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Madison Penney's MSc Defence

Submitted by cprigion on July 2nd, 2025 10:19 AM
Date: 
Wednesday, July 16th, 2025 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: 

ANNU 141 and Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZGMzYzI5NTEtZTg0Yi00NDZmLThhNDItN2I0Nzk2NDRlNWMy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22be62a12b-2cad-49a1-a5fa-85f4f3156a7d%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22dfbebf32-99ae-4022-a68f-422f93e11c7f%22%7d

Holding On or Heading Up? The Roosting Preferences of Laying Hen Pullets: A Traditional and Modelling Approach

This thesis investigated the preferences of laying hen pullets for roosting on round perches versus platforms and whether different elevations affect their preference. Platforms and perches were systematically offered such that the pullets were required to choose between type of structure and elevation. Mechanistic modelling was used to reproduce data on the distribution of pullets on structures within a closed system. Laying hen pullets of both brown and white strains preferred to roost on platforms around rather than round perches. Although pullets increased their foot length and perhaps developed the ability to grasp round perches as they aged, their preferences did not reflect this capability unless the perch was the highest available structure after 16 weeks of age. Mechanistic modelling was successfully used to support our observations and offer new research questions. These findings suggest that the code of practice should aim to include alternative structures within their perching definitions.

 

Speaker: 
Madison Penney
Event Type: 
Animal Biosciences [1]
Abstract: 
PDF icon madison_penneys_msc_defence_notice.pdf [2]
Email Reminder: 
Default [3]

ABSc links

Undergraduate

Graduate

Research Support

Ontario Agricultural College

 

Contact ABSc

Department of Animal Biosciences (ABSc),
University of Guelph
50 Stone Road East
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
Telephone: 519-824-4120 ext. 56219

Contact Information Page 


Source URL:http://apss.aps.uoguelph.ca/events/madison-penneys-msc-defence

Links
[1] http://apss.aps.uoguelph.ca/event-type/animal-biosciences [2] http://apss.aps.uoguelph.ca/sites/default/files/madison_penneys_msc_defence_notice.pdf [3] http://apss.aps.uoguelph.ca/email-remind/default