Poster De Conférence Année : 2025

Does facial skin redness and head feather position vary depending on the affective states of adult domestic hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)?

Résumé

The facial display (facial redness of cheek, ear lobe, comb, wattle and head feather position) of juvenile hens varied depending on their affective states. In adults, the wattles and comb are more developed and become redder. They are functional visual signals of the individual's health, social status or fertility. We aim to investigate whether facial bare skin redness and head feather position (sleeked/fluffed) vary depending on the affective states of sexually mature hens. We expected similar results as juveniles, except for the redness of the secondary sexual characters. Twelve adult hens were filmed during situations varying in their valence and arousal levels: situations associated with negative valence and high arousal (fear/frustration), situations associated with positive valence and high arousal (reward) and situations associated with positive valence and low arousal (calm/contentment). We showed variation in facial bared skin redness, although to a lesser extent for the comb. The lowest redness was associated with situations of calm/contentment and a significantly higher level of redness was found in situations associated with reward, except for the comb. In all skin areas, the highest redness was observed in situations associated with fear and frustration. Head feathers were more frequently fluffed in some positive situations, and sleeked in all feed-related situations. In conclusion, facial skin redness, including secondary sexual characters, and head feather position are potential markers of the affective states of adult hens. Studying facial displays opens new research opportunities to increase our knowledge on how domestic fowls perceive their environment.

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hal-05117475 , version 1 (18-06-2025)

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  • HAL Id : hal-05117475 , version 1

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Delphine Soulet, Scott Love, Marie-Claire Blache, Céline Parias, Benoît Piégu, et al.. Does facial skin redness and head feather position vary depending on the affective states of adult domestic hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)?. 54ème Colloque de la Société Française pour l'Etude du Comportement Animal, Jun 2025, Paris, France. Livre des résumés du 54ème colloque de la Société Française pour l'Etude du Comportement Animal, pp.112. ⟨hal-05117475⟩
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