Beak trimming at two different ages, Week-1 and Week-8, under four dietary regimens, varying in percent crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) were compared. The dietary regimens were conventional high energy (CHE), conventional medium energy (CME), conventional low energy (CLE) and step-up protein regimen (SUP). At 20 weeks of age, 192 birds from each beak-dietary treatment were housed in laying cages for 24 weeks of egg production. One-half of the birds were provided with high light intensity ranging from 20 to 70 lux and one-half with low intensity from 2.5 to 22 lux. Cumulative feed intake through 20 weeks of age for the CHE fed birds was significantly lower than that for the CLE fed birds but did not differ from that of the CME or the SUP fed birds. The feed intake of the CME and CLE groups did not differ from each other; however, both were significantly greater than that of the SUP fed birds. Birds reared on CME had the lowest protein consumption with no difference in protein consumption between CHE, CLE and SUP fed birds. Birds reared on the SUP regimen had the lowest ME intake followed by the CLE group with no significant difference between CHE and CME groups. By 20 weeks of age, there was no significant difference in body weight for CHE, CME and CLE birds with those on SUP being significantly lower than all other treatments. Livability for the 20-week growing phase did not differ among dietary treatments. The influence of age when beaks were trimmed (Week-1 or Week-8) on feed, protein, and energy intake, body weight or livability for the 20-week growing period did not differ between the two beak treatments. By 44 weeks of age, there were no significant body weight differences among any of the juvenile dietary treatments. Age at 50% production, hen-day and hen-housed egg production, egg weight, shell quality, feed per egg, livability and mortality due to prolapse per se did not differ significantly among juvenile dietary treatments for the six 28-day production period. Birds reared on SUP regimen laid a significantly higher number of pee-wee eggs (< 42.5 g) and a significantly lower number of extra-large eggs (63.8 - 70.8 g) than those fed the other diets. Age at beak trimming and level of light intensity did not influence any of the parameters evaluated during the laying period. / Master of Science

<p>The aim of this thesis was to study chickens of an F7 intercross between red junglefowl and White Leghorn layers in five behavioural tests to see if there were any correlations between traits in the intercross. 80 animals were used (40 males, 40 females); they were tested in a tonic immobility test, an open field, a fear of human test, an aggression test and lastly a sociality test. The results indicate a pair of correlations between the different variables; chickens with long tonic immobility duration were less aggressive, and chickens with a high fear of humans were more social towards other chickens, which could suggest a correlation between fear and social behaviour/aggression. The results from this study also support previous studies showing that one QTL controls chickens’ behaviour in the tonic immobility test based on the correlations found between the variables in the tonic immobility test. Differences between the genders were found in variables that correlated with each other; this could lead to a speculative suggestion that those behaviours are affected by genes on the X-chromosome. There was also a significant relationship between the weight of the male chickens and their behaviour in the open field test and in the fear of human test, in which the heavier males were less fearful than the lighter ones.</p>

The aim of this thesis was to study chickens of an F7 intercross between red junglefowl and White Leghorn layers in five behavioural tests to see if there were any correlations between traits in the intercross. 80 animals were used (40 males, 40 females); they were tested in a tonic immobility test, an open field, a fear of human test, an aggression test and lastly a sociality test. The results indicate a pair of correlations between the different variables; chickens with long tonic immobility duration were less aggressive, and chickens with a high fear of humans were more social towards other chickens, which could suggest a correlation between fear and social behaviour/aggression. The results from this study also support previous studies showing that one QTL controls chickens’ behaviour in the tonic immobility test based on the correlations found between the variables in the tonic immobility test. Differences between the genders were found in variables that correlated with each other; this could lead to a speculative suggestion that those behaviours are affected by genes on the X-chromosome. There was also a significant relationship between the weight of the male chickens and their behaviour in the open field test and in the fear of human test, in which the heavier males were less fearful than the lighter ones.

Domestication of animals has given rise to a great phenotypic divergence in selected animals and rapidly generated species of animals more accustomed to human contact and social interactions within the species. Previous studies in chickens (Gallus gallus) have managed to find behavioral and adaptive differences between Red Junglefowl (RJF) and White Leghorn (WL), differences inherent to the domestication process. These phenotypic changes could spawn from a variety of different genomic factors, including an epigenetic gene expression regulatory mechanism known as CpG methylation, a DNA modification of CpG dinucleotides that in turn affect nucleosome formation. In this study we investigated the methylation differences between RJF and WL. This by selecting genes that has previously been shown to be both differentially expressed (DE) and differentially methylated (DM) between RJF and WL, and had shown the same kind of differences in both parental animals and their offspring. By using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MSHRM) we tried to confirm previous DM result, and four genes; FUCA1, RUFY3, PCDHAC1 and TXNDC16 were tested and verified to be DM between RJF and WL.

