Are Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) Motivated to Avoid Excreta-Soiled Substrate?

Soft tissues influence nasal airflow in diapsids: Implications for dinosaurs

The nasal passage performs multiple functions in amniotes, including olfaction and thermoregulation. These functions would have been present in extinct animals as well. However, fossils preserve only low-resolution versions of the nasal passage due to loss of soft-tissue structures after death. To test the effects of these lower resolution models on interpretations of nasal physiology, we performed a broadly comparative analysis of the nasal passages in extant diapsid representatives, e.g., alligator, turkey, ostrich, iguana, and a monitor lizard. Using computational fluid dynamics, we simulated airflow through 3D reconstructed models of the different nasal passages and compared these soft-tissue-bounded results to similar analyses of the same airways under the lower-resolution limits imposed by fossilization. Airflow patterns in these bony-bounded airways were more homogeneous and slower flowing than those of their soft-tissue counterparts. These data indicate that bony-bounded airway reconstructions of extinct animal nasal passages are far too conservative and place overly restrictive physiological limitations on extinct species. In spite of the diverse array of nasal passage shapes, distinct similarities in airflow were observed, including consistent areas of nasal passage constriction such as the junction of the olfactory region and main airway. These nasal constrictions can reasonably be inferred to have been present in extinct taxa such as dinosaurs.

Bird Welfare in Zoos and Aquariums: General Insights across Industries

Animal welfare is a priority across accredited zoological institutions; however, historically, research has been prioritized for mammals. Bird-focused studies accounted for less than 10% of welfare research in zoos and aquariums over the last ten years. Due to the lack of scientific publications on bird welfare, zoo scientists and animal practitioners can look to other industries such as agriculture, laboratories, and companion animal research for insight. This qualitative review highlights findings across industries to inform animal care staff and scientists on the welfare needs of birds within zoos and aquariums. Specifically, the review includes an overview of research on different topics and a summary of key findings across nine resources that affect bird welfare. We also highlight areas where additional research is necessary. Future welfare research in zoos and aquariums should prioritize studies that consider a diversity of bird species across topics and work to identify animal-based measures with empirical evidence. Moving forward, research from other industries can help develop innovative research on bird welfare within zoos and aquariums.

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of Footpad Dermatitis in Canadian Turkeys

Footpad dermatitis (FPD) can be a prevalent issue in commercial turkey production. This study aimed to identify the bird, housing, and management-related factors associated with the prevalence of FPD in the Canadian turkey flocks. A questionnaire and flock health scoring system were developed and disseminated to ~500 commercial turkey farmers across Canada. Farmers were asked to score FPD on a subset of 30 birds within their flock using a 0–2 scoring scale based on severity. The prevalence of FPD in the flock was calculated as the percentage of affected birds (score 1 or 2). A multivariate linear regression modeling was used to identify the factors associated with the prevalence of FPD. Four variables were included in the final model and accounted for 26.7% of the variation in FPD prevalence among the flocks. FPD prevalence was higher with increasing bird weight (3.6 ± 1.13), higher in flocks bedded with straw (12.1 ± 7.9), higher in flocks where birds were picked up less frequently during daily inspections (11.6 ± 8.10), and higher in flocks that used feed/water additives to reduce litter moisture (20.5 ± 10.59). These findings are a preliminary exploratory assessment of risk factors related to FPD prevalence on Canadian turkey farms. While these findings emphasize the importance of litter management and the stockperson, estimates and P-values from this study should be interpreted with caution. Further, longitudinal studies with the identified variables are required to better determine their influence on FPD.

Floor Substrate Preferences of Chickens: A Meta-Analysis

Environmental enrichment promotes sensory and motor stimulation for species-typical behaviors, which in turn enhance animal well-being. For farmed Galliformes, housing systems often limit enrichment to bedding and litter, that simultaneously act as material for dustbathing and foraging. Therefore, this meta-analysis sought to systematically review and synthesize the substrate preference test literature for Galliformes. Data based on the following four welfare-related behaviors were extracted for analysis: (1) dustbathing, (2) foraging, (3) pecking, and (4) time spent on a given substrate. Literature searches in CAB Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar yielded 239 articles, and hand searching yielded an additional five articles. Ten publications that used different chicken strains as test subjects, met the criteria to be included in the systematic review. The effects of bedding type, the number of days birds had access to tested substrates, enclosure area, and substrate area, on the examined behaviors were determined. We found that birds preferred dustbathing in sand and peat moss more than on any other substrates. The bedding type, size of the enclosure, and size of the substrate area affected the amount of time that birds spent on the tested substrates. When provided the choice between bedding materials, birds spent more time on sand or peat moss than on any other substrate or on no substrate. Notably, most studies did not report relevant physical or chemical characteristics of substrate that may influence birds' preferences, such as grain size, moisture content and the level of soiling. Focusing future studies on identifying substrate characteristics that influence preferences can lead to the discovery of new, practical, enriching beddings that can be easily implemented in housing systems for Galliformes.