The effect of quality and availability of foraging materials on feather pecking in laying hen chicks

Feather pecking resulting in feather damage, injuries and mortality causes severe welfare problems in laying hens. In the present study, we tested whether there is an inverse relationship between feather pecking and foraging behaviour (exploratory and manipulative behaviour away from the feeder). Forty-eight groups of 30 or 31 chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, were reared in pens and provided with different types of foraging material. Feather pecking and foraging behaviour were quantified when the chicks were 4 and 5 weeks of age. In experiment 1, chicks with access to long-cut straw showed more foraging behaviour and less feather pecking than chicks that were provided with the same straw but in shredded form. On the other hand, there was no difference in foraging behaviour and feather pecking between chicks reared with access to long-cut straw and polystyrene blocks. In experiment 2, the importance of the form of the foraging material was confirmed. Chicks provided with polystyrene blocks performed more foraging behaviour and less feather pecking than chicks with access to polystyrene beads. The provision of an area with a layer of wood-shavings to promote scratching behaviour had no significant effect, however, on the incidence of feather pecking. In experiment 3, polystyrene blocks and beads were offered during the whole day or only in the morning. Both the quality and the availability of the foraging materials had a significant effect on foraging behaviour and a significant but opposite effect on feather pecking. Focal animal observations showed that the chicks performed different types of foraging behaviour at polystyrene blocks and beads. This suggests that not only the quantity but also the quality of foraging behaviour elicited by a given material may be important to prevent the development of feather pecking. Feather pecking should thus be considered as redirected foraging behaviour.