Ancestral wisdom: natural behaviours

Relating your birds’ daily habits and practices to their evolutionary past can reveal their natural patterns of behaviour – and provide important lessons for keeping them healthy and happy.
calendar icon 29 April 2019
clock icon 4 minute read
Happy hens like to scratch
Happy hens like to scratch

Activity, demeanour, expression and body condition all give a good idea of a bird’s internal and external health as well as a way of understanding its current state of well-being. Providing opportunities for beneficial activities, such as a digging and scratching, improve physical and psychological health. © Brent Huffman

Ducks love to swim, chickens love to perch
Ducks love to swim, chickens love to perch

Providing the right stimuli for these behaviours gives an outlet for important behavioural needs that underpin excellent physical and psychological health, and hence prevent veterinary interventions to rectify illnesses caused by management conditions © Paul Rose

References
References
Barrett, L.A., and Blache, D.
(2019) Development of a behavioural demand method for use with Pekin ducks
Roberts, V. and Scott-Park, F
(2008) BSAVA manual of farm pets
Stamp Dawkins, M.
(2014) Using behaviour to assess animal welfare

Paul Rose

Dr Paul Rose is a lecturer in animal behaviour at the University of Exeter and has recently completed his PhD on the use of social network analysis to assess behaviour and welfare in captive animal populations.

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