The Effects of Partially Slatted Floor Designs on Some Early Behavioral Traits in Broiler Chicks

Authors : Hatice ÇAVDARCI, Musa SARICA, Kadir ERENSOY, Resul ASLAN

Pages : 306-310

Doi:10.47115/bsagriculture.1121919

View : 13 | Download : 5

Publication Date : 2022-07-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study was carried out to determine the effects of different levels of slatted floor applications on some early behavioral characteristics of broiler chickens. In this study, male-female mixed 600 fast-growing broiler chicks insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Ross308); were used. The experiment consisted of five treatment groups with 120 chicks each insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(7 chicks/m2);: fully littered, fully slatted, ½ littered+½ slatted, 1/3 littered+2/3 slatted, 2/3 littered+1/3 slatted. In the study, the feeding, drinking, resting, aggregation, other behaviors, and slatted floor preferences of the chicks were evaluated three times a day insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(at 9.00, 13.00, and 17.00 h); at 2, 5, 9 and 11 days of age. Each behavioral trait was expressed as a percentage of the total number of chicks showing the relevant behavior at the pen level. Different floor designs significantly affected the chicks` feeding, resting, aggregation behavior, and preference for being on the slatted floor insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(P < 0.05);. Feeding behavior was higher in chicks reared on the fully slatted floor than in the others insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(P < 0.001);. The percentage of chicks showing resting behavior was highest in the 2/3 littered+1/3 slatted floor application insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(P = 0.001);. The 64.42% of the chicks reared in 2/3 slatted, 47.53% of those reared in ½ slatted, and 36.38% of those raised in 1/3 slatted preferred the use of the slatted floor. The percentage of chicks showing feeding behavior was highest at 5 insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(16.12%); and 2 d-old insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(15.73%); insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(P = 0.001);. Resting behavior was highest at 2 insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(78.72%);, 5 insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(76.89%);, and 9 insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(72.82%); days of age insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(P < 0.001);. In conclusion, this study revealed that different floor designs affect some behavioral characteristics in the early chick period. Since it is known that early rearing conditions affect later performance in broilers, slatted floor systems with higher feeding behavior can be an effective tool for better performance in broiler production.
Keywords : Broiler chick, Slatted floor, Litter, Behavior, Feeding, Resting