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Nest sharing under semi-natural conditions in laying hens
Contributor(s):: Riber, Anja Brinch
Under natural conditions, the feral hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) will choose a nest location away from the flock, whereas under commercial conditions, the domestic hen will often choose the same nest as other hens have used or are still using. Simultaneous nest sharing causes several welfare...
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Gregarious nesting—An anti-predator response in laying hens
Contributor(s):: Riber, Anja Brinch
Gregarious nesting can be defined as a behaviour that occurs when a laying hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) given the choice between an occupied and an unoccupied nest site chooses the occupied nest site. It occurs frequently in flocks of laying hens kept under commercial conditions, contrasting...
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Effect of heterogeneity of nest boxes on occurrence of gregarious nesting in laying hens
Contributor(s):: Clausen, Tina, Riber, Anja Brinch
Gregarious nesting, where hens select already occupied nest boxes even when other nest boxes are unoccupied, is an unwanted behaviour in laying hens that may reduce animal welfare and pose a financial cost to the producer. It has been suggested that gregarious nesting is caused by the...
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Nest alternatives: Adding a wire partition to the scratch area affects nest use and nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages
Contributor(s):: Hunniford, Michelle E., Widowski, Tina M.
Furnished cages (FC) are designed to accommodate highly motivated behaviour patterns like nesting; however, how hens perceive the resources provided in FCs is not fully understood. Our previous research of hens in FCs with a curtained nest (plastic mesh floor) and a scratch area (smooth plastic...
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Laying hens performing gregarious nesting show less pacing behaviour during the pre-laying period
Contributor(s):: Tahamtani, Fernanda M., Hinrichsen, Lena K., Riber, Anja B.
The phenomenon of gregarious nesting occurs when hens choose to enter and lay their eggs in a nest box which is already occupied by one or more hens, even when an empty nest box is also available. It has been suggested that inexperienced hens copy the nest selection preferences of experienced...
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Nest location preferences in zoo-housed orangutans
Contributor(s):: Bastian, Meredith L., Glendinning, David R., Reddy, Alexandra J., Herrelko, Elizabeth S., Brown, Melba, Renner, Elizabeth, Thompson, Laurie
Nest building is an advanced and complex activity that wild orangutans engage in, yet they do so on a daily basis and with potential safety consequences. Like their wild counterparts, zoo-housed orangutans also make nests when given adequate materials, yet comparatively little research has...
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Influence of egg oiling on colony presence of ring-billed gulls
Contributor(s):: DeVault, Travis L., Schmidt, Paige M., Pogmore, Fred E., Gobeille, John, Belant, Jerrold L., Seamans, Thomas W.
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Generational habituation and current bald eagle populations
Contributor(s):: Guinn, Jeremy E.
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Movements, habitat selection, associations, and survival of giant Canada goose broods in central Tennessee
Contributor(s):: Dunton, E. M., Combs, D. L.
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Improved methods for deterring cliff swallow nesting on highway structures
Contributor(s):: Delwiche, M. J., Coates, R. W., Gorenzel, W. P., Salmon, T. P.
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Mate choice, maternal investment and implications for ostrich welfare in a farming environment
Contributor(s):: Bonato, M., Cherry, M. I., Cloete, S. W. P.
At present, the ostrich industry is inefficient, on account of being characterised by inadequate egg production, high embryo mortality, poor chick survival and suboptimal growth rates. However, as ostrich farming commenced only in the mid 19th century in South Africa, farmed ostriches have had a...
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Bringing the Endangered Barn Owl Back to McLean County, Illinois: Implementing a Local Nest Box Program
Contributor(s):: Anna Groves
Barn owls are an endangered species in Illinois, but populations have been known to increase where nest box programs have been implemented. In conjunction with the John Wesley Powell Audubon Society, a barn owl nest box program was established in McLean County and the surrounding area. Seventeen...
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Strategic use of straw increases nest building in loose housed farrowing sows
Contributor(s):: Westin, R., Hultgren, J., Algers, B.
In spite of domestication, sows are still genetically programmed to perform nesting behaviour close to farrowing. In order to facilitate nest building, a method for a strategic use of large quantities of straw has been developed by Swedish piglet producing farmers. The objectives of the present...
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Effect of pre- and post-partum sow activity on maternal behaviour and piglet weight gain 24 h after birth
Contributor(s):: Illmann, G., Chaloupkova, H., Neuhauserova, K.
Within the 24 h prior to parturition sows are active and motivated to perform nest-building behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate: (i) whether pre-partum activity (e.g. nesting and postural changes) could predict maternal behaviour 24 h post-partum (pp) and weight gain 24 h pp, and...
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Effects of prepartum housing environment on abnormal behaviour, the farrowing process, and interactions with circulating oxytocin in sows
Contributor(s):: Yun, JinHyeon, Swan, K. M., Oliviero, C., Peltoniemi, O., Valros, A.
We evaluated the effects on sows of prepartum housing environment on bar-biting (BB) behaviour prior to parturition, farrowing duration from first to tenth piglets, litter size, and circulating oxytocin (OT) concentrations during birth of the first five piglets. A total of 35 sows, approximately...
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Housing condition and nesting experience do not affect the Time to Integrate to Nest Test (TINT)
Contributor(s):: Rock, M. L., Karas, A. Z., Gallo, M. S., Pritchett-Corning, K., Gaskill, B. N.
Managing and assessing well-being in laboratory mice ( Mus musculus) is both challenging and necessary. Assessments intended to detect negative welfare states in mice are usually performed via observation of animals in the home cage, but a substantial amount of time and skill may be required to...
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The physiological and behavioural impact of sensory contact among unfamiliar adult mice in the laboratory
Contributor(s):: Rettich, A., Kasermann, H. P., Pelczar, P., Burki, K., Arras, M.
Housing mice in the laboratory in groups enables social interaction and is the way a laboratory should house mice. However, adult males show reciprocal aggression and are therefore frequently housed individually. Alternatively, a grid divider, which allows sensory contact by sight and smell but...
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Human-dog interactions and behavioural responses of village dogs in coastal villages in Michoacan, Mexico
Contributor(s):: Ruiz-Izaguirre, E., Eilers, K. H. A. M., Bokkers, E. A. M., Ortolani, A., Ortega-Pacheco, A., Boer, I. J. M. de
In Mexican villages, most households keep dogs that roam freely. Therefore, socialisation of village dogs occurs in a different context than that of companion dogs in developed countries. The objectives of this study were: (1) to assess village dogs' behavioural responses towards familiar and...
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Effects of grackle damage control techniques in citrus on nesting success of non-target species
Contributor(s):: John H. Rappole, Wan R. Tipton, Arlo H. Kane, Rafael H. Flores
Several techniques were tested to reduce the damage caused by great-tailed grackles to citrus in the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas: monofilament line, eyespot balloons, pyrotechnics, and grackle nest removal. Ten species were found nesting in the treated groves, but only the mourning...
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Metal concentrations in blood from an adult bald eagle nesting at Clinton Reservoir in Kansas
Contributor(s):: George T. Allen
Concentrations of metals in blood from an adult male bald eagle nesting at Clinton Reservoir in eastern Kansas in 1991 were analyzed by induction coupled plasma emission spectroscopy without preconcentration.Because there are very limited data on background levels of most metals in bald eagle...
