Feather pecking and feather loss

Feather pecking is a major welfare problem in laying hens. Plumage condition is also affected by other causes of feather loss, such as abrasion and moulting. There are different forms of pecking behaviour in laying hens. There is evidence that feather pecking is redirected ground pecking, indicating that floor substrate availability and quality plays an important role in the development of feather pecking. Other environmental factors that affect the development of feather pecking are group size and stocking density, food form, light intensity and colour, and rearing conditions. Furthermore, genetic background plays an important role. Feather pecking may also be related to other behavioural characteristics in laying hens, such as reaction to frustration and stress, fearfulness and sociality. If feather peckers can be characterized, this would provide viable information on the causation of feather pecking. Furthermore, fear or stress measures may be used as predictors of propensity to develop feather pecking in breeding populations. Characterizing feather peckers seems a viable approach towards a better understanding of the problem of feather pecking. With our current state of knowledge on the causation of feather pecking, the environmental factors that influence the development of feather pecking and the characteristics of feather peckers and non-feather peckers, it should be possible to achieve more control over the problem of feather pecking in European flocks.