Analysis of severe feather pecking behavior in a high feather pecking selection line.

Full Abstract

Even though feather pecking (FP) in laying hens has been extensively studied, a good solution to prevent chickens from this behavior under commercial circumstances has not been found. Selection against FP behavior is possible, but for a more effective selection across different populations, it is necessary to characterize the genetic mechanism associated with this behavior. In this study, we use a high FP selection line, which has been selected for 8 generations. We present evidence of the presence of a major dominant allele affecting the FP behavior by using an argument based on the presence of mixture in the distribution of the observed FP and by studying the evolution of the proportion of very high FP along the sequence of 8 generations. This hypothesis is further supported by the fact that the gene transcription profile of the birds performing high FP differs from the profile of the other birds performing FP (456 genes differentially expressed from a total of 14,077 investigated genes).

Author information

Author/s: Labouriau, R (R); Kjaer, J B (JB); Abreu, G C G (GC); Hedegaard, J (J); Buitenhuis, A J (AJ);

Affiliation: Aarhus University, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Poultry science (Poult Sci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Oct; vol 88 (issue 10) : pp 2052-62

Dates: Created 2009/09/18; Completed 2009/10/27;

PMID: 19762856, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/27/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.