283 research outputs found
Stress induced polarization of immune-neuroendocrine phenotypes in Gallus gallus
No full textImmune-neuroendocrine phenotypes (INPs) stand for population subgroups differing in immune-neuroendocrine interactions. While mammalian INPs have been characterized thoroughly in rats and humans, avian INPs were only recently described in Coturnix coturnix (quail). To assess the scope of this biological phenomenon, herein we characterized INPs in Gallus gallus (a domestic hen strain submitted to a very long history of strong selective breeding pressure) and evaluated whether a social chronic stress challenge modulates the individuals’ interplay affecting the INP subsets and distribution. Evaluating plasmatic basal corticosterone, interferon-γ and interleukin-4 concentrations, innate/acquired leukocyte ratio, PHA-P skin-swelling and induced antibody responses, two opposite INP profiles were found: LEWIS-like (15% of the population) and FISCHER-like (16%) hens. After chronic stress, an increment of about 12% in each polarized INP frequency was found at expenses of a reduction in the number of birds with intermediate responses. Results show that polarized INPs are also a phenomenon occurring in hens. The observed inter-individual variation suggest that, even after a considerable selection process, the population is still well prepared to deal with a variety of immune-neuroendocrine challenges. Stress promoted disruptive effects, leading to a more balanced INPs distribution, which represents a new substrate for challenging situations.Fil: Nazar, Franco Nicolas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Estevez, Inma. Centro de Investigación. Neiker - Tecnalia; EspañaFil: Correa, Silvia Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Marin, Raul Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentin
Maria Cristina Arellana, Georgina Estevez, and Laura Tobie
No full textThis 1965 photograph shows Maria Cristina Arellana of Havana, Cuba, Georgina Estevez and Laura Tobie, both of Caracas, Venezuela in Hubert Hayes Memorial Log Cabin. Founder and director of the Mountain Youth Jamboree, Hubert H. Hayes (1901-1964) auditioned and directed youth to perform in folk dance, music, and folk and ballad singing. The jamboree was held in the Asheville City Auditorium (now known as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) from 1948 to 1973, and Hayes’ wife, Leona Trantham Hayes (1913-1989) continued to direct the program after his death in 1964. Hubert Hayes was an author, playwright, and alumni of Duke University
Author Correction: Phenotype alteration causes long-term changes to the social strategies of victimised birds
No full textThe Aviary Transect—a practical welfare assessment tool to improve the management of cage-free laying hens
No full textThe Aviary Transect (AT) is a method for assessing welfare in cage-free laying hen flocks, and comprises standardized walks along each aisle screening the flock for selected welfare indicators: feather loss (FL) on head, back, breast, and tail, wounds on head, back, tail, and feet, dirty plumage, enlarged crop, sickness, and birds found dead. The method is quick (20 min for a flock of 7,500 hens), has good interobserver agreement and shows positive correlations with individual bird sampling methods. However, it is less clear whether AT can be used to detect differences in flock health and welfare related to housing and management. The aim of this study was to evaluate how AT findings varied in relation to 23 selected housing, management, environmental, and production factors. The study was conducted on 33 commercial nonbeak-trimmed, white-feathered layer flocks of similar age (70–76 wk) kept in multitiered aviaries in Norway. The most prevalent findings across flocks were feather loss on the back (mean 0.97% of flock) and breast (0.94%) followed by feather loss on the head (0.45%) and tail (0.36%) with differences in feather pecking damage according to the hybrid used (P < 0.05). Better litter quality was associated with a lower prevalence of feather loss on the head and breast (P < 0.05), and addition of fresh litter during the production cycle resulted in fewer birds with feather loss on the head (P < 0.05) and tail (P < 0.001). Lower dust levels were linked to a lower prevalence of feather loss on the head, back, and breast (P < 0.05), and when access to the floor area underneath the aviary was provided at an earlier stage of production, fewer birds had wounds (P < 0.001), but more birds were observed with an enlarged crop (P < 0.05) and found dead (P < 0.05). In conclusion, findings from AT showed that results of the assessment varied according to housing conditions. These results support the validity of AT as a relevant welfare assessment tool for evaluating cage-free management practices. © 2023 The AuthorsACKNOWLEDGMENTS: We want to thank all the farmers who allowed us to observe their hens. The study was funded by the Research Council of Norway project no. 309159. Author Contributions: Guro Vasdal: conceptualizing, data sampling, writing; Ruth Newberry: analyses, writing; Inma Estevez: analyses, writing; Kathe Kittelsen: data sampling, writing; Joanna Marchewka: analyses, writing
The Effects of the Alteration of the Phenotypic Appeareance and Modifications of the Early Environment on the Welfare of Laying Hens.
