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Access to Barrier Perches Improves Behavior Repertoire in Broilers

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  • Beth A Ventura
  • Frank Siewerdt
  • Inma Estevez

Abstract

Restriction of behavioral opportunities and uneven use of space are considerable welfare concerns in modern broiler production, particularly when birds are kept at high densities. We hypothesized that increased environmental complexity by provision of barrier perches would help address these issues by encouraging perching and enhancing use of the pen space across a range of stocking densities. 2,088 day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to one of the following barrier and density treatment combinations over four replications: simple barrier, complex barrier, or control (no barrier) and low (8 birds/m2), moderate (13 birds/m2), or high (18 birds/m2) density. Data were collected on focal birds via instantaneous scan sampling from 2 to 6 weeks of age. Mean estimates per pen for percent of observations seen performing each behavior, as well as percent of observations in the pen periphery vs. center, were quantified and submitted to an analysis of variance with week as the repeated measure. Barrier perches, density and age affected the behavioral time budget of broilers. Both simple and complex barrier perches effectively stimulated high perching rates. Aggression and disturbances were lower in both barrier treatments compared to controls (P

Suggested Citation

  • Beth A Ventura & Frank Siewerdt & Inma Estevez, 2012. "Access to Barrier Perches Improves Behavior Repertoire in Broilers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0029826
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029826
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    1. Fabian Spieß & Bernd Reckels & Amr Abd-El Wahab & Marwa Fawzy Elmetwaly Ahmed & Christian Sürie & Monika Auerbach & Silke Rautenschlein & Ottmar Distl & Joerg Hartung & Christian Visscher, 2022. "The Influence of Different Types of Environmental Enrichment on the Performance and Welfare of Broiler Chickens and the Possibilities of Real-Time Monitoring via a Farmer-Assistant System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, May.
    2. Maria Papageorgiou & Michael Goliomytis & Ouranios Tzamaloukas & Despoina Miltiadou & Panagiotis Simitzis, 2023. "Positive Welfare Indicators and Their Association with Sustainable Management Systems in Poultry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-27, July.
    3. Fabian Spieß & Bernd Reckels & Christian Sürie & Monika Auerbach & Silke Rautenschlein & Ottmar Distl & Joerg Hartung & Jan Berend Lingens & Christian Visscher, 2022. "An Evaluation of the Uses of Different Environmental Enrichments on a Broiler Farm with the Help of Real-Time Monitoring via a Farmer-Assistant System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.

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