TY - JOUR
T1 - Domestication and social environment modulate fear responses in young chickens
AU - Gjøen, Johanna
AU - Jean-Joseph, Hillary
AU - Kotrschal, Kurt
AU - Jensen, Per
N1 - Funding Information:
HJJ and KKotr were supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): W1262-B29 (DK Cognition and Communication 2). PJ was supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant no 2019-04869 ).
Funding Information:
We thank all the helpers who made this study possible research and are especially grateful to Pr. Jordi Altimiras for his technical help and Enya van Poucke for rearing and caring for the chicks. Many thanks to Rebecca Katajamaa for her help during the testing phase. Finally, we thank Austrian Science Fund (FWF: W1262-B29, DK Cognition and Communication 2) and the Swedish Research Council (grant no 2019–04869) for the financial support of this study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/8
Y1 - 2023/8
N2 - Domesticated species differ from their wild ancestors in a mosaic of traits. Classical domestication theories agree that reactivity to fear and stress is one of the main traits affected. Domesticated species are expected to be less fear and stress prone to than their wild counterparts. To test this hypothesis, we compared the behavioural responses of White Leghorn (WL) chicks to their wild counterparts, Red Junglefowl (RJF) chicks in risk-taking situations. In order to obtain food, the chicks faced an unknown and potentially harmful object at the presence or absence of a social partner. We found that according to our predictions, RJF were more stressed and fearful of the object than the WL. Still, RJF were more explorative than WL. Additionally, the presence of a social partner reduced the fear response in both, but had a stronger effect on RJF. Finally, WL were more food orientated than the RJF. Our results confirmed classical domestication hypotheses of downregulation of the stress system and importance of the social partner in domesticated farm chicken.
AB - Domesticated species differ from their wild ancestors in a mosaic of traits. Classical domestication theories agree that reactivity to fear and stress is one of the main traits affected. Domesticated species are expected to be less fear and stress prone to than their wild counterparts. To test this hypothesis, we compared the behavioural responses of White Leghorn (WL) chicks to their wild counterparts, Red Junglefowl (RJF) chicks in risk-taking situations. In order to obtain food, the chicks faced an unknown and potentially harmful object at the presence or absence of a social partner. We found that according to our predictions, RJF were more stressed and fearful of the object than the WL. Still, RJF were more explorative than WL. Additionally, the presence of a social partner reduced the fear response in both, but had a stronger effect on RJF. Finally, WL were more food orientated than the RJF. Our results confirmed classical domestication hypotheses of downregulation of the stress system and importance of the social partner in domesticated farm chicken.
KW - Chicken
KW - Domestication
KW - Red junglefowl
KW - Risk-taking
KW - Social buffer
KW - Social support
KW - Stress response
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163185899&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104906
DO - 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104906
M3 - Article
C2 - 37311492
AN - SCOPUS:85163185899
SN - 0376-6357
VL - 210
JO - Behavioural Processes
JF - Behavioural Processes
M1 - 104906
ER -