This study aimed to test whether broiler chickens can learn to trust humans through social learning by observing a conspecific receiving gentle handling. Our research hypothesis was that observer chicks exposed to a demonstrator chick receiving positive human interactions would exhibit reduced fear and increased approach behaviors toward humans. Data were collected from 72 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens, randomly assigned to three treatments: Gentle Handling, Human Presence, and Control. Each treatment had two pens of 12 chicks each.The experiment spanned from day 1 to day 32 of age. Observer chicks in the Gentle Handling group viewed a demonstrator chick being gently handled by an experimenter twice daily for 15 sessions. The Human Presence group was exposed to the experimenter without interaction, while the Control group received only routine human contact. Behavioral responses toward the experimenter were assessed through a home-pen test on days 31 and 32.Behavioral measures included time spent near the experimenter, latency to approach, and behaviors such as preening, resting, and alertness. Linear mixed models revealed that chicks from the Gentle Handling group approached the experimenter more quickly, spent more time nearby, and displayed less alert behavior than those in the Human Presence and Control groups. Logistic regression indicated a higher probability of entering the proximal zone for Gentle Handling chicks. These results support the hypothesis that broiler chicks can learn socially from conspecifics and that observing positive human-animal interactions reduces fear. The study suggests a practical welfare approach for poultry management through social learning.

This study aimed to test whether broiler chickens can learn to trust humans through social learning by observing a conspecific receiving gentle handling. Our research hypothesis was that observer chicks exposed to a demonstrator chick receiving positive human interactions would exhibit reduced fear and increased approach behaviors toward humans. Data were collected from 72 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens, randomly assigned to three treatments: Gentle Handling, Human Presence, and Control. Each treatment had two pens of 12 chicks each.The experiment spanned from day 1 to day 32 of age. Observer chicks in the Gentle Handling group viewed a demonstrator chick being gently handled by an experimenter twice daily for 15 sessions. The Human Presence group was exposed to the experimenter without interaction, while the Control group received only routine human contact. Behavioral responses toward the experimenter were assessed through a home-pen test on days 31 and 32.Behavioral measures included time spent near the experimenter, latency to approach, and behaviors such as preening, resting, and alertness. Linear mixed models revealed that chicks from the Gentle Handling group approached the experimenter more quickly, spent more time nearby, and displayed less alert behavior than those in the Human Presence and Control groups. Logistic regression indicated a higher probability of entering the proximal zone for Gentle Handling chicks. These results support the hypothesis that broiler chicks can learn socially from conspecifics and that observing positive human-animal interactions reduces fear. The study suggests a practical welfare approach for poultry management through social learning.

This study hypothesizes that broiler chickens exposed to social enrichment (n = 48) through regular positive human interactions will exhibit enhanced behavioral welfare indicators such as increased exploratory behaviors (locomotion, foraging), a reduced fear response (measured through tonic immobility and attention bias tests), a preference for sweet and umami compounds, and improved growth performance when compared to those exposed solely to physical enrichment (n = 48)(e.g., perches, platforms, and straw bales). The data analysis includes behavioral observations capturing both the frequency and duration of various behaviors in broiler chickens, such as feeding, drinking, locomotion, lying, preening, dustbathing, interaction with environmental enrichment (perches, platforms), and social behaviors like mock fighting and gentle pecking, as well as foraging. The dataset also contains information from the attention bias test, which measures the duration of behaviors such as first step, begin feeding, time spent feeding, and resume feeding, along with binary scores (1-0) indicating the presence or absence of vigilance behaviors like erect posture, neck stretching, looking around, and freezing. In the section on sweet and umami taste preferences, the data reflect the consumption of two matrices, one neutral with water and another containing sucrose or monosodium glutamate (MSG), calculated by subtracting the remaining solution from the total offered. The results of the tonic immobility test are also included, which record the time in seconds each bird remained immobile. Finally, the productive data encompass parameters such as average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and final body weight (BW), measured throughout the 43-day production cycle to evaluate the impact of different enrichment strategies on broiler productivity.

This study hypothesizes that broiler chickens exposed to social enrichment (n = 48) through regular positive human interactions will exhibit enhanced behavioral welfare indicators such as increased exploratory behaviors (locomotion, foraging), a reduced fear response (measured through tonic immobility and attention bias tests), a preference for sweet and umami compounds, and improved growth performance when compared to those exposed solely to physical enrichment (n = 48)(e.g., perches, platforms, and straw bales). The data analysis includes behavioral observations capturing both the frequency and duration of various behaviors in broiler chickens, such as feeding, drinking, locomotion, lying, preening, dustbathing, interaction with environmental enrichment (perches, platforms), and social behaviors like mock fighting and gentle pecking, as well as foraging. The dataset also contains information from the attention bias test, which measures the duration of behaviors such as first step, begin feeding, time spent feeding, and resume feeding, along with binary scores (1-0) indicating the presence or absence of vigilance behaviors like erect posture, neck stretching, looking around, and freezing. In the section on sweet and umami taste preferences, the data reflect the consumption of two matrices, one neutral with water and another containing sucrose or monosodium glutamate (MSG), calculated by subtracting the remaining solution from the total offered. The results of the tonic immobility test are also included, which record the time in seconds each bird remained immobile. Finally, the productive data encompass parameters such as average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and final body weight (BW), measured throughout the 43-day production cycle to evaluate the impact of different enrichment strategies on broiler productivity.