Feather eating in individually caged hens which differ in their propensity to feather peck
Feather eating in individually caged hens which differ in their propensity to feather peck
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DOI：
10.1016/s0168-1591(01)00124-1
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发表时间：
2001-07-28
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Savory, CJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McKeegan, DEF;Savory, CJ
两个实验测试了16只单独关在笼子里的蛋鸡对来自相同基因系的死鸟身上的羽毛的反应。在第一个实验中，从先前的实验中得知母鸡是“啄鸟”或“不啄鸟”(每只母鸡各8只)，在四个10分钟的试验中，测试它们吃羽毛的倾向，在笼子前给它们提供4-6厘米(长)的新鲜半毛，一次一根。不同鸟类在吃、啄、捡和操纵羽毛的数量上有很大的差异。在16只容易吃的鸟中，有14只在一次或多次场合展示了羽毛，而两只不吃羽毛的鸟都是非啄木鸟。啄木鸟吃、捡和摆弄羽毛的频率明显高于非啄木鸟(分别为P<；0.05、P<；0.01和P<；0.01)。第二个实验调查了蜂油的存在可能有助于增加羽毛对食物的吸引力。在两个10分钟的试验中，16只啄鸟母鸡和20只非啄鸟母鸡的GR相同，在20根洗过的和20根未洗过的半羽毛之间进行选择，同时放在不同的容器中。啄木鸟和非啄木鸟都更喜欢吃、啄和捡洗过的羽毛(分别为P<；0.05、P<；0.01和P<；0.01)，这表明它们对未洗过的羽毛有吸引力，或者出于某种原因避免了洗过的羽毛。啄木鸟和非啄木鸟的喜好没有显著差异。这些结果提供了在个体水平上吃羽毛和啄食羽毛之间的关系的证据。母鸡可以区分正常的羽毛和那些以改变其嗅觉(但不是视觉)特性的方式处理的羽毛，这一发现表明，嗅觉线索在确定同种羽毛的吸引力方面可能是重要的。(C)2001 Elsevier Science B.V.保留所有权利。
Two experiments examined the responses of 16 individually caged laying hens to the presentation of feathers plucked from dead birds of the same genetic line. In the first experiment, hens known from a previous experiment to be either feather 'peckers' or 'non-peckers' (8 of each) were tested for their propensity to eat feathers in four 10 min trials, in which they were offered fresh semiplumes measuring 4-6 cm (length), one at a time, in front of their cage. Wide variation between birds was observed in numbers of feathers eaten, pecked, picked-up and manipulated. Fourteen out of 16 birds readily ate presented feathers on one or more occasion and both birds that ate no feathers were non-peckers. Peckers ate, picked-up and manipulated feathers significantly more often than did non-peckers (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). A second experiment investigated the possibility that presence of preen (uropygial) oil might contribute to the attractiveness of feathers to eat. The same gr of 16 pecker and non-pecker hens were offered a choice between 20 washed and 20 unwashed semiplumes, presented simultaneously in separate containers, in two 10 min trials. Unwashed feathers were eaten, pecked and picked-up in preference to washed feathers by both peckers and non-peckers (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01, respectively), indicating an attraction towards unwashed feathers, or an avoidance of washed feathers for some reason. Peckers and non-peckers did not differ significantly in their preferences. These results provide evidence of a relationship between feather eating and feather pecking at an individual level. The finding that hens could distinguish between normal feathers and those treated in such a way as to alter their olfactory (but not visual) properties suggests olfactory cues may be of importance in determining the attractiveness of conspecific feathers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.