Feather pecking
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Feather pecking refers to the pecking and pulling out of feathers or parts of feathers from under chickens and turkeys . The phenomenon occurs in conventional as well as organic chicken egg and poultry production .
Feather pecking is viewed as a behavioral disturbance due to the animals being overburdened in adapting to the housing conditions and in practice depends on many factors.
consequences
Feather pecking and tearing out the feathers can lead to pain , fear, stress and increased mortality in the affected animals .
Damaged plumage in free-range husbandry can possibly lead to the death of the animals by cooling down. Progressive pecking on already bare skin can lead to death by bleeding to death and thus to cannibalism . The plumage also serves as mechanical protection against environmental influences, protects against moisture and is important for social behavior.
Lower laying performance by the affected herds and increased feed consumption by hens with damaged plumage can have economic consequences for the keepers in addition to the consequences for the animals.
causes
The central cause of feather pecking is viewed as a disturbed behavior when acquiring food due to incorrect housing conditions. If the beak activity is not satisfied when eating, it comes to reorientation to other accessible objects, in this case the feathers of the conspecifics.
In addition, a connection with the sand bath behavior , the plumage care behavior or the social behavior is sometimes considered. It can also be observed that feather pecking can be learned and can occur in waves.
It is excluded that feather pecking is an aggressive act. Agonistic pecking is usually aimed at the head region rather than the plumage.
Prevention through more species-appropriate housing conditions
By avoiding certain housing conditions, a reduced incidence of feather pecking can be achieved. This includes the following conditions, among others:
- Poor feeding management
- Inadequate feed composition and protein supply
- Too high stocking densities
- Unsuitable group sizes
- Lack of perches available
- Genetic disposition
- Insufficient amount and quality of litter
Symptomatic countermeasure
In practice, various symptomatic measures are taken.
The beak trimming is routinely chicks age. Parts of the beak are removed from the chicks without anesthesia. As a result, the spring picking activity does not decrease; H. disturbed behavior is not prevented, only the damage is reduced. In addition to the acute pain, the animals affected by the trimming sometimes also suffer from chronic pain and from being unable to eat.
A strong qualitative and quantitative light reduction is also used as a countermeasure, since a high light intensity is associated with a higher overall activity, a stronger exploratory behavior and an increased risk of feather pecking. For the animals, however, the measure is associated with sensory deprivation . In addition, strong reactions to light can occur as a result.
criticism
Animal rights organizations such as the Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Neighborhood demand more species-appropriate keeping conditions that prevent feather pecking. In particular, an end to symptomatic countermeasures such as beak trimming and light reduction is required.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Christiane Keppler: Investigations of important influencing factors on the occurrence of feather pecking and cannibalism in uncut laying hens in floor and aviary structures with daylight with special consideration of the rearing phase. Prof. Ute Knierim, University of Kassel, 2008, accessed on December 9, 2015 .
- ↑ Marion Staack, Bettina Gruber, Christiane Keppler, Katrina Zaludik, Knut Niebuhr, Ute Knierim: News from ecological animal husbandry 2008. Measures against feather pecking in organically kept laying hens - results of an epidemiological study. G. Rahmann, U. Schumacher, 2008, accessed December 9, 2015 .
- ^ A b Christiane Keppler: Expert opinion on the risk of feather pecking and cannibalism in small group husbandry according to the animal welfare and farm animal husbandry ordinance. (No longer available online.) 2009, formerly in the original ; Retrieved December 9, 2015 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Pre- stage to cannibalism: University of Hohenheim researches feather pecking in chickens. (No longer available online.) University of Hohenheim, January 20, 2012, archived from the original on December 10, 2015 ; Retrieved December 8, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Factory farming - laying hens. Avoidability and demands. Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Environment, accessed on December 8, 2015 .
