Association between plumage condition and fear and stress levels in five breeds of chickens

Duration of tonic immobility and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (indices of fear and stress, respectively) were compared in hens having very poor or perfect plumage at 72 wk of age. Five Spanish breeds of chickens (Castellana, Andaluza, Vasca, Villafranquina, and Leonesa) were used. There were signi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Poultry science 2001-05, Vol.80 (5), p.549-552
Main Authors: Campo, J L, Gil, M G, Torres, O, Davila, S G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Welfare
Animals
Blood Cell Count
Breeding
Chickens - genetics
Chickens - physiology
Fear
Feathers
Female
Lymphocytes - cytology
Oviposition
Poultry Diseases - physiopathology
Stress, Physiological - physiopathology
Stress, Physiological - veterinary
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Summary:Duration of tonic immobility and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (indices of fear and stress, respectively) were compared in hens having very poor or perfect plumage at 72 wk of age. Five Spanish breeds of chickens (Castellana, Andaluza, Vasca, Villafranquina, and Leonesa) were used. There were significant differences among groups in terms of tonic immobility duration and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (P < 0.05). Very poorly feathered hens showed shorter tonic immobility (243.03+/-26.81 s) and higher leukocyte ratio (0.42+/-0.02) than did hens with a perfect plumage (322.32+/-26.81 s and 0.35+/-0.02, respectively). Differences were consistent across the breeds. Thus, hens with very poor plumage were less fearful and more stressed than hens with a perfect plumage. The results suggest that very poor plumage is associated with indicators of fearfulness and stress.
ISSN:0032-5791
DOI:10.1093/ps/80.5.549