The Effect Of Different Dyeing Polyculture Mixed Feed Of Rooster And Early Experience On Feather Pecking In Laying Hens

Feather pecking means poultry peck the feather of congener, which is a non-combative abnormal behavior.In laying hens, feather pecking causes welfare problems deteriorated and feather damaged which made feed effect changed, furthermore, it seriously causes bloodthirsty and meat pecking.So it results in mortality raises and economic losses.Researchers have confirmed that the occurrence of feather pecking could be effected by many factors, such as light intensity, stocking density, food consumption, poultry scope and stress, but up to now the internal causes of feather pecking were not clear known.There were two widely accepted hypotheses which explained the mechanism of feather pecking, both of them were based on conceive of behavior revolution.One hypothesis regarded feather pecking as foraging-oriented behavior while the other one regarded as dust-bathing oriented.At the same time, some scholars insist on that late occurrence of feather pecking will be effected by imprinting.So it becomes hotspot on the effect of early experience and late condition changing on feather pecking.In this research, two experiments were carried out.First, study on feather pecking and interrelated behavior during laying period of laying hens was carried out in different early environment and coloration conditions.At the same time, different stocking density and mixed feed of rooster and hen conditions were also be studied.Experimentâ… Materials and methods 320 hy-line white laying chicks with the same-day-age were used.The experiment was set for two feed environment (dust-bathing environment and poor environment), six different time for external stimulus (22-week-old, 24-week-old, 26-week-old, 28-week-old, 30-week-old and 32-week-old) and five different colors (red, yellow, green, blue and without color group).The observation was conducted in the 22nd week, henceforth, the time interval for each observation was one week; observation started at 30 min after feeding every time.All behaviors were observed using time sampling method.Resultsâ‘ Early environment effected the occurrence of feather pecking and interrelated behaviors in laying hens during laying period.It effected the mouth pecking significantly, and no obvious differ to feather pecking, object pecking and pecked.But the occurrence of feather pecking with rich environment was less than with poor environment.â‘¡The week old during laying period almost effected the feather pecking significantly.The curve of feather pecking during laying period was almost present in parabola, at first rising and became slowly at peak value, and then declining.The whole curve was similar with that of at early laying period.The week old effected object pecking significantly.â‘¢Coloration of red, yellow, blue, green and without color group had no significant effect on feather pecking.Coloration effected object pecking significantly, the most was blue treatment and the least was yellow treatment.Coloration had no significant effect on mouth pecking and pecked, but occurrence was lower in all without color group; coloration had no significant effect on state behavior and it had significant effect with modifying behavior, the most was without color group and the least was blue treatment.â‘£Linearity relation from the behaviors under each coloration treatment was found out by accident, all the behaviors presented linearity declined by turns of red, yellow, blue and green.The decline trend was proportional to color wavelength and color temperature and inversely proportional to color frequency.The linearity result was summed up by integrating all occurrences and behaviors under coloration treatment.Experimentâ…¡Materials and methods 160 hy-line white laying chicks with the same-day-age were used.The experiment was set for two treatment group, namely with-cock and without-cock.At the same time, each group was contained different stocking density such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 experimental animals at early period.From the seventeenth week, the animals were fed in cage and cocks were got in.Each treatment group contained 6 observation weeks (22-week-old, 24-week-old, 26-week-old, 28-week-old, 30-week-old and 32-week-old), the experiment of with-cock and without-cock group were repeated 4 times; there were 20 experiment animals in each treatment group, the ratio of cock to hen was 19:1 in with-cock group.All behaviors were observed using time sampling method.Resultsâ‘ Early stocking density significantly effected the feather pecking during laying period, the occurrence of feather pecking increased with the enhancement of stocking density.Although early stocking density had no significant effect on object pecking, the occurrence of object pecking also increased with the enhancement of stocking density.Early stocking density significantly effected standing and lying behavior.With the stocking density increasing, lying behavior was shorter and standing behavior was longer during laying period.â‘¡Mixed feed of rooster and hen had no significant effect on the feather pecking, in with-rooster group, all the occurrence of pecking behaviors were lower than without-group; Mixed feed of rooster and hen had no significant effect on state behavior, in foraging environment, the occurrence of foraging behavior in with-rooster group was higher than that in without-rooster group.Mixed feed of rooster and hen had no significant effect on modifying behavior, in the condition of rooster presented, the occurrence of modifying behavior in hens was higher.