HABRI Central

All Categories (1-13 of 13)

1. The Role of Tryptophan-Kynurenine in Feather Pecking in Domestic Chicken Lines

   

   | Contributor(s):: Patrick Birkl, Jacqueline Chow, Paul Forsythe, Johanna M. Gostner, Joergen B. Kjaer, Wolfgang A. Kunze, Peter McBride, Dietmar Fuchs, Alexandra Harlander-Matauschek

   Research into the role of tryptophan (TRP) breakdown away from the serotonergic to the kynurenine (KYN) pathway by stimulating the brain-endocrine-immune axis system interaction has brought new insight into potential etiologies of certain human behavioral and mental disorders. TRP is involved...

2. Feather Pecking and Cannibalism in Non-Beak-Trimmed Laying Hen Flocks—Farmers' Perspectives

   

   | Contributor(s):: Eija Kaukonen, Anna Valros

   Pecking-related problems are common in intensive egg production, compromising hen welfare, causing farmers economic losses and negatively affecting sustainability. These problems are often controlled by beak trimming, which in Finland is prohibited. An online questionnaire aimed to collect...

3. Ranging Behaviour of Commercial Free-Range Broiler Chickens 2: Individual Variation

   | Contributor(s):: Peta S Taylor, Paul H Hemsworth, Peter J Groves, Sabine G Gebhardt-Henrich, Jean-Loup Rault

   Little is known about broiler chicken ranging behaviour. Previous studies have monitored ranging behaviour at flock level but whether individual ranging behaviour varies within a flock is unknown. Using Radio Frequency Identification technology, we tracked 1200 individual ROSS 308 broiler...

4. Ranging Behaviour of Commercial Free-Range Broiler Chickens 1: Factors Related to Flock Variability

   | Contributor(s):: Peta S Taylor, Paul H Hemsworth, Peter J Groves, Sabine G Gebhardt-Henrich, Jean-Loup Rault

   Little is known about the ranging behaviour of chickens. Understanding ranging behaviour is required to improve management and shed and range design to ensure optimal ranging opportunities. Using Radio Frequency Identification technology, we tracked 300 individual broiler chickens in each of four...

5. Heartland Farm Sanctuary

   Heartland Farm Sanctuary, which opened in 2010, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless farm animals in Wisconsin, and building connections between animals and vulnerable youth. We created Heartland to provide a safe, peaceful environment where youth and farm animals...

6. Chicken Help

   

   | Contributor(s):: Eileen Bona

   This is a true story of a boy with Autism and how working with chickens in a therapeutic animal assisted therapy program helped him.

7. Furry Tales

   Furry Tales is a project designed to improve the well-being of older people in East London by providing contact with animals and a connection to the local farming community.We are based at Stepney City Farm and work with residential homes, day care centres, befriending services and individuals...

8. The European Union ban on conventional cages for laying hens: history and prospects

   | Contributor(s):: Appleby, M. C.

   Since the publication of "Animal Machines" (Harrison, 1964), there has been widespread public pressure in Europe - supported by European institutions - to "ban the battery cage." The European Union (EU) and national governments (particularly in Northern Europe) funded research on noncage systems...

9. General principles of stress and well-being

   

   | Contributor(s):: Temple Grandin (editor), P B Siegel, W B Gross

   At every level of biological organization, be it molecular, cellular, organismic, population or interspecies, equilibrium patterns emerge. The concept of evolutionary stable strategies in natural populations is well accepted in biological circles. Artificial selection, the foundation of livestock...

10. A note on the behaviour of the chicken that receives feather pecks

    | Contributor(s):: Riber, A. B., Forkman, B.

    Basic knowledge of feather pecking on the individual level is still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate whether active and inactive individuals preferentially attract feather pecking. Female layer hen chicks were housed in six pens with each 15 chicks. Each occurrence of gentle and...

11. Behavioural responses of commercially farmed laying hens to humans: evidence of stimulus generalization

    | Contributor(s):: Barnett, J. L., Hemsworth, P. H., Jones, R. B.

    The behavioural responses of birds to experimenters varying in a number of attributes, such as sex, height, clothing and the wearing of spectacles, were determined in a series of 5 experiments. A total of 320 birds aged between 50 and 57 weeks of age and housed in single-hen cages at a large...

12. Estimation of the value the public places on regulations to improve broiler welfare

    | Contributor(s):: Moran, D., McVittie, A.

    Animal welfare presents particular policy challenges. Good welfare provides private productivity benefits to producers and some level of positive external benefit to people who care about animal welfare status. But markets for welfare fail, meaning that private producers are unlikely to provide...

13. Feather pecking in poultry: the application of science in a search for practical solutions

    | Contributor(s):: Jones, R. B., Blokhuis, H. J., Jong, I. C. de, Keeling, L. J., McAdie, T. M., Preisinger, R.

    Traditional battery cages for laying hens will soon be banned in the EU but the increased risk of feather pecking (FP) hampers the adoption of alternative housing systems. FP can cause injury and lead to cannibalism and the painful death of target birds. Current management practices (beak...