The pecking and peeping behavior of isolate, pairand group-reared chicks tested singly with and without mirrors were studied during 2-hr tests. Results supported the hypothesis that the social facilitation of pecking is disrupted by test novelty (discrepancy between testing and rearing conditions). Mirror exposure resulted in the greatest enhancement of pecking and least peeping in pair-reared ...

Feather pecking (FP) is a welfare and economic problem in the egg production sector. Beak trimming, the current method used to reduce FP, is also criticized. The present study used gene expression to explore the biological mechanisms underlying this behavior, which could lead to a greater understanding of the cause and a tool to mitigate the problem. White Leghorn hens performing and receiving ...

Animals use specific behaviors and skills to overcome challenges access resources. Environmental enrichment is provided animals in human care both promote species-appropriate reduce undesired behaviors. Feather pecking birds an behavior without a clear cause. The Saint Louis Zoo houses three pairs of young Bali mynas (Leucopsar rothschildi) who pluck neck feathers from conspecifics. To this beh...

The pecking order hypothesis predicts that equity costs exceed debt costs when managers require outside funding. Asymmetric information costs motivates this hypothesis. I use an econometric model to estimate issuance costs managers face to test the prediction and motivation of the pecking order. The estimates challenge the existence of a pecking order. First, debt costs increase from about 50% ...

Broiler feeding is an efficient way of evaluating growth performance, health, and welfare status. This assessment might include the number meals, meal period, ingestion rate, intervals, proportion time spent eating. These parameters can be predicted by studying birds’ pecking activity. The present study aims to design, examine, validate classifying algorithms determine individual bird patterns ...