Den biologiska studien har visat att värphöns genom domesticeringen förändrat och anpassat sina beteenden till att leva med människor. De har utvecklat en minskad rädsla för människor och en ökad stresstålighet. I denna studie har höns återhämtning efter en stressupplevelse studerats. För att se hur domesticeringen har påverkat återhämtningen jämfördes beteenden mellan raserna White Leghorn och red junglefowl. Frågeställningarna som användes för att undersöka detta var: Hur lång tid tar det innan höns återhämtar sina naturliga beteenden, ej stressrelaterade, efter en stressupplevelse? Finns det några skillnader i återhämtningen beroende av kön eller mellan raserna White Leghorn och red junglefowl? Resultatet visade inte på en specifik tid för återhämtning men på att en tydlig återhämtning förekom. Återhämtningen visades i beteendena Relaxed Behaviour, Comfort Behaviour, Perch, Vocalisation och Stand Alert genom att uppvisandet av beteendena skiljde sig signifikant med tiden. Även signifikanta skillnader visades mellan raserna, både i beteenden som visade på återhämtning och i beteenden som inte gjorde det. En slutsats om vilken ras som återhämtade sig snabbast var svår att dra. Detta på grund av att beteendeskillnaderna visade på olika tendenser gällande återhämtning. Skillnaderna i återhämtningen mellan könen, visades tendenser på att hanarna återhämtade sig snabbare. Domesticering har även i denna studie studerats utifrån ett lärarperspektiv. Undersökningen visade att domesticering kan ingå i biologiundervisningen i områdena evolution och genetik i år 7-9. / The biological study has shown that behaviour of laying hens has changed through domestication and the hens have adapted to live with humans. They have developed less fear of humans and more resistance to stress. In this study hens’ recovery after a stressful experience has been studied. A comparison between the breeds White Leghorn and red junglefowl has been made to see how the domestication has affected the recovery. The questions of this study are therefore: How long does it take for hens’ to recover their natural behaviour, not stressrelated, after a stressful experience? Are there any differences in recovery between the different breeds White Leghorn and red junglefowl? The results did not show a specific time for recovery, but a distinct recovery was noticed in Relaxed Behaviour, Comfort Behaviour, Perch, Vocalisation and Stand Alert. This beacause of the behaviours differed significantly with time. Also significant differences existed between the breeds, both in behaviours that showed recovery and in behavious that did not. A conclusion of what breed that recovered fastest was difficult to make. This because of the differences of behaviour showed different tendencies in recovery. The differences in recovery between the sexes showed tendencies that the males recovered fastest. The domestication has also been studied from a teacherperspective. The study showed that domestication can be a part of biologyeducation in the fields of evolution and genetics in the grades 7-9.

Många elever ser naturvetenskapliga ämnen som svåra och tappar lätt intresset om inte läraren presenterar ämnet tillfredsställande. Jean Piaget har haft stor betydelse inom pedagogiken, då han menade att intelligens är en metod som barn kan lära sig genom att utforska och laborera. Genom möjligheten att få göra en observationsstudie på höns kom tanken att omarbeta denna till ett etologiprojekt för biologiämnet på gymnasiet. Projektet innebär att eleverna får arbeta med en observationsstudie från grunden, och goda möjligheter finns att integrera andra ämnen i detta. Människan började domesticera höns för tusentals år sedan, en process där djur utvecklar ett adaptivt beteende till människan och dess miljö. Drygt hundra år tillbaka startade den intensiva aveln på höns som gett upphov till dagens tamhöns (Gallus gallus domesticus). White Leghorn är en av de domesticerade raserna avlad för hög äggproduktion, och härstammar från det röda djungelhönset (Gallus gallus). Studiens syfte var att se hur lång tid det tog för höns att återhämta sig efter en stressupplevelse och om det fanns en skillnad i återhämtningsförmågan mellan raserna. Resultaten tyder på att hönsen återhämtat sig efter 130 minuter, men vissa beteenden visade en signifikant skillnad med avseende på ras, kön och tid. White Leghorn verkade bli mer påverkade av stressmomentet och uppvisade både stressade och avslappnade beteenden. Trots detta verkar de ha en effektivare återhämtning än djungelhönsen som uppvisade procentuellt mer komfortbeteenden, vilket i detta sammanhang kan indikera stress då olika beteendemekanismer kan interagera i djuret och trigga igång ett utforskande beteende vid låga stressnivåer.

Tidigare studier har visat att domesticerade höns påvisar en lägre nivå av rädsla jämfört med förfadern, de röda djungelhönsen. I denna studie testades 18 domesticerade White Leghorn (WL) och 18 röda djungelhöns (RJF). Målet med studien var att studera återhämtningen för de båda raserna vid en standardiserad stressupplevelse. Försöket gick ut på att hönsen vistades i enskilda burar och blev efter ett dygn utsatta av en akut stress. Därefter startades observationerna omedelbart för att se när hönsen återhämtade sig och återigen började visa naturliga beteenden. Utifrån alla hönsens resultat beräknades medelvärde och standardfel för varje ras och kön, som sedan jämfördes med variansanalys (repeated measures ANOVA). Beteenden som visade signifikanta resultat över tiden analyseras och visade i några fall tyda på en återhämtningsprocess. Överlag visade White Leghorn på en snabbare och effektivare återhämtning jämfört med de röda djungelhönsen. Resultatet tyder även på att honor har en snabbare återhämtning jämfört med hanar. Studien innehåller även ett didaktiskt moment då etologi studerades utifrån skolverkets föreskrifter om vad biologiundervisning ska innehålla för grundskolans senare år. Läroplanen och kursplaner studerades därefter och jämfördes med läroböcker.

Stress affects a number of animals and is a survival mechanism. During stress, changes in the animal’s physiological mechanisms and changes in behavioural reactions will happen. This study evaluates four different stressors that can occur in a chicken’s life. The four stressors are fixation, social isolation, predation and transport. 40 White Leghorn chicken from age sex to seven weeks were used in the study. An open-field test was used to evaluate the stressors. The open-field test registered time for ambulation, time for first change of zones, number of zones used and number of registrations in central zones. The chicken was expected to ambulate in the open-field arena since chickens are curious but the activity was expected to be different depending on which stressor the chicken was exposed to. Previous studies have shown that more stressed birds are less active in an open-field test than birds that are not stressed. A control group was included in the study and this group was not exposed to a stressor. The results did not show any significant dereferences between time for the first change of zones, number of zones used and number of registrations in central zones. However, there was a tendency for a significant difference in time to first ambulation. The results suggested that the control group and the group that was exposed to social isolation displayed most stress-related behaviour. Least stressed was the predation group and the transport group.

The purpose of this study was to design and test five SNP markers in an inbred chicken cross between Red Junglefowl and domestic White Leghorn of the 8th generation. The markers lie in a region affecting the tonic immobility behaviour which differs significantly between the two species. The markers could be identified by usage of PCR and pyrosequencing. The data obtained were further used in a small scale quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. QTL analysis is a statistical method to link phenotypic traits to genotypic data. Four out of five markers could be genotypes and thereby, made it possible to proceed with the QTL analysis. The results showed that there is no QTL associated with the markers identified. The two flanking markers were closest to a significant difference between genotypes and it is therefore a possibility that a QTL lies close further down or up the searched region. From the line map it is indicated that there is little recombination in the marker region.

Memoria para optar al Título Profesional de Médico Veterinario. / Se desarrolló un estudio con el fin de evaluar el efecto de la incorporación de una enzima fitasa y de un complejo multi enzimático (CME) compuesto por α-amilasas, proteasas y xilanasas sobre los parámetros productivos, algunos indicadores de la calidad externa del huevo, margen bruto y digestibilidad ileal aparente de calcio y fósforo. Se utilizaron 144 gallinas Leghorn Hy-line W-36 durante 34 semanas a partir de las 18 semanas de edad, siendo distribuidas aleatoriamente en 36 jaulas de 4 gallinas cada una (338 cm2 por ave) en un diseño factorial de 2 x 2. El diseño tuvo 4 tratamientos con 3 repeticiones de 3 jaulas cada una, en el cual las variables evaluadas fueron la incorporación o no de 300 unidades de fitasa/kg. de alimento y la inclusión o no de 375 gr. /ton. del CME, cuya composición es de 600 u/g. xilanasa, 800 u/g. α-amilasa y 8000 u/g. proteasa. Las dietas empleadas fueron a base en maíz, soya y afrechillo de trigo. Al término del período experimental, se realizó un estudio de digestibilidad ileal aparente de calcio y fósforo. Los resultados no mostraron un efecto significativo (p>0,05) de la fitasa o del CME sobre la masa del huevo, la ECA, el porcentaje de huevos sin cáscara, huevos trizados y la digestibilidad ileal aparente de calcio. La suplementación de fitasa aumentó significativamente (p < 0,05) el porcentaje de postura, disminuyó el peso de huevo, el consumo de alimento y el peso corporal (p<0,05), sin embargo, no afectó significativamente (p>0,05) el porcentaje de huevos quebrados o la digestibilidad ileal de fósforo. Por otra parte, la incorporación del CME aumentó (p<0,05) el peso del huevo, la digestibilidad ileal del fósforo, el consumo de alimento y peso corporal (p<0,05), disminuyendo (p<0,05) el porcentaje de postura y el porcentaje de huevos quebrados. También, se registró una interacción entre la incorporación de ambas enzimas para el peso de huevo, consumo de alimento, porcentaje de huevos sin cáscara y huevos quebrados. Con respecto al calculo de margen bruto, la fitasa mejoró la rentabilidad de las dietas en un 7,38%, equivalente a $193 por ave alojada, mientras el C.M.E. disminuyó la rentabilidad de las dietas en un 4,71%, equivalente a $120 por ave alojada. Si bien en este estudio la fitasa ratificó su efecto mejorador de la postura y MB, y una disminución en el consumo de alimento y el peso corporal y el CME reafirmó su efecto de aumentar el peso del huevo, al usar ambos suplementos combinados no se evidenciaron mejoras superiores a los efectos producidos en forma individual, sino mas bien tendieron a atenuarse. Por otra parte, el efecto del CME sobre la digestibilidad ileal del P fue inesperadamente alto. Este hecho genera una serie de interrogantes que aún no han sido aclaradas, por lo que se hace necesario realizar más estudios para conocer sus respuestas