A wing-assisted incline running exercise regime during rearing increases initial flight velocity during descent in adult white- and brown-feathered laying hens.

Autor:	Hong GAT; Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada., Tobalske BW; Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA., van Staaveren N; Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; Department Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands., Leishman EM; Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; Centre for Nutrition Modelling, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada., Widowski T; Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada., Powers DR; Department of Biology, George Fox University, Newberg, OR 97132, USA., Harlander-Matauschek A; Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. Electronic address: aharland@uoguelph.ca.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Poultry science [Poult Sci] 2024 Mar; Vol. 103 (3), pp. 103375. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 13.
DOI:	10.1016/j.psj.2023.103375
Abstrakt:	Domestic laying hens rely primarily on their hindlimbs for terrestrial locomotion. Although they perform flapping flight, they appear to use maximal power during descent and thus may lack control for maneuvering and avoiding injuries on landing. This in turn may result in injury in open rearing systems. Wing-assisted incline running (WAIR) requires a bird to use its wings to assist the hindlimbs during climbing of an incline, and training in WAIR may therefore provide a useful method to increase a hen's power reserve and control for flight. We subjected hens to an exercise regimen involving inclines to induce WAIR for 16 wk during rearing. We then measured wing and body kinematics during aerial descent from a 155 cm platform. We hypothesized that birds reared with exercise would be better able to modulate their wing and body kinematics for making slower, more-controlled descent and landing. Brown-feathered birds exhibited greater wing beat frequencies than white-feathered birds, which is consistent with the higher wing loading of brown-feathered birds and WAIR-trained birds exhibited greater initial flight velocities compared to control birds. This may indicate that WAIR training provided an improved capacity to modulate flight velocity and strengthen the leg muscles. Providing incline exercises during rearing may therefore improve welfare for adult laying hens as greater initial flight velocity should reduce the power required for supporting body weight in the air and allow a hen to direct her excess power toward maneuvering. (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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