Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter
As housing laying hens in aviaries becomes more common, understanding relationships between social context and performance of key behaviors, such as dust bathing (DB), is important. Expression of behaviors may be increased or repressed by the presence of conspecifics, and degree of behavioral synchr...
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doaj-22b9c462da384a0b9311ae32e9421c822020-11-25T03:30:17ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912020-09-0199941034112Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matterTessa C. Grebey0Ahmed B.A. Ali1Janice C. Swanson2Tina M. Widowski3Janice M. Siegford4Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MIAnimal and Veterinary Science Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634 USADepartment of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MIDepartment of Animal Biosciences, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 CanadaDepartment of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Corresponding author:As housing laying hens in aviaries becomes more common, understanding relationships between social context and performance of key behaviors, such as dust bathing (DB), is important. Expression of behaviors may be increased or repressed by the presence of conspecifics, and degree of behavioral synchrony can affect per hen resource allocation. We investigated relationships between number of hens on litter, number of hens simultaneously DB, and interbird distances (IBD) on space used to DB and duration of DB bouts across 4 laying hen strains (Hy-Line Brown [HB], Bovan Brown [BB], DeKalb White [DW], and Hy-Line [W36]) at 28 wk of age. Brown hens needed more space to DB than white hens (HB 1125.26; BB 1146.51 vs. DW 962.65; W36 943.39 cm2; P < 0.01). More white hens occupied litter at once (43 DW, 41 W36 vs. 28 HB, 31 BB; P < 0.01), and more white hens DB simultaneously than brown hens (11 DW, 19 W36 vs. 4 HB, 4 BB; P < 0.01). Brown hens had larger average IBD (HB 13.99, BB 15.11 vs. DW 8.39, W36 7.85 cm; P < 0.01) and larger minimum IBD (HB 6.76, BB 7.35 vs. DW 1.63, W36 1.79 cm; P < 0.01) but shorter DB durations than white hens (HB 7.37, BB 9.00 vs. DW 13.91, W36 15.16 min; P < 0.01). White hens' DB area decreased if number of hens on litter increased (DW 0.85; W36 0.79 cm; P < 0.05) or minimum IBD decreased (DW 3.66, W36 2.98 cm; P < 0.01). Brown hens' DB bout duration decreased as number of hens on litter increased (HB 0.87, BB 0.95 min; P < 0.01), number of other hens DB increased (HB 0.75, BB 0.69 min; P ≤ 0.02), or minimum IBD decreased (HB 2.39, BB 2.31 min; P < 0.01). In response to smaller IBD and more hens on litter simultaneously, DW and W36 hens minimize DB area while BB and HB hens shorten DB bouts, potentially terminating bouts before fulfilling their needs. Variations in DB behavior among strains should be considered when planning and stocking laying hen aviaries.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579120303217dust bathingaviarylaying henwelfarebehavior |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Tessa C. Grebey Ahmed B.A. Ali Janice C. Swanson Tina M. Widowski Janice M. Siegford |
spellingShingle |
Tessa C. Grebey Ahmed B.A. Ali Janice C. Swanson Tina M. Widowski Janice M. Siegford Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter Poultry Science dust bathing aviary laying hen welfare behavior |
author_facet |
Tessa C. Grebey Ahmed B.A. Ali Janice C. Swanson Tina M. Widowski Janice M. Siegford |
author_sort |
Tessa C. Grebey |
title |
Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter |
title_short |
Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter |
title_full |
Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter |
title_fullStr |
Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter |
title_full_unstemmed |
Dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter |
title_sort |
dust bathing in laying hens: strain, proximity to, and number of conspecifics matter |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Poultry Science |
issn |
0032-5791 |
publishDate |
2020-09-01 |
description |
As housing laying hens in aviaries becomes more common, understanding relationships between social context and performance of key behaviors, such as dust bathing (DB), is important. Expression of behaviors may be increased or repressed by the presence of conspecifics, and degree of behavioral synchrony can affect per hen resource allocation. We investigated relationships between number of hens on litter, number of hens simultaneously DB, and interbird distances (IBD) on space used to DB and duration of DB bouts across 4 laying hen strains (Hy-Line Brown [HB], Bovan Brown [BB], DeKalb White [DW], and Hy-Line [W36]) at 28 wk of age. Brown hens needed more space to DB than white hens (HB 1125.26; BB 1146.51 vs. DW 962.65; W36 943.39 cm2; P < 0.01). More white hens occupied litter at once (43 DW, 41 W36 vs. 28 HB, 31 BB; P < 0.01), and more white hens DB simultaneously than brown hens (11 DW, 19 W36 vs. 4 HB, 4 BB; P < 0.01). Brown hens had larger average IBD (HB 13.99, BB 15.11 vs. DW 8.39, W36 7.85 cm; P < 0.01) and larger minimum IBD (HB 6.76, BB 7.35 vs. DW 1.63, W36 1.79 cm; P < 0.01) but shorter DB durations than white hens (HB 7.37, BB 9.00 vs. DW 13.91, W36 15.16 min; P < 0.01). White hens' DB area decreased if number of hens on litter increased (DW 0.85; W36 0.79 cm; P < 0.05) or minimum IBD decreased (DW 3.66, W36 2.98 cm; P < 0.01). Brown hens' DB bout duration decreased as number of hens on litter increased (HB 0.87, BB 0.95 min; P < 0.01), number of other hens DB increased (HB 0.75, BB 0.69 min; P ≤ 0.02), or minimum IBD decreased (HB 2.39, BB 2.31 min; P < 0.01). In response to smaller IBD and more hens on litter simultaneously, DW and W36 hens minimize DB area while BB and HB hens shorten DB bouts, potentially terminating bouts before fulfilling their needs. Variations in DB behavior among strains should be considered when planning and stocking laying hen aviaries. |
topic |
dust bathing aviary laying hen welfare behavior |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579120303217 |
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