Comfort behaviour in harco strain of cockerels with different drinkers and at different periods ofthe day (short communication)

Abstract. The effects of different drinkers and time of the day on comfort behaviour was studied in two hundred and fifty two cockerels from week 4–8. The types of drinkers used were bamboo drinker (BD), clay pot drinkers (CD) and plastic fountain drinkers (FD). Comfort behaviour was observed in the morning and afternoon and evening.

The largest number of total comfort behaviour observed during the four-week period was 3089 in CD, followed by 2326 and 2216 in FD and BD respectively. Preening was the most frequently observed comfort behaviour the average being 57 % of the total comfort behaviour in all the groups, dust-bathing was the least observed, being on the average 6.0 % in all the groups.

There was no significant effect of type of drinkers on comfort behaviour (acts/bird/hour). There was, however, a significant effect of time of day on comfort behaviour. The most comfort behaviour was performed in the afternoon being 35.5, 39.5 and 34.0 for BD, CD and FD groups respectively. There was no difference in comfort behaviour (acts/bird/hour) in the morning and evenings being 26.6 vs 28.32 in the morning and evening, and 28.96 vs. 25.36 in the morning and evening for CD and FD groups respectively. However the mean acts/bird/hour was significantly different in the morning and evening in BD group, being 23.5 vs. 27.96 for morning and evening respectively (p ≤ 0.05).

There was a tendency of comfort acts/bird/20 min. to increase with age, correlation coefficient being 0.23, 0.85 and 0.22 in BD, CD and FD groups respectively. There was, however, no significant effect of age of birds on comfort acts/bird/20 mins over the four-week period (p > 0.05).