Perch height in broiler chickens at various ages: Frequency of use and behavioural time-budget

@deChickens are motivated to perch, but the optimal height at which perching opportunities should be placed to facilitate access and use remains unclear. This study evaluated the ability of meat chickens to reach a perching platform set at different heights. Two experiments were carried out to test the hypothesis that perch height arrangement can contribute to its use during rearing. In the first experiment, the perching platform was placed at 0 cm (on the same level as the litter) during the first week of age; thereafter, it was alternated between 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm in height within each day of the week for the remaining five weeks. In the second experiment, the platform height was alternated in 5 cm increments, hence between 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm within each day of the week and tested over the same age period. The statistical model used included the fixed effects of age (in weeks), platform height and their interactions, and for the random effect of pen nested within treatment. In Experiment 1, chickens between weeks 2 and 6 of age used platforms more at 10 than 20 cm and did not reach the 30 and 40 cm heights. In Experiment 2, chickens used perches throughout the period of the 2nd to the 6th weeks of age but used higher perches (up to 20 cm) during the 3rd and 4th weeks of age. The platform height allowed perching behaviour when located at a maximum of 20 cm from the litter. Gradual 5 cm increases in perch height are likely to have been the reason for greater use in Experiment 2. In conclusion, chickens are motivated to use perches or elevated areas when placed at a height of up to 20 cm from floor level, and stepping them up in small increments of 5 cm may increase their use. @enChickens are motivated to perch, but the optimal height at which perching opportunities should be placed to facilitate access and use remains unclear. This study evaluated the ability of meat chickens to reach a perching platform set at different heights. Two experiments were carried out to test the hypothesis that perch height arrangement can contribute to its use during rearing. In the first experiment, the perching platform was placed at 0 cm (on the same level as the litter) during the first week of age; thereafter, it was alternated between 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm in height within each day of the week for the remaining five weeks. In the second experiment, the platform height was alternated in 5 cm increments, hence between 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm within each day of the week and tested over the same age period. The statistical model used included the fixed effects of age (in weeks), platform height and their interactions, and for the random effect of pen nested within treatment. In Experiment 1, chickens between weeks 2 and 6 of age used platforms more at 10 than 20 cm and did not reach the 30 and 40 cm heights. In Experiment 2, chickens used perches throughout the period of the 2nd to the 6th weeks of age but used higher perches (up to 20 cm) during the 3rd and 4th weeks of age. The platform height allowed perching behaviour when located at a maximum of 20 cm from the litter. Gradual 5 cm increases in perch height are likely to have been the reason for greater use in Experiment 2. In conclusion, chickens are motivated to use perches or elevated areas when placed at a height of up to 20 cm from floor level, and stepping them up in small increments of 5 cm may increase their use.

Lab Milk Anal Refrigerat Stn Cooperat Triticola Es
Fed Inst Educ Sci & Technol Rio Grande Sul
Universidade de Sao Paulo
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien
Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS)