DUSTBATHING AND FEATHER PECKING IN DOMESTIC CHICKENS REARED WITH AND WITHOUT ACCESS TO SAND

The effects of presence or absence of sand during early stages of deve lopment on feather pecking and dustbathing behaviour was investigated. Eight groups of 10 female white Leghorn chicks were kept in wire floo r cages from day old. From 2 days of age four of the groups had contin uous access to a wooden tray with dark dry sand, while a wooden frame of the same size but without sand was placed on the wire floor in the other four cages. Light at a low intensity (10 lux) was on for 16 h ea ch day, but intensity was raised daily to 250 lux for 1.5 h from 5 h a fter light on, in order to facilitate release of the birds dustbathing behaviour. The birds were observed during the first hour with high in tensity light. During this hour no significant differences in the dust bathing activity was seen between birds with and without access to san d. Neither were there any differences in the number of feather pecks r eceived or performed by the dustbathing birds, although there was a te ndency for more feather pecks to be directed at the feathers of cage m ates by the ''dustbathing'' birds without sand compared to the birds w ith access to sand (p = 0.057). Time lapse video recordings during the light hours revealed that birds with no access to sand showed less bo uts of dustbathing (p < 0.05). A plumage scoring at 41 days of age sho wed that birds without access to sand had a significantly mon deterior ated plumage (p = 0.014). The chicks were thereafter allocated to 24 g roups of 3 and they were all given continuous access to sand for one o r six days. Following one or two days of deprivation, the chicks were then tested by giving them access to sand. The chicks reared without s and performed more vertical wing-shakes compared to the chicks reared with sand (p < 0.001). No significant differences were revealed in lat ency to dustbathing as well as feather pecking. It is concluded that l ack of access to sand during early rearing leads to less bouts of dust bathing behaviour during the first three weeks of life and increased p lumage deterioration. When later given access to sand no effect was fo und on feather pecking during dustbathing or ability to perform normal dustbathing as such but a rebound effect was seen on the intensity of dustbathing. suggesting that a build-up of dustbathing motivation had taken place during rearing without sand. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B. V.