Artificial commercial lighting used in animal production facilities can have negative influences on visual abilities, behaviour and welfare of domestic fowl. This study examined the effects of natural-derived light spectrums on behaviour, production and welfare of laying hens reared from hatching into adulthood. Comparisons were made of frequency of a range of behaviours associated with activity, aggression and comfort in birds kept in control light (commercial standard), daylight (full spectrum, including ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths and forest light (forest understorey, including UV). In addition, bird preferences for different lights, feather damage and egg production were monitored. The results showed that the behavioural repertoire of birds changed with age, while the effects of light treatment were subtle. Some evidence was found that birds preferred either daylight or forest light to control light, suggesting that inclusion of UV contributed to the preference. Daylight and forest light were associated with more active behaviours, and daylight with better plumage and later start of lay. Thus natural-like light may have beneficial effects on domestic fowl, but the differences between broad-spectrum light sources are rather small.

1. Poultry are usually transported in crates which provide the birds with very limited space. Slaughter transport of male turkeys is often carried out using crates that are 40 cm or less in height where it is not possible for them to stand up. There is little information on how this physical restriction over many hours affects the birds. 2. The aim of the study was to compare the welfare of male turkeys transported in crates 40 cm and 55 cm in height. Observations on the birds’ behaviour during lairage, carcass damage and meat quality were carried out after four commercial slaughter transport journeys. 3. Birds in 40 cm crates panted more and lay down more than birds in 55 cm crates during lairage. A large percentage of the carcasses had some damage. Significantly more birds from the 55 cm crates had scratches on their backs than birds from the 40 cm crates. There was no significant difference in meat quality between birds transported in the two crate heights. 4. Both positive and negative effects of increased crate height were established and there is no evidence from this study that merely increasing crate height improves turkey welfare. Other solutions should therefore be sought in order to improve the welfare of birds during transport.

Laying hens (Gallus gallus) are social birds with cognitive abilities related to having a functional interaction with their peers. Gaining knowledge about for example new food sources from other individuals can be a valuable complement to individual learning and probably even more so if one copies the behavior of successful individuals. In this study the aim was to investigate if a bird would identify another bird as being successful at gaining access to food. A social cognition feeding test was developed where birds could move freely together between several scattered food sources. Two different methods were used for training. In method 1, the observer hens were exposed to a skilled demonstrator hen that gained access to the food sources and an unskilled demonstrator hen (that gained no access to food) at the same time when trained together in a trio. In method 2, the observer was trained in two different pair constellations, with a skilled and unskilled demonstrator, respectively. In the test situation for both methods birds were paired, one observer was tested once with the skilled demonstrator and once with the unskilled demonstrator. Observations of how much the observer birds followed the two different demonstrators to the food sources, although no food was available during testing, were carried out. Observers trained in trios (method 1) did not show any difference in following behavior between the skilled and unskilled demonstrator, but observers that had been trained in pairs (method 2) showed more following behavior toward the skilled demonstrators than the unskilled demonstrator (P = 0.005). Thus the results indicate that laying hens are able to use another bird as a cue of whether they will get access to food.

"Development of an exploratory test and a contrast test for mice" published on 01 Nov 2014 by Wageningen Academic.