This course explains the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles are relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses.
Offered By
Chicken Behaviour and Welfare
The University of EdinburghAbout this Course
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Approx. 9 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, French
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 9 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, French
Offered by
The University of Edinburgh
Influencing the world since 1583, The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked as one of the world's top 50 universities. Today, we are an established and global leader in online learning, providing degree-level education to 3,000 online students in addition to 36,000 students on-campus. We also offer a wide range of free online courses in a variety of subjects. To find out more about studying for one of our online degrees, search for ‘Edinburgh online’ or visit www.ed.ac.uk/studying/online-learning/postgraduate
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
18 minutes to complete
Getting Started
This brief module will tell you all the things you need to know to begin, including the syllabus of the course, who we are, how to engage with one another.
18 minutes to complete
2 videos (Total 8 min), 1 reading
2 videos
Rules of engagement (from Animal Behaviour & Welfare course)6m
1 reading
Finding more information10m
2 hours to complete
Introduction to Animal Behaviour: Domestication, Behaviour Development and Learning, the Senses
Welcome to the first week of the Chicken Behaviour and Welfare Course. If you haven't seen it - watch the video which introduces you to the course: you can find it under "Getting Started; Welcome!" During this lesson, we will consider what makes a domestic animal, how behaviour develops in the chicken from before hatching and beyond, different types of learning and the senses - vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch.
2 hours to complete
13 videos (Total 28 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz
13 videos
What is a chicken?1m
Domestication1m
Prehatch and hatching1m
Imprinting2m
Other types of learning3m
Hormones and Behaviour52s
Motivation4m
Vision2m
Hearing1m
Taste1m
Smell and Touch2m
Interview with Sarah Brocklehurst3m
5 readings
What is a chicken? Some images10m
Smithsonian's How the chicken conquered the world.10m
Learning who is your mother10m
Exercise: how operant conditioning works10m
Article on vision10m
1 practice exercise
Domestication, Development and Learning, the Senses30m
2 hours to complete
Behaviour Patterns of Chickens, Part 1
During this week, we will consider some of the major behaviour patterns of chickens, such as maintenance behaviours of chickens, and social behaviours. Maintenance behaviours means feeding, drinking, and comfort activities. Comfort activities include preening, dustbathing, and perching (among others). Social behaviours include communication, dominance, aggression, and spacing. This week will be a combination of video lectures, in-video quizzes and an interview with a backyard producer.
2 hours to complete
12 videos (Total 32 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz
12 videos
Feeding Behaviour1m
History Of Feeding, Contrafreeloading3m
Motivation To Show Feeding Phases1m
Broiler Feeding Behaviour1m
Drinking Behaviour3m
Preening And Dustbathing4m
Perching1m
Stretching, Wing Flapping, Thermoregulation, Sleeping3m
Communication3m
Dominance Behaviour, Aggression, Bird-to-bird Pecking5m
Social Spacing1m
4 readings
Article on feed choice in chickens10m
Drinking from a nipple drinker or dish10m
Distinction between preening, and oiling + preening10m
Aggression between males10m
1 practice exercise
Behaviour part 130m
2 hours to complete
Behaviour Patterns of Chickens, Part 2
Welcome back everyone! During this week, we will consider the reproduction process in chickens, from courtship to brooding and hatching of eggs. We will then look at some abnormal behaviours that you might see in chickens. This week will be a combination of video lectures, in-video quizzes, video clips from outside sources, and a downloadable poster on eggshell abnormality.
2 hours to complete
12 videos (Total 40 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
12 videos
Courtship54s
Mating Behaviour2m
Nesting and Laying Behaviour2m
Brooding Behaviour2m
Problems With Nesting And Laying Behaviour4m
Interview With Johnny - Breeding And Preparing For The Show Ring5m
Interview With Derek - Small-scale Commercial Broiler Incubation And Hatching9m
Feather Pecking And Cannibalism6m
Stereotypic Behaviours1m
Overdrinking (polydipsia)1m
Litter Eating58s
6 readings
Transcript for interview with Johnny - Breeding and preparing for the show ring10m
Hens that go broody10m
How to assess developing embryos in eggs10m
Egg shell abnormalities10m
Egg eating10m
Different types of feather pecking10m
1 practice exercise
Behaviour part 228m
1 hour to complete
What is chicken welfare? Defining "welfare", ethical obligations, and welfare standards
During this week, we will consider what we mean by "animal welfare", and how a set of criteria known as the Five Freedoms can help you assess it. Dr Dorothy McKeegan from the University of Glasgow will discuss what the ethical obligations are of meeting an animal's welfare needs, and we will explore some of the various welfare standards that exist. Finally, we will look at welfare indicators, and Dr Barry Thorp from St David's Veterinary Team will discuss with Vicky what signs to look for in chicken flocks to make a welfare assessment. This week's Learning Outcomes: •Define 'welfare' and the Five Freedoms •What drives our ethical choices, including cost-benefit analysis •Describe some welfare standards available worldwide and how they differ •Explain ways to assess welfare, using behavioural and physiological indices
1 hour to complete
5 videos (Total 16 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes
5 videos
Ethics and Poultry Production4m
Welfare Organisations and Accreditation Schemes2m
Effects of Stressors1m
Assessing Welfare: Behavioural and Physiological Measures5m
3 readings
Ruth Harrison10m
Article on a 'good life' for hens10m
Welfare accreditation schemes10m
2 practice exercises
Welfare, ethics, welfare standards24m
A Life Worth Living Exercise (just for fun)6m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM CHICKEN BEHAVIOUR AND WELFARE
by MSJul 30, 2019
Great information about chickens' instinctive behaviors and the advantages and disadvantages of various means of caring for them. I learned a lot about the various systems used throughout the world.
by MLAug 18, 2018
Informative. However sometimes it was hard to hear the lecture over the chicks. I would have also liked a bit more photos or videos of what was being talked about instead of a video of the lecturer
by MSJul 1, 2020
Excellent. Very Informative course. from Poultry Welfare point of view. It would have been richer if various processes, equipment were included for demonstration along with the lecture videos.
by CLOct 6, 2016
Fantastic course if you're just starting out in the world of chickens. I feel that I gained vital knowledge which has boosted my confidence in my abilities as a back garden hen keeper.
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