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Guidelines Feather Pecking Hennovation Authors GUIDELINES FEATHER PECKING HENNOVATION AUTHORS Déborah Temple, Thea van Niekerk, Claire Weeks, Xavier Manteca CONTRIBUTORS Paula Baker, Harry Blokhuis, Henry Buller, Louise MacAllister, David Main, Monique Mul, Marlene Plomp, Jessica Stokes, Lisa van Dijk, Anette Wichman, Jiří Zák Copyright © 2017 Any recommendations suggested in this guidelines are implemented at your cost and risk. You remain responsa- ble for complying with all current legislation in relation to the welfare and management of your flock/s and you should still consult with your veterinary surgeon and oth- er advisors as normal with respect to the operation of your business. The Hennovation project shall under no circumstances whatever be liable for any loss profit, loss of business, loss of revenue or any indirect or consequential loss arising under or in connection with any recommen- dations suggested in this advice guide. HEALTH _________________________________________ 16 What is feather pecking? ____________ 2 RED MITES _____________________________________ 16 GENTLE FEATHER PECKING ______________________ 3 PREVENTION OF DISEASES _______________________ 18 SEVERE FEATHER PECKING _______________________ 3 WORMS _______________________________________ 18 FEATHER PECKING IS NOT AGGRESSIVE LIGHT ___________________________________________ 18 PECKING ________________________________________ 3 LIGHT PLAN ____________________________________ 18 FROM FEATHER PECKING TO CANNIBALISM _____ 3 SOURCE OF LIGHT ______________________________ 19 SEVERE FEATHER PECKING IS COLOUR OF LIGHT ______________________________ 19 A REDIRECTED FORAGING BEHAVIOUR __________ 4 LIGHT INTENSITY ________________________________ 19 FEATHER PECKING IS MULTIFACTORIAL __________ 4 LIGHT DIMMING ________________________________ 19 GENETIC FACTORS AND EARLY PECKING MATERIAL ____________________________ 20 EXPERIENCE PREDISPOSE TO FP _________________ 5 PECKING BLOCKS _______________________________ 20 PECKING OBJECTS ______________________________ 21 SOCIAL STRUCTURE _____________________________ 21 GROUP SIZE ____________________________________ 21 ________ 6 How can we recognize FP? STOCKING DENSITY _____________________________ 21 OBSERVE AND LISTEN TO THE FLOCK ____________ 7 FUNCTIONAL ZONES ____________________________ 21 LOOK FOR DAMAGED FEATHERS ________________ 7 HUMAN-ANIMAL RELATIONSHIP (HAR) _________ 22 FEATHER SCORING CAN BE A VALUABLE TOOL __ 8 USE OF THE RANGE IN FEATHER SCORING DURING REARING ______________ 8 FREE-RANGE SYSTEMS __________________________ 22 FEATHER SCORING DURING LAYING _______________ 8 EARLY ACCESS TO RANGE _______________________ 23 THE POPHOLE AREA _____________________________ 23 SHELTERED AREAS ______________________________ 23 NATURAL SHELTERS ____________________________ 23 ____ 12 Finding the cause of severe FP ARTIFICIAL SHELTERS ___________________________ 24 HOUSING ______________________________________ 13 PREDATION IN FREE-RANGING BIRDS ____________ 25 LITTER _________________________________________ 13 LITTER AROUND POPHOLES IN FREE RANGE ______ 13 PERCHES _______________________________________ 14 ____________________ 26 NESTS _________________________________________ 14 Ensure a good start FEED ____________________________________________ 14 MATCHING REARING AND LAY _________________ 27 FEED COMPOSITION ____________________________ 14 IMPORTANCE OF GOOD REARING ______________ 27 FEED MANAGEMENT ____________________________ 15 LITTER DURING REARING _________________________ 27 DIET CHANGES _______________________________ 15 PROMOTE EARLY ACCESS TO LITTER _____________ 28 FEED FORM ___________________________________ 15 MAINTAIN GOOD LITTER QUALITY _______________ 28 NUMBER OF FEEDINGS PER DAY ________________ 15 LIGHT DURING REARING _________________________ 28 MAKE THE HENS WORK FOR FOOD! ______________ 16 ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT PROVIDING ROUGHAGE _______________________ 16 DURING REARING ______________________________ 28 SCATTERING GRAIN IN THE LITTER _______________ 16 PROVIDING STONES __________________________ 16 What is feather pecking? Feather pecking occurs within a majority of laying and SFP is highly related to feeding and foraging motivation. rearing flocks and in all production systems being espe- cially challenging in non-cage systems where it can spread SFP develops particularly in birds that are experiencing rapidly. Feather pecking is characterized as pecking at and stress in some way. pulling out the feathers of other birds. There is some discussion about the relation between GFP and SPF. Most researchers see GFP as precursor of SFP, others did not find any relation between the two. Feather pecking is a serious problem both in commercial flocks with intact beaks and in