Characteristics of hens that pile

This project will monitor individual piling behaviour to identify subgroups of individuals that vary in their propensity to pile. A greater understanding of the phenotypic and genotypic profiles of birds that have a high propensity to smother can lead to intervention and breeding strategies away from the risky behaviour, or indeed select for birds that are more likely to leave a pile (i.e. less likely to smother). This project will monitor individual piling behaviour at four time points in the production cycle and investigate the relationships between fearfulness, curiosity, genotype, and the propensity to pile.