Social stress in laying hens: differential dopamine and corticosterone responses after intermingling different genetic strains of chickens

Livestock Behavior Research Unit, USDA-ARS, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA. hwcheng@purdue.edu

White Leghorn chickens were genetically selected for high (HGPS) or low (LGPS) group productivity and survivability. The selection resulted in two genetic lines with marked opposite changes in cannibalism and flightiness when housed in multiple-colony battery cages without beak trimming. The objective of the study was to examine whether the genetic selection differentially affected the neuroendocrine system of chickens from different strains in response to social stress. Based on the previous studies, social stress was induced by randomly pairing 17-wk-old hens from three genetic lines, i.e., HGPS, LGPS, and Dekalb XL (DXL), to form three mixed-line combinations. At 24 wk of age, the concentrations of plasma dopamine (DA) and corticosterone (CORT) showed no differences in DXL hens housed with HGPS or LGPS hens (P > 0.05). However, different regulations of DA and adrenal function were found between HGPS and LGPS hens when paired with DXL hens. Compared to HGPS hens, LGPS hens had greater levels of DA and CORT (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). In addition, under the HGPS-LGPS social treatment, the concentrations of DA but not CORT were greater in LGPS hens than in HGPS hens (P < 0.05 and P > 0.05, respectively). The results indicated genetic selection for production and survivability differentially altered DA and CORT systems in response to social stress. The data suggested, compared to LGPS hens, HGPS hens had a better coping capability to social stress, which might have been responsible for their higher productivity and survivability.

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