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Ishikawa A, Takanuma T, Hashimoto N, Goto T, Tsudzuki M. New Behavioral Handling Test Reveals Temperament Differences in Native Japanese Chickens. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3556. [PMID: 38003175 PMCID: PMC10668715 DOI: 10.3390/ani13223556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well known in the poultry industry that fear and stress experienced during the handling of day-old chicks in commercial hatcheries can have long-lasting effects on their behavior later in life. These hatchery-related stresses are more intense and complex than those encountered in traditional behavioral tests. Consequently, a single behavioral test may not be sufficient to measure hatchery stresses and chicken temperament. In this study, we developed a new behavioral handling test for day-old chickens, which incorporated concepts from established behavioral tests used with both young and adult birds. The new test assessed 10 behavioral traits, including vocalization frequency and responses to human interaction. It was conducted on 96 two-day-old chicks from seven breeds of native Japanese and Western chickens. The results of the principal component analysis classified chicken temperaments into three distinct categories: bustle, aggression, and timidity. Using these categories, the seven breeds were classified into five groups, each with distinct temperaments. This study highlights the reliability and value of the new handling test in characterizing the temperaments of various chicken breeds and provides insights into the complex behaviors of chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Ishikawa
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Tomoka Takanuma
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Norikazu Hashimoto
- Laboratory of Poultry, Livestock Experiment Station, Wakayama Prefecture, Hidaka-Gun, Wakayama 644-1111, Japan;
| | - Tatsuhiko Goto
- Research Center for Global Agromedicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan;
| | - Masaoki Tsudzuki
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8525, Japan;
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Tiemann I, Becker S, Fournier J, Damiran D, Büscher W, Hillemacher S. Differences among domestic chicken breeds in tonic immobility responses as a measure of fearfulness. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14703. [PMID: 37033722 PMCID: PMC10081456 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background One priority for animal welfare is for animals to experience less fear, especially during human contact. For domestic animals, breeds that are less fearful may provide genetic resources to develop strains with improved welfare due to lower susceptibility to fear. Genetic predispositions inherited in these breeds might reflect the large diversity of chicken breeds. The goal of the present study was to systematically test a diverse group of chicken breeds to search for breeds that experience less fear. Methods Nineteen chicken breeds from commercial hybrid lines, native layer-type, meat-type and dual-purpose breeds, ornamental breeds as well as bantam breeds were tested in a standardized tonic immobility (TI) test. Chickens were manually restrained on their back, and the time to first head movement and first leg movement, the duration of TI, as well as the number of attempts needed to induce TI were measured. Results The TI response differed among chicken breeds (p ≤ 0.001) for naïve, mature hens. The median number of attempts required to induce TI ranged from 1 to 2 and did not differ significantly among breeds. Median durations were much more variable, with Lohmann Brown showing shortest durations (6 s, 12 s, 58 s for time to first head movement, first leg movement and total duration of TI, respectively). In contrast, medians reached the maximum of 600 s for all three measures in German Creepers. Repeated tests on the same individuals did not affect attempts needed to induce TI nor TI durations. Breeds clustered into two main groups, with layer-type native breeds and ornamental breeds having longer TI durations, and bantam, dual-purpose and meat-type native breeds having shorter TI durations. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence for substantial variation of fearfulness among breeds. This variation could be linked to the intended use during the breed's specific history. Knowledge and quantitative measurement of these behavioural responses provide the opportunity to improve welfare through selection and future breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Tiemann
- Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Senta Becker
- Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jocelyn Fournier
- Department of Animal & Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Daalkhaijav Damiran
- Department of Animal & Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Wolfgang Büscher
- Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sonja Hillemacher
- Institute of Agricultural Engineering, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Wei H, Feng Y, Ding S, Nian H, Yu H, Zhao Q, Bao J, Zhang R. Keel bone damage affects behavioral and physiological responses related to stress and fear in two strains of laying hens. J Anim Sci 2022; 100:6547233. [PMID: 35275597 PMCID: PMC9030218 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skac076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Keel bone damage (KBD) is more prevalent in alternative laying hen housing systems than in conventional cages, and its incidence differs from strain to strain. However, the information of KBD in Lindian chickens, a native Chinese strain, is limited. To investigate the effect of KBD on fearfulness and physiological indicators of stress in Lindian chickens and commercial laying hens, a total of two hundred 25-wk-old chickens (100 Hy-line Brown and 100 Lindian chickens) were studied for 7 wk. The birds were housed in furnished cages with 10 birds per cage for each strain. At 32-wk of age, the birds in each strain were divided into normal (NK), deviated (DK), and fractured (FK) hens according to the keel bone status. Ten birds in each keel bone status per strain were subsequently selected to collect blood for the determination of stress and fear-related indicators, including corticosterone, serotonin, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6, and measure fear responses, including novel object test (NOT), human approach test (HAT), and tonic immobility (TI) test. The results showed that egg production was lower and the incidence of keel bone fractures was higher in Lindian chickens than in Hy-line Brown hens (P < 0.05). Lindian chickens showed a significantly increased whole blood serotonin content, NOT-latency, HAT-score, and TI induction times (P < 0.05) and decreased serum interleukin-6 content and TI-duration (P < 0.05) compared with Hy-line Brown hens. Additionally, FK hens had significantly elevated whole blood corticosterone, serum interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 levels, TI-duration, and NOT-latency (P < 0.05), and a reduced whole blood serotonin content (P < 0.05) compared with NK and DK hens. Our results indicated that KBD affected stress and fear responses, and this impact was mainly reflected by FK hens compared with NK and DK hens. We suggest that keel bone fractures are the main factor impairing hen welfare. Besides, the incidence of keel bone fractures and stress and fear responses of Lindian chickens are more severe than Hy-line Brown laying hens, indicating that the strain type can affect the health and welfare of laying hens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haidong Wei
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Yanru Feng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Susu Ding
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Haoyang Nian
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Hanlin Yu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Qian Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Jun Bao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.,Key Laboratory of Chicken Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Runxiang Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.,Key Laboratory of Chicken Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Harbin 150030, China
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Uyanga VA, Oke EO, Amevor FK, Zhao J, Wang X, Jiao H, Onagbesan OM, Lin H. Functional roles of taurine, L-theanine, L-citrulline, and betaine during heat stress in poultry. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2022; 13:23. [PMID: 35264238 PMCID: PMC8908636 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-022-00675-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Heat stress (HS) is an important environmental stress factor affecting poultry production on a global scale. With the rise in ambient temperature and increasing effects of global warming, it becomes pertinent to understand the effects of HS on poultry production and the strategies that can be adopted to mitigate its detrimental impacts on the performance, health, welfare, immunity, and survival of birds. Amino acids (AAs) have been increasingly adopted as nutritional modifiers in animals to ameliorate the adverse effects of HS. They are essential for protein synthesis, growth, maintenance, reproduction, immunity, stress response, and whole-body homeostasis. However, HS tends to adversely affect the availability, transport, absorption, and utilization of these AAs. Studies have investigated the provision of these AAs to poultry during HS conditions, and variable findings have been reported. Taurine, L-theanine, and L-citrulline are non-essential amino acids that are increasingly gaining attention as nutritional supplements in HS animals. Similarly, betaine is an amino acid derivative that possesses favorable biological properties which contributes to its role as a functional additive during HS. Of particular note, taurine is negligible in plants, while betaine, L-theanine, and L-citrulline can be found in selected plants. These nutrients are barely found in feed ingredients, but their supply has been shown to elicit important physiological roles including anti-stress effects, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, gut promoting, and immunomodulatory functions. The present review provides information on the use of these nutritionally and physiologically beneficial nutrients as functional additives to poultry diets during HS conditions. Presently, although several studies have reported on the positive effects of these additives in human and murine studies, however, there is limited information regarding their utilization during heat stress in poultry nutrition. Therefore, this review aims to expound on the functional properties of these nutrients, their potentials for HS alleviation, and to stimulate further researches on their biological roles in poultry nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Anthony Uyanga
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, China
| | - Emmanuel O Oke
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, P.M.B, Abeokuta, Ogun State, 2240, Nigeria
| | - Felix Kwame Amevor
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jingpeng Zhao
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiaojuan Wang
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, China
| | - Hongchao Jiao
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, China
| | - Okanlawon M Onagbesan
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, P.M.B, Abeokuta, Ogun State, 2240, Nigeria
| | - Hai Lin
- Department of Animal Science, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control, Shandong Agricultural University, No. 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong Province, China.
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Tiemann I, Becker S, Büscher W, Meuser V. Exploring animal genetic resources of the domestic chicken and their behavior in the open field. J APPL POULTRY RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.japr.2022.100237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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