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Brantsæter M, Nordgreen J, Hansen TB, Muri K, Nødtvedt A, Moe RO, Janczak AM. Problem behaviors in adult laying hens – identifying risk factors during rearing and egg production. Poult Sci 2018; 97:2-16. [DOI: 10.3382/ps/pex276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Pértille F, Brantsæter M, Nordgreen J, Coutinho LL, Janczak AM, Jensen P, Guerrero-Bosagna C. DNA methylation profiles in red blood cells of adult hens correlate with their rearing conditions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:3579-3587. [PMID: 28784681 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.157891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Stressful conditions are common in the environment where production animals are reared. Stress in animals is usually determined by the levels of stress-related hormones. A big challenge, however, is in determining the history of exposure of an organism to stress, because the release of stress hormones can show an acute (and recent) but not a sustained exposure to stress. Epigenetic tools provide an alternative option to evaluate past exposure to long-term stress. Chickens provide a unique model to study stress effects in the epigenome of red blood cells (RBCs), a cell type of easy access and nucleated in birds. The present study investigated whether two different rearing conditions in chickens can be identified by looking at DNA methylation patterns in their RBCs later in life. These conditions were rearing in open aviaries versus in cages, which are likely to differ regarding the amount of stress they generate. Our comparison revealed 115 genomic windows with significant changes in RBC DNA methylation between experimental groups, which were located around 53 genes and within 22 intronic regions. Our results set the ground for future detection of long-term stress in live production animals by measuring DNA methylation in a cell type of easy accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fábio Pértille
- Avian Behavioral Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, SE-58 183 Linköping, Sweden.,Animal Biotechnology Laboratory, Animal Science and Pastures Department, University of São Paulo (USP)/ Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), 13418-900 Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Margrethe Brantsæter
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-0033 Oslo, Norway
| | - Janicke Nordgreen
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-0033 Oslo, Norway
| | - Luiz Lehmann Coutinho
- Animal Biotechnology Laboratory, Animal Science and Pastures Department, University of São Paulo (USP)/ Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), 13418-900 Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrew M Janczak
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, N-0033 Oslo, Norway
| | - Per Jensen
- Avian Behavioral Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, SE-58 183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna
- Avian Behavioral Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, SE-58 183 Linköping, Sweden
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Tahamtani FM, Brantsæter M, Nordgreen J, Sandberg E, Hansen TB, Nødtvedt A, Rodenburg TB, Moe RO, Janczak AM. Effects of litter provision during early rearing and environmental enrichment during the production phase on feather pecking and feather damage in laying hens. Poult Sci 2016; 95:2747-2756. [PMID: 27566727 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pew265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Feather pecking is a multi-factorial behavioral disorder and a serious welfare issue in the poultry industry. Several studies report early life experience with litter to be a major determinant in the development of feather pecking. The current study aimed to test the large-scale on-farm efficiency of a simple and cheap husbandry procedure applied during the rearing period with the ultimate goal of reducing the incidence of feather pecking and plumage damage during the production stage in laying hens. Five laying hen-rearing farmers from across Norway participated in the study. These farmers were asked to create divisions within their hen rearing houses and to separate their chicks into 2 groups: one reared with access to a paper substrate from the first d of age, the other a control group without access to paper substrate during rearing. All flocks were visited at the production farms at 30 wk of age and observed for pecking behavior and feather damage. Birds in the control group had higher odds of having more feather damage compared to the birds from the treatment group. In addition, flocks provided with environmental enrichment at the production farms had a reduced incidence of feather pecking, irrespective of the treatment. These results indicate that husbandry procedures during both rearing and production stages have the potential to alleviate feather pecking and increase laying hen welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Tahamtani
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
| | - M Brantsæter
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
| | - J Nordgreen
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
| | - E Sandberg
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - T B Hansen
- Animalia, Norwegian Meat and Poultry Research Centre, Oslo, Norway
| | - A Nødtvedt
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
| | - T B Rodenburg
- Behavioral Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - R O Moe
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
| | - A M Janczak
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Oslo, Norway
