Poultry Studies 2018, Vol 15, Num, 1     (Pages: 034-039)

Some Behavioural Characteristics and Social Structure of Chickens

Hüseyin Göger 1 ,Engin Yenice 1

1 Tavukçuluk Araştırma Enstitüsü Müdürlüğü, Şehit Cem Ersever Caddesi 9/11 Gayret Mahallesi Yenimahalle/Ankara, Türkiye - Domestication of poultry is one of the major developments for humanity, has had a profound effect on to provide protein needs for humans. Domestication; is a continuous process in which anatomy, behavior and physiology are modified according to specific needs. Since first domesticated, chickens have been grown for meat and eggs, and many studies have been done in recent years on the behavior and welfare of chickens. There are complex behavioral reactions that chickens have developed against changes in the physical and sociological environment. Knowing the important behavioral characteristics of the chickens by the producers will enable the production of healthier chickens, resulting in higher quality production. In this article, some behaviors such as nest selection, perching, intra-group relations and feeding of chicken were discussed. Keywords : Behaviour, Social structure, Chicken, Feed choice