Feather pecking in chickens is genetically related to behavioural and developmental traits

Jensen, Per; Keeling, Linda J.; Schütz, Karin E.; Andersson, Leif; Mormède, Pierre; Brändström, Helena; Forkman, Björn; Kerje, Susanne; Fredriksson, Robert; Ohlsson, Claes; Larsson, Sune; Mallmin, Hans; Kindmark, Andreas

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.06.029

Cited by 95 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…These findings on the sex chromosome may relate to previous observations that feather pecking is affected by gonadal hormones and is more common in females than in males (Hughes 1973;Jensen et al 2005).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 78%

“…A convenient indirect way of measuring FP is looking at plumage condition: Bilčik and Keeling (1999) showed that feather condition scores used to assess plumage condition are related to feather pecking activity. Few genetic studies on plumage condition have been carried out until now (Jensen et al 2005). Previous studies detected microsatellite markers located in chromosomal regions involved in feather pecking (Buitenhuis et al 2003a, b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Across-Line SNP Association Study for Direct and Associative Effects on Feather Damage in Laying Hens

et al. 2010

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An association study between SNP markers and feather condition score on the back, rump and belly of laying hens was performed. Feather condition score is a measure of feather damage, which has been shown to be closely related to feather pecking behaviour in hens housed in groups. A population of 662 hens was genotyped for 1536 SNPs of which 1022 could be used for the association study. The analysis was conducted across 9 different lines of White Leghorn and Rhode Island Red origin. Across lines linkage disequilibrium is conserved at shorter distances than within lines; therefore, SNPs significantly associated with feather condition score across lines are expected to be closer to the functional mutations. The SNPs that had a significant across-line effect but did not show significant SNP-by-line interaction were identified, to test that the association was consistent across lines. Both the direct effect of the individual's genotype on its plumage condition, and the associative effect of the genotype of the cage mates on the individual's plumage condition were analysed. The direct genetic effect can be considered as the susceptibility to be pecked at, whereas the associative genetic effect can be interpreted as the propensity to perform feather pecking. Finally, 11 significant associations between SNPs and behavioural traits were detected in the direct model, and 81 in the associative model. A role of the gene for the serotonin receptor 2C (HTR2C) on chromosome 4 was found. This supports existing evidence of a prominent involvement of the serotonergic system in the modulation of this behavioural disorder in laying hens. The genes for IL9, IL4, CCL4 and NFKB were found to be associated to plumage condition, revealing relationships between the immune system and behaviour.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Across-Line SNP Association Study for Direct and Associative Effects on Feather Damage in Laying Hens

et al. 2010

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“…This could also apply for feather pecking and cannibalism, which is more common in females than in males (Hughes 1973;Jensen et al 2005). On the one hand, sex chromosomes contain genes that regulate the expression of gonadal steroid hormones.…”

Section: Genetic Parameters Between Crossesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indirect Genetic Effects for Survival in Domestic Chickens (Gallus gallus) Are Magnified in Crossbred Genotypes and Show a Parent-of-Origin Effect

et al. 2012

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Through social interactions, individuals can affect one another's phenotype. The heritable effect of an individual on the phenotype of a conspecific is known as an indirect genetic effect (IGE). Although IGEs can have a substantial impact on heritable variation and response to selection, little is known about the genetic architecture of traits affected by IGEs. We studied IGEs for survival in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus), using data on two purebred lines and their reciprocal cross. Birds were kept in groups of four. Feather pecking and cannibalism caused mortality, as beaks were kept intact. Survival time was shorter in crossbreds than in purebreds, indicating outbreeding depression and the presence of nonadditive genetic effects. IGEs contributed the majority of heritable variation in crossbreds (87 and 72%) and around half of heritable variation in purebreds (65 and 44%). There was no evidence of dominance variance, neither direct nor indirect. Absence of dominance variance in combination with considerable outbreeding depression suggests that survival is affected by many loci. Direct-indirect genetic correlations were moderately to highly negative in crossbreds (20.37 6 0.17 and 20.83 6 0.10), but low and not significantly different from zero in purebreds (0.20 6 0.21 and 20.28 6 0.18). Consequently, unlike purebreds, crossbreds would fail to respond positively to mass selection. The direct genetic correlation between both crosses was high (0.95 6 0.23), whereas the indirect genetic correlation was moderate (0.41 6 0.26). Thus, for IGEs, it mattered which parental line provided the sire and which provided the dam. This indirect parent-of-origin effect appeared to be paternally transmitted and is probably Z chromosome linked.

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“…In birds, DXA has been used primarily with species in the food science industry such as domestic poultry, including the red junglefowl , white leghorns (Kim et al, 2006;Jensen et al, 2005), and turkey (Zotti et al, 2003). It has also been applied to wildlife including wild turkey, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail (Dirrigl et al, 2004) and small passerines (Korine et al, 2004).…”

Section: Dxa Use With Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry...

Stone¹,

Turner²

2012

A Bird's-Eye View of Veterinary Medicine

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Feather pecking in chickens is genetically related to behavioural and developmental traits

Cited by 95 publications

References 33 publications

Across-Line SNP Association Study for Direct and Associative Effects on Feather Damage in Laying Hens

Across-Line SNP Association Study for Direct and Associative Effects on Feather Damage in Laying Hens

Indirect Genetic Effects for Survival in Domestic Chickens (Gallus gallus) Are Magnified in Crossbred Genotypes and Show a Parent-of-Origin Effect

Use of Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry...

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