AUTHOR=Demree Ruth , Jensen Per 

TITLE=Domesticated chickens interact more with humans and are more explorative than Red Junglefowl

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2024

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1523047

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1523047

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=Domesticated species are adapted to thrive in an environment with regular human interaction, and these interactions influence the development of a human-animal relationship. Chickens are the most abundant domesticated species, but their relationship with humans is poorly understood. A more comprehensive analysis of this relationship would provide valuable insight into their welfare needs. The present study compares the behavior of a domesticated and a non-domesticated breed of Gallus gallus in the presence of a familiar human. The domesticated breed was more active overall, and displayed more human contact-seeking behavior. These behavioral differences contribute to our understanding of the human-chicken relationship and could be helpful new insights for improving welfare of chickens in agricultural practice.