Characterizing the development of normal behaviors in broiler chicks during early life.

ABSTRACT: In poultry production, behavior is used to evaluate bird welfare and assess the impact of management practices. This research aims to improve scientific understanding of normal development of broiler behaviors during early-life by quantifying their behavioral expressions and diurnal rhythms. Broiler chicks (75, mixed-sex) were randomly placed on day-of-hatch into three pens (25 birds/pen) and three chicks per pen were selected as focal subjects. Behavior was recorded from day 1 to 7 of age and assessed by 24-hour continuous sampling. Behavioral durations were analyzed by age and time-of-day, diversity by the Shannon diversity index, and sequences using time-lag probability transition matrices and a continuous-time Markov chain. As birds aged, the proportion of time chicks spent standing, w

SUBMITTER: Jackson A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12274756 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature