Abstract:
A proper understanding of the behavior of broiler chicken under different management
and climatic conditions is of importance to maximize the profit of farmers and welfare
standards of the birds. Objective of this study was to appraise and compare the behavior
of broiler chicken during three different times (morning, afternoon and evening) of the
day. Twenty days old broiler chicken (n=72) were randomly allocated into six cages
having paddy husk litter. Each cage had a drinker and a feeder. Eleven predetermined
postures/behaviors were studied during three sessions; morning (9.00-10.00am),
afternoon (1.00-2.00 pm) and evening (4.00-5.00 pm) for five days, starting from day
29. In each session of observation, each cage was observed four times within an hour
and the number of birds engaged in eleven behaviors/postures (walking, standing,
eating, drinking, litter/mesh interaction, wing flapping, feather pecking, lying, dust
bathing and inter bird interactions) were recorded. The number of birds engaged in
standing, litter eating, and lying were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the times of
the observation. Irrespective of the time of the day, lying (33%), eating (31%) and
drinking (10%) were the most prominent behaviors birds engaged with. The percentage
of birds engaged in walking was significantly (P<0.01) lower during afternoon (4.2%)
than during morning (6.3%) and evening (6.9%). Eating behavior was significantly
(P<0.05) higher during morning whereas drinking was significantly (p<0.001) higher
during evening. Wing flapping was significantly (p<0.001) higher during evening.
Dust bathing behavior was not observed during evening. Significantly more birds
engaged in dust bathing during afternoon (1.38%) than during morning (0.32%). It was
concluded that lying, eating and drinking are the most pronounced day time behavioral
traits of broiler chicken aged 29-33 days and many behavioral traits are affected by the
time of the day.
