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    Close human presence reduces avoidance behaviour in commercial caged laying hens to an approaching human

    Edwards, L.E.; Coleman, G.J.; Hemsworth, P.H.

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    Edwards et al (2013) Close human presence reduces fear in hens.pdf (174.8Kb)
    Date
    2013-05-21
    Citation:
    Edwards, L. E., Coleman, G. J., and Hemsworth, P. H. (2013). Close human presence reduces avoidance behaviour in commercial caged laying hens to an approaching human. Animal Production Science. 53 : 1276-1282.
    Permanent link to Research Bank record:
    https://hdl.handle.net/10652/2643
    Abstract
    The quality of human contact that hens are exposed to will determine the degree of fear of humans that they experience. This has consequences for the welfare of commercial laying hens, as hens that are afraid of humans will be regularly exposed to a fear-provoking stressor. Hens can be habituated to human presence using positive or neutral human–animal interactions, although the specific human behaviours that are considered positive or neutral by the hens are still being determined. This experiment investigated whether the proximity or duration of visual contact with a human affected fear of humans in commercial caged laying hens (n = 216). Commercial laying hens were exposed to daily visual human contact at one of three proximities (0, 0.75 or 1.50 m) and one of three durations (2, 30 or 90 s) in a 3 by 3 factorial design for a period of 28 days. Avoidance behaviour was assessed on Days –5, 15 and 30, and the plasma corticosterone response to handling was assessed on Days –5 and Day 30. Visual contact with a stationary human at close proximity (0 m) significantly (P = 0.03) reduced the avoidance response of commercial laying hens to an approaching human, although there was no clear effect of proximity on corticosterone response to handling. The duration of human contact had no effect on avoidance behaviour or corticosterone response. Stockpeople may consider working more closely to the cages in a nonthreatening manner to reduce fear of humans in their flock.
    Keywords:
    corticosterone, egg farms, human–animal relationships, welfare
    ANZSRC Field of Research:
    070207 Humane Animal Treatment
    Copyright Holder:
    C S I R O Publishing
    Available Online at:
    http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=AN12342
    Rights:
    This digital work is protected by copyright. It may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. You will recognise the author's and publishers rights and give due acknowledgement where appropriate.
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