those with trimmed beaks. Reported prevalence can be as high as 40–77% of the FEATHER PECKING IS NOT flock, despite beak treatments. AGGRESSIVE PECKING Feather pecking is both an animal welfare and economic problem. FP is painful for the recipient bird and results in Avoid confusing feather pecking with aggressive pecking. plumage loss and skin damage. This inevitably leads to a reduction in feather cover and increases in feed intake by up to 40%. Although aggressive pecking often does cause damage, it is generally directed towards the head and neck of another Increased feed costs, susceptibility to infection, mortality bird. and reduced egg production due to feather pecking result in serious economic losses. Aggressive pecks are usually not directed towards body parts other than the head. There are two main types of feather pecking: gentle feath- The motivations for birds showing aggression towards er pecking and severe feather pecking. each other are not the same as those underlying feath- er pecking. In consequence, prevention and treatment of feather pecking and aggressive pecking will be different. GENTLE FEATHER PECKING Gentle feather pecking (GFP) consists of gentle pecks to the tips of the feathers or down. GFP sometimes appears Only severe and gentle pecking are classified as FP. Pre- to be directed at litter particles on the plumage. This type ferred areas for FP include the back of the neck, back, tail of feather pecking (FP) usually does not result in much base and vent areas. damage and is frequently ignored by the recipient. GFP has been related to social behaviour and can already be seen in day-old chicks. FROM FEATHER PECKING TO CANNIBALISM SEVERE FEATHER PECKING Cannibalism describes the pecking or eating of flesh of Severe feather pecking (SFP) causes the most damage to other hens, whether living or dead. the recipient. It consists of forceful pecks and pulling of feathers that are frequently eaten and results in feather loss Cannibalism can develop from different problems: acci- especially on the back, vent and tail base area. dental injuries, vent (cloacal) pecking, and severe feather pecking. Victims of severe feather pecking often initially move away, squawk or confront the pecker in response to re- During severe feather pecking, tail feathers in particular ceiving severe feather pecks as these are painful. can start to bleed and the blood then stimulates cannibal- ism. Therefore, by preventing severe feather pecking cases SFP causes feather damage and can lead to bald patches of cannibalism can be reduced. which may attract tissue pecking resulting in wounds and cannibalism. GUIDELINES FEATHER PECKING HENNOVATION 3 WHAT IS FEATHER PECKING? Gentle Severe Tissue FP FP Pecking Exploration & Foranging Vent Cannibalism Pecking Social Aggresive Comb behavior Pecking wounds SEVERE FEATHER PECKING FEATHER PECKING IS IS A REDIRECTED FORAGING MULTIFACTORIAL BEHAVIOUR Whether or not a bird starts feather pecking depends on several factors. Optimising one factor does not guarantee Severe feather pecking is a form of abnormal pecking, that birds do not start pecking. directed inappropriately to another bird. One theory is that stressful factors may build up to a The ancestors of the modern chicken, the jungle fowl, threshold. When the total amount of stress surpasses the spend more than 60% of their time foraging. This threshold, birds will start to feather peck. food-searching behaviour comprises scratching the ground and pecking to select edible particles. Modern lay- The level of the threshold depends also on the birds’ ge- ing hens still possess this instinctive urge to forage, which netic background and early experience. can already be seen in young chicks, which start to forage immediately after hatching. In the absence of good foraging material and especially in crowded conditions chicks redirect their pecking behav- Birds are more susceptible to develop severe feather peck- iour towards other available substrates; often the feather ing behaviour during different phases of life. This often cover of other birds. Once focused to peck at feathers, this coincides with stressful events, such as moulting, start of lay behaviour is very difficult to stop. Damaged or missing or peak performance which may also be linked to changes feathers are a stimulus for feather pecking and these are in energy and/or nutrient requirements (negative energy often eaten. Feather consumption can occur when the balance), and changes in hormone levels. protein level in the feed is inadequate or unbalanced as In some cases severe feather pecking may start as a reac- feathers are rich in protein. tion to sudden changes in the situation of the birds (e.g. sudden blocking of access to the range, outbreaks of con- FP can be observed as early as day 1 after hatching.
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