No full text227 p.Los animales criados con fines productivos, como las gallinas de puesta, están frecuentemente expuestos a una amplia gamma de desafíos tanto sociales como ambientales desde el día en el que nacen. El objetivo principal de esta Tesis es: explorar los efectos que la alteración del contexto social y ambiental causan sobre el bienestar de las gallinas de puesta.Esta Tesis se divide en dos grandes partes: 1) La primera parte (Capítulos 2 y 3), tiene como objetivo investigar si la alteración de la apariencia fenotípica (AF) de distintas proporciones de aves puede afectar la frecuencia y dirección de sus interacciones sociales. Un segundo objetivo de esta investigación es, determinar si, estos efectos son dependientes del tamaño de grupo (TG) y de la frecuencia del fenotipo alterado dentro del grupo.
2) La segunda parte de esta Tesis (Capítulo 4), explora cómo la provisión de un ambiente complejo (Complex Environment_CENV) durante las primeras etapas de desarrollo, puede preparar mejor a las aves para hacer frente al estrés, e incluso funcionar como un atenuante en frente a episodios estresantes impredecibles que se pueden dar en el futuro.
En conclusión, los resultados de esta Tesis proporcionan información importante respecto a las estrategias que pueden adoptar las aves para hacer frente a desafíos tanto sociales como ambientales. Los resultados obtenidos pueden ayudarnos a diseñar ambientes productivos más adaptados y protocolos de manejo que permitan mejorar el bienestar de las gallinas de puesta en condiciones comerciales. Estos resultados tomados en su conjunto destacan la importancia de los inputs sociales y físicos a lo largo de la ontogenia como posibles reguladores de las estrategias para hacer frente al estrés, y de la potencialidad de la respuesta de las gallinas de puestaNeiker; Ikerbasqu
The Effects of the Alteration of the Phenotypic Appeareance and Modifications of the Early Environment on the Welfare of Laying Hens.
No full text227 p.Los animales criados con fines productivos, como las gallinas de puesta, están frecuentemente expuestos a una amplia gamma de desafíos tanto sociales como ambientales desde el día en el que nacen. El objetivo principal de esta Tesis es: explorar los efectos que la alteración del contexto social y ambiental causan sobre el bienestar de las gallinas de puesta.Esta Tesis se divide en dos grandes partes: 1) La primera parte (Capítulos 2 y 3), tiene como objetivo investigar si la alteración de la apariencia fenotípica (AF) de distintas proporciones de aves puede afectar la frecuencia y dirección de sus interacciones sociales. Un segundo objetivo de esta investigación es, determinar si, estos efectos son dependientes del tamaño de grupo (TG) y de la frecuencia del fenotipo alterado dentro del grupo.
2) La segunda parte de esta Tesis (Capítulo 4), explora cómo la provisión de un ambiente complejo (Complex Environment_CENV) durante las primeras etapas de desarrollo, puede preparar mejor a las aves para hacer frente al estrés, e incluso funcionar como un atenuante en frente a episodios estresantes impredecibles que se pueden dar en el futuro.
En conclusión, los resultados de esta Tesis proporcionan información importante respecto a las estrategias que pueden adoptar las aves para hacer frente a desafíos tanto sociales como ambientales. Los resultados obtenidos pueden ayudarnos a diseñar ambientes productivos más adaptados y protocolos de manejo que permitan mejorar el bienestar de las gallinas de puesta en condiciones comerciales. Estos resultados tomados en su conjunto destacan la importancia de los inputs sociales y físicos a lo largo de la ontogenia como posibles reguladores de las estrategias para hacer frente al estrés, y de la potencialidad de la respuesta de las gallinas de puestaNeiker; Ikerbasqu
FORAGING STRATEGIES, USE OF SPACE AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF DOMESTIC FOWL (Gallus gallus domesticus)
No full textDomestic fowl were tested in three experiments, all investigating the mediating effects of three group sizes of 5, 10, and 20 individuals, on behavioral responses under varying environmental conditions. The first experiment investigated social spacing and aggressive behavior in the presence or absence of cover panels. Smaller group sizes were more affected by cover panels than larger group sizes. In the second and third experiments patchy environments were used to test optimal foraging strategies. In the second experiment, smaller group sizes were more affected by patch locations than larger ones. In the third experiment birds were presented with patches varying in quality. Birds in all group sizes were able to immediately discern patch quality and preferred patches of higher quality. Despite generations of artificial selection pressure domestic fowl continue to forage optimally in patchy environments, and adopt flocking strategies predicted by behavioral ecology theory
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