Behavioural Implications of Precision Feeding Broiler Breeders

Abstract

Broiler breeders require feed restriction to maintain high production rates of hatching eggs. However, feed restriction, conventionally managed during the rearing period through skip-a-day feeding, creates welfare concerns as broiler breeders exhibit behaviours indicative of hunger and frustration. A novel precision broiler breeder feeding system provided small individual meals to each bird multiple times throughout a day, only if their BW was less than a target BW. The primary objective of this thesis was to determine the behavioural consequences of precision feeding broiler breeders in comparison to a conventional, skip-a-day feeding schedule. As such, this thesis did not measure physiological indicators of hunger as a result of feed restriction nor did it focus on internal factors (e.g. genetics) that impact hunger motivation in broiler breeders. Instead, objectives focused on the external factors (i.e. allocation of restricted feed) related to broiler breeder hunger motivation. The behavioural indicators of hunger motivation are referred to as perception of hunger in this thesis. Two experiments were run concurrently to examine and compare measures of perceived hunger, and therefore hunger motivation, including: restlessness, dust-bathing, foraging, object pecking, feather pecking, aggression, and social order fluctuations. Behaviour observations suggest that precision feeding reduced, but did not eliminate hunger motivation and may have the potential to better satisfy foraging frustration in broiler breeders, compared to skip-a-day feeding. However, precision feeding increased aggression compared to skip-a-day feeding. Therefore, it appears that while precision feeding decreased hunger motivation of broiler breeders, it does not appear to have fully eliminated hunger-related frustration.