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Brantsæter M, Nordgreen J, Rodenburg TB, Tahamtani FM, Popova A, Janczak AM. Exposure to Increased Environmental Complexity during Rearing Reduces Fearfulness and Increases Use of Three-Dimensional Space in Laying Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:14. [PMID: 26973843 PMCID: PMC4770049 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The complexity of the rearing environment is important for behavioral development and fearfulness. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that laying hens reared in a complex aviary system with exposure to mild intermittent stressors would be less fearful, less sensitive to stress, and would use elevated areas of the pen more often as adults than hens reared in a barren cage environment. Laying hens (N = 160) were housed in the same rearing house; half of the birds (n = 80) in an aviary and the other half (n = 80) in cages. At 16 weeks of age, the birds were transported to the experimental facilities. Their behavior was recorded at 19 and 23 weeks of age and analyzed by analysis of variance on individual scores for a fearfulness-related principal component generated using principal component analysis. The results indicate that aviary-reared birds have lower levels of fearfulness compared with cage-reared birds both at 19 weeks and at 23 weeks of age. When comparing the response induced by initial exposure to a novel object at 19 and 23 weeks of age, more aviary-reared birds tended to fly up at 19 weeks compared to the cage-reared birds, indicating a tendency toward a more active behavioral response in the aviary-reared birds than in cage-reared birds. There was no difference between treatments in the flight response at 23 weeks. The groups did not differ in defecation frequency or the concentration of fecal corticosterone metabolites at either age. At 19 weeks, observation of the spatial distribution in the home pens indicated that more aviary-reared birds spent time on the low perch, the elevated platform, and the upper perch, compared to the cage-reared birds. However, at 23 weeks of age, these differences were no longer detected. The results of this study support the hypothesis that increased environmental complexity during rearing reduces fearfulness of adult laying hens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margrethe Brantsæter
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Janicke Nordgreen
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - T. Bas Rodenburg
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Fernanda M. Tahamtani
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anastasija Popova
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andrew M. Janczak
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
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Brantsæter M, Tahamtani FM, Moe RO, Hansen TB, Orritt R, Nicol C, Janczak AM. Rearing Laying Hens in Aviaries Reduces Fearfulness following Transfer to Furnished Cages. Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:13. [PMID: 26955634 PMCID: PMC4767898 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Appropriate rearing is essential for ensuring the welfare and productivity of laying hens. Early experience has the potential to affect the development of fearfulness. This study tested whether rearing in aviaries, as opposed to cages, reduces the fearfulness of laying hens after transfer to furnished cages. Fear responses were recorded as avoidance of a novel object in the home cage. Lohmann Selected Leghorns were reared in an aviary system or conventional rearing cages and then transported to furnished cages at 16 weeks, before the onset of lay. Observations of a selection of birds were conducted at 19 (N = 50 independent cages) and 21 (N = 48 independent cages) weeks of age. At 19 and 21 weeks, cage-reared birds showed higher levels of fearfulness indicated by spending more time away from the novel object compared to aviary-reared birds. These results suggest that rearing in an enriched aviary environment reduces fearfulness up to the fifth week after transfer to a new housing system, compared to rearing in cages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margrethe Brantsæter
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science , Oslo , Norway
| | - Fernanda M Tahamtani
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science , Oslo , Norway
| | - Randi O Moe
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science , Oslo , Norway
| | - Tone B Hansen
- Animalia, Norwegian Meat and Poultry Research Centre , Oslo , Norway
| | - Rachel Orritt
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln , Lincoln , UK
| | - Christine Nicol
- Division of Animal Health and Husbandry, University of Bristol , Bristol , UK
| | - Andrew M Janczak
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Science, NMBU School of Veterinary Science , Oslo , Norway
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Tahamtani FM, Nordgreen J, Brantsæter M, Østby GC, Nordquist RE, Janczak AM. Does Early Environmental Complexity Influence Tyrosine Hydroxylase in the Chicken Hippocampus and "Prefrontal" Caudolateral Nidopallium? Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:8. [PMID: 26904550 PMCID: PMC4749677 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In adult chickens, the housing system influences hippocampal morphology and neurochemistry. However, no work has been done investigating the effects of the early life environment on chicken brain development. In the present study, we reared 67 commercial laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in two environments that differed in the degree of complexity (aviary or cage system). These two groups were further divided into two age groups. At 20 weeks of age, 18 aviary-reared birds and 15 cage-reared birds were humanely euthanized and their brains dissected. At 24 weeks of age, a further 16 brains from aviary-reared birds and 18 brains from cage-reared birds were collected. These brains were prepared for immunohistochemical detection of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of dopamine, in the hippocampus and the caudolateral nidopallium (NCL). There were no differences between the treatment groups in TH staining intensity in the hippocampus or the NCL. In the medial hippocampus, the right hemisphere had higher TH staining intensity compared to the left hemisphere. The opposite was true for the NCL, with the left hemisphere being more strongly stained compared to the right hemisphere. The present study supports the notion that the hippocampus is functionally lateralized, and our findings add to the body of knowledge on adult neural plasticity of the avian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda M Tahamtani
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
| | - Janicke Nordgreen
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
| | - Margrethe Brantsæter
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
| | - Gunn C Østby
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
| | - Rebecca E Nordquist
- Emotion and Cognition Research Program, Department of Farm Animal Health, Utrecht University , Utrecht , Netherlands
| | - Andrew M Janczak
- Animal Welfare Research Group, Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
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