Aggressive and severe feather pecking in brown and white feathered leghorn pullets - Will blue light during brooding and rearing improve future egg production?

棕色和白色羽毛来航小母鸡的攻击性和严重啄羽行为 - 育雏和饲养过程中的蓝光会提高未来的产蛋量吗？

• 批准号: 578634-2022
• 负责人: SchweanLardner, KarenKV
• 金额: $ 2.12万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=743514
• 关键词: Aggressive; severe; feather; pecking; brown

Aggressive feather pecking and cannibalism are significant issues affecting animal welfare and production economics in the table egg industry. Numerous mitigation techniques have been utilized, including feed form, energy levels, beak treatment, housing systems, light intensity, etc. Although these practices may reduce the incidence/severity, none stop the behaviour from occurring. This is even more concerning as producers move towards floor rearing pullets, in preparation for more extensive housing systems for laying hens. Recently, our research team completed a study comparing broilers reared on light colour treatments (blue, green, or white light) provided by LED bulbs. Light intensity was equalized by measuring with a "clux" (corrected lux, or chicken lux) meter, which measures intensity based on bird, rather than human, visual capacity. Minimal benefit of light colour was noted for production or health parameters, but blue light dramatically changed behaviour and bird affect (fear and stress). Broilers reared under blue light were less stressed and fearful than those reared under green or white light. More comfort behaviours were noted, and birds appeared calmer. Part of the reason this may have occurred is that the broilers had improved visual ability under blue light than under white light, which differs from the old industry verbiage that the use of blue light reduces aggression because birds do not see as well. In general, light components are thought to have similar effects on birds, although slight differences are noted between turkeys and broilers. If this is indeed the case, then we are particularly interested in understanding if utilizing light color, specifically blue light, could reduce the aggressive pecking damage that occurs in pullet flocks. It has been shown that light colour can have a positive effect on reproduction in laying hens. To the authors' knowledge, it is unknown if blue light during the brooding and rearing phase would negatively affect onset of egg production or egg production level as research is lacking in this area.

攻击性啄羽毛和同类相食是影响食用蛋行业动物福利和生产经济的重要问题。许多缓解技术已被利用，包括饲料形式，能量水平，喙处理，住房系统，光强度等。虽然这些做法可以减少发病率/严重程度，但无法阻止这种行为的发生。随着生产者转向地板饲养小鸡，为更广泛的蛋鸡饲养系统做准备，这一问题更加令人担忧。最近，我们的研究小组完成了一项研究，比较了LED灯泡提供的浅色处理（蓝色，绿色或白光）饲养的肉鸡。光强是通过“clux”（校正勒克斯，或鸡勒克斯）计来测量的，该计是根据鸟类而不是人类的视觉能力来测量光强的。浅色对生产或健康参数的好处很小，但蓝光极大地改变了行为和鸟类的影响（恐惧和压力）。在蓝光下饲养的肉鸡比在绿光或白光下饲养的肉鸡压力和恐惧程度更低。更多的舒适行为被注意到，鸟类看起来更平静。出现这种情况的部分原因可能是肉鸡在蓝光下的视觉能力比在白光下的视觉能力更好，这与过去业界的说法不同，即使用蓝光会减少攻击性，因为鸟类看不见东西。一般来说，轻的成分被认为对鸟类有类似的影响，尽管在火鸡和肉鸡之间注意到轻微的差异。如果情况确实如此，那么我们特别感兴趣的是了解是否利用浅色，特别是蓝光，可以减少发生在小鸡群中的攻击性啄食伤害。研究表明，浅色对蛋鸡的繁殖有积极的影响。据作者所知，由于缺乏这方面的研究，目前尚不清楚育雏和饲养阶段的蓝光是否会对产蛋开始或产蛋水平产生负面影响。