利用人类给出的线索来定位食物奖励。这些结果表明，正如在其他物种中观察到的那样，鸡——尤其是那些有过与人类积极互动经历的鸡——能够将人类与有益结果联系起来。积极的互动也可能使鸡将人类视为社会缓冲因素，即在具有挑战性的情况下有助于减轻压力的因素。尽管这项研究具有基础性，但它凸显了考虑品种差异的方法在改善家禽福利方面的潜力，并开启了关于使人类与动物的互动适应特定品种特征的讨论。这些见解可为提高福利的实践提供参考，并为农场管理提供实用工具，使动物和农民都受益。
