Working for a dustbath: are hens increasing pleasure rather than reducing suffering?
Tina M WidowskiCorresponding Author Informationemail address, Ian J.H Duncan
Accepted 3 January 2000.
Abstract
Dustbathing is one of the major behavioural systems of domestic fowl that is constrained by commercial caging systems. Although research conducted over the last 20 years has revealed a great deal about causation of dustbathing, attempts at measuring the importance to hens of having access to dustbathing substrate have proven difficult. Various economic techniques, operant conditioning and learning trials have been used to determine whether hens have a ‘need’ for dustbathing substrate or ‘think’ about dustbathing in the absence of substrate. In this study, we measured hens' willingness to work to obtain substrate for dustbathing using a vertically swinging door to which weights could be added. Hens were trained to push through the door to enter a goal box containing peat moss. The hens were subjected to two series of trials to compare the maximum weight that they would push to open the door when living in a cage and deprived of dustbathing substrate, with the maximum weight that they would push when living in a pen furnished with litter and a dustbath (non-deprived). Of the 10 hens that opened the door for access to peat moss, six hens pushed more weight when deprived, three hens pushed more weight when non-deprived and one hen pushed an equal amount of weight. Overall, the hens tended to push more weight (860±95.6 vs. 682.5±83.3 g; P<0.10, one-tailed paired t-test) and tended to make more attempts to open the door (P<0.10) when they were deprived than when they were non-deprived. Significantly more trials resulted in dustbathing when hens were deprived (P<0.01) suggesting that following deprivation, the hens were, in fact, more motivated to dustbathe. The results of these trials indicate that although deprived hens may be more motivated to dustbathe, and that most hens may be willing to work to obtain a dusty substrate when they can see it, they are not necessarily willing to work harder when they are in a state of deprivation than when they have recently dustbathed. These results are very difficult to explain using a ‘needs’ model of motivation in which deprivation leads to a state of suffering. They are much more consistent with an ‘opportunity’ model of motivation in which performance of the behaviour, when the opportunity presents itself, leads to a state of pleasure.
Bron: http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/a ... 5/abstract
De conclusie uit bijvoorbeeld dit onderzoek is dat een kip niet alleen een zandbad neemt uit pure noodzaak, om schoon te zijn en te blijven, maar dat ze het ook doet voor haar plezier. En plezier is een gevoel, een emotie. En degenen die op die manier naar hun kippen willen kijken zullen dit ook herkennen. Het plezier dat een kip kan hebben bij het liggen in het zand in het zonnetje, bij het vinden van een lekker hapje, bij het uitlaten uit de ren, noem maar op. Als je dat niet wilt of kan zien in je kip, dan mis je veel. Dan zou ik daar eens wat tijd voor nemen. Want het is de moeite waard. En dan laat je die kippenbout misschien wel staan. En ben je éénmaal over die drempel om geen kippenbout meer te willen eten dan sta je je toe om nog meer te willen zien. En dan kan je die ellendige foto's die ik hier plaats ook beter verteren. Want je weet dat jij daar niet aan meewerkt.