Ethological Study of Broiler Chickens after Induction and Treatment of Muscular Dystrophy

The changes in broiler behaviour are reliable indicators of their health status. The aim of the present study was to follow the behavioural changes of broiler chickens after induction and treatment of muscular dystrophy. The study was performed on 20 broiler chickens, reared under comfortable microclimatic conditions. The birds were divided into two groups: group I (control group) and group II – birds with nutritionally induced muscular dystrophy. The rearing period lasted from the age of 1 to 60 days. Chicken behaviour was recorded by momentary visual observation at 15-minute intervals for a total time of 6 hours. The ingestive behaviour the gregarious behaviour, the sexual behaviour and the agonistic behaviour were observed. The beginning of muscular dystrophy was manifested at the age of 33 days in group II with significantly higher number of lying chickens and a lower number of ingesting, walking and dust bathing birds compared to controls (p<0.01). At this time the number of conflicts in control birds was higher than in experimental birds (p<0.01). Three days after the end of the treatment the difference in the behaviour of birds from experimental and control groups