In Ovo Olfactory Experience Influences Post‐hatch Feeding Behaviour in