Background:
In our society, increasing attention is being paid to improving the welfare of animals that we use for food production. Where previously the trend was to "solve" welfare problems by adapting the animal to its environment, that trend is now starting to reverse. Among consumers, there is an increasing demand for ‘natural’ products that come from animals that can express their normal behavior. This results in a growing market for organic or alternative ways of keeping animals. This is also the case for poultry farming, where, for example, the animals increasingly gain access to an outdoor area. Although this is a step in the right direction, it does not solve all welfare problems.
An urgent welfare problem that occurs in keeping laying hens, in both conventional and organic farming systems, is feather pecking. Pecking can lead to feather and tissue damage, but can also result in cannibalism and increased mortality. Previously, damage was limited by removing the tip of the upper beak from the chickens (beak trimming). Since 2019, beak trimming has been banned in the Netherlands and many other European countries, making the harmful effects of feather pecking even greater than before.
In this research we want to find innovative solutions to the problem of feather pecking in laying hens.
Because there is a growing need for organic products, we will imitate the practical conditions of organic poultry farming. By ensuring that rearing conditions better reflect their natural environment and by offering enrichment, we expect that the chickens will be less anxious and will therefore show less feather pecking. Part of this research is also to study the effects of genetics on fearfulness and feather pecking. We will test promising interventions on-farm, to investigate their feasibility in practice. Furthermore, we will also investigate the effect of our early life interventions on different genetic lines of laying hens.
Internship offer:
We are looking for students to help with the first round of experiments: in January, eggs will be incubated either under standard dark conditions, or under a light-dark cycle which was shown to facilitate brain lateralization and reduce fearfulness in chicken. After hatching, and throughout the rearing phase (18 weeks), half of the chicks will be provided with live larvae as an environmental enrichment to stimulate their foraging behavior and hopefully decrease fearfulness and feather pecking. Behavioral observations, behavioral tests, blood and brain analysis will be performed at Utrecht University during the rearing phase to compare the 4 treatment groups.
Starting date: January 2020.
Duration: ± 6 months
No actual remuneration, but interns can usually apply for mobility scholarships (e.g. Erasmus grant or region aid). Help will be provided by the Utrecht University International Office to find housing.
Supervisors:
Prof. Bas Rodenburg
Dr Vivian Goerlich
Dr Rebecca Nordquist
Daily-supervisors and contact:
Saskia Kliphuis, s.kliphuis@uu.nl (PhD)
Maëva Manet, m.w.e.manet@uu.nl (PhD)
In our society, increasing attention is being paid to improving the welfare of animals that we use for food production. Where previously the trend was to "solve" welfare problems by adapting the animal to its environment, that trend is now starting to reverse. Among consumers, there is an increasing demand for ‘natural’ products that come from animals that can express their normal behavior. This results in a growing market for organic or alternative ways of keeping animals. This is also the case for poultry farming, where, for example, the animals increasingly gain access to an outdoor area. Although this is a step in the right direction, it does not solve all welfare problems.
An urgent welfare problem that occurs in keeping laying hens, in both conventional and organic farming systems, is feather pecking. Pecking can lead to feather and tissue damage, but can also result in cannibalism and increased mortality. Previously, damage was limited by removing the tip of the upper beak from the chickens (beak trimming). Since 2019, beak trimming has been banned in the Netherlands and many other European countries, making the harmful effects of feather pecking even greater than before.
In this research we want to find innovative solutions to the problem of feather pecking in laying hens.
Because there is a growing need for organic products, we will imitate the practical conditions of organic poultry farming. By ensuring that rearing conditions better reflect their natural environment and by offering enrichment, we expect that the chickens will be less anxious and will therefore show less feather pecking. Part of this research is also to study the effects of genetics on fearfulness and feather pecking. We will test promising interventions on-farm, to investigate their feasibility in practice. Furthermore, we will also investigate the effect of our early life interventions on different genetic lines of laying hens.
Internship offer:
We are looking for students to help with the first round of experiments: in January, eggs will be incubated either under standard dark conditions, or under a light-dark cycle which was shown to facilitate brain lateralization and reduce fearfulness in chicken. After hatching, and throughout the rearing phase (18 weeks), half of the chicks will be provided with live larvae as an environmental enrichment to stimulate their foraging behavior and hopefully decrease fearfulness and feather pecking. Behavioral observations, behavioral tests, blood and brain analysis will be performed at Utrecht University during the rearing phase to compare the 4 treatment groups.
Starting date: January 2020.
Duration: ± 6 months
No actual remuneration, but interns can usually apply for mobility scholarships (e.g. Erasmus grant or region aid). Help will be provided by the Utrecht University International Office to find housing.
Supervisors:
Prof. Bas Rodenburg
Dr Vivian Goerlich
Dr Rebecca Nordquist
Daily-supervisors and contact:
Saskia Kliphuis, s.kliphuis@uu.nl (PhD)
Maëva Manet, m.w.e.manet@uu.nl (PhD)