Comportamiento nocturno del Gallus gallus domesticus

Abstract

The knowledge of the sleeping behaviour of hens is important to contribute to suggestions on the welfare of these productive birds in commercial farms that are of great importance in the contribution of protein of animal origin. The aims were to investigate the nocturnal behaviour of a group of domestic birds of the genus Gallus gallus to find out the proportion of time spent by the birds in the different nocturnal sub-states. The nocturnal behaviour was observed during three consecutive days during the month of September of a group of seven birds, two roosters and five hens, 20 weeks old, for which a nocturnal behaviour certificate was used starting from sunset to sunrise. The data obtained are presented in proportion of time. The largest proportion of nighttime (77%) was spent sleeping, followed by grooming (8%), and with the same proportion sleeping standing up and lying awake (4%). It is concluded that the data obtained from the group of birds show a higher proportion of prostrate and standing sleep, followed by grooming, from sunset until before sunrise the next day.