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The presence of extreme feather peckers in groups of laying hens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

H.-P. Piepho ,
V. Lutz ,
J. B. Kjaer ,
M. Grashorn ,
J. Bennewitz  and
W. Bessei
H.-P. Piepho
Affiliation:
Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 23, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
V. Lutz
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
J. B. Kjaer
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Doernbergstr. 25–27, 29223 Celle, Germany
M. Grashorn
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
J. Bennewitz
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
W. Bessei*
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
*
†E-mail: bessei@uni-hohenheim.de
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Abstract

Feather pecking is a serious economic and welfare problem in laying hens. Feather damage occurs mainly through severe feather pecking (SFP). Selection experiments have proved that this behavior is heritable and lines have been divergently selected for high (HFP) and low feather pecking (LFP). The number of bouts of SFP per hen follows a Poisson distribution with a maximum nearby 0. A few studies indicate that the distribution within flocks is not homogenous but contains sub-groups of birds showing extremely high levels of feather pecking (EFP). It was the aim of the current study to re-analyze data on SFP of lines selected for HFP/LFP and their F2 cross so as to uncover hidden sub-populations of EFP birds. Data of seven selection generations of HFP and LFP selection lines as well as their F2 cross have been used. We fitted a two-component mixture of Poisson distributions in order to separate the sub-group of EFP from the remaining birds. HFP and LFP lines differed mainly in mean bouts per bird. The proportion of EFP was only marginal in the LFP as compared with the HFP and the F2 population. Selection for LFP did not result in total elimination of EFP. The presence of even small proportions of EFP may play an important role in initiating outbreaks of feather pecking in large flocks. Further studies on feather pecking should pay special attention to the occurrence of EFP sub-groups.

Keywords

poultrylaying hensbreedingfeather peckingdistribution
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , March 2017 , pp. 500 - 506
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2016 

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