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The serotonin transporter gene in the laying hen and its relation to feather pecking
Project
Project code: FAL-TT-02-JK-04-06
Contract period: 01.04.2006
- 31.12.2014
Purpose of research: Basic research
Feather pecking behaviour in laying hens is influenced by the serotonin neurotransmitter-system; depletion of serotonin in the brain stimulates feather pecking. What mechanism is responsible for this effect is not known. The hypothesis is that mutations in the serotonin transporter gene (g-sert) could be partly responsible for these effects. The goal of this project is to investigate the molecular basis of the promotor region of the g-sert gene in various lines of laying hens and relate this to the level of feather pecking behaviour in these lines.
In the present study, feather pecking was recorded in 216 hens from three experimental lines bred from a commercial medium heavy brown hybrid. These lines differed in genotype of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene, being wildtype (W/W), mutants (D/D) or heterozygotes (W/D). Through several years of crossings of this commercial hybrid, however, a range of colour phenotypes had emerged and these were categorized in beige (white with some reddish spots, n=31), brown (n=100), grey (white with dark grey stripes, n=19) and white (n=66). The number of feather pecks (severe or gentle) and aggressive pecks given and received were recorded on an individual basis twice a day (1 h/morning and 1 h/afternoon) for 23 days at the age of 32 to 35 weeks. Plumage condition was scored as well. Severe feather pecking was the predominant type of pecking (on average 7.8, 1.3 and 3.6 severe, gentle and aggressive pecks given per hen, respectively) and therefore only severe feather pecking is presented here.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal breeding
- Animal Husbandry
- Animal health
- Special animal species
- Farm animal behaviour
Framework programme
Funding programme
Excutive institution
FLI - Institute for Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry (FLI - ITT)
