Feather Pecking in laying hens due to stress of housing conditions

ABSTRACT

The present study was aimed to investigate the possible relation between high rates of feather pecking and increased stress. 16 groups of 11 hens [White Lohman selected Leghorn Hybrids] were kept in pens with or without long cut straw as foraging material from 19 to 30 weeks after hatching and provided with food in the form of pellets or mash. The estimation of stress was done by egg production, tonic immobility [TI], weight gain and Heterophil/Lymphocyte [H/L] ratio. The rates of feather pecking were found to be maximum in the groups housed without straw and fed on pellets. Decreased egg production was observed in the pens without straw but was not affected by food form. TI and H/L ratios were increased in pens without straw but not influenced by food form. It was concluded that foraging material and food form affected the feather pecking as an indicator of stress. The association between feather pecking and stress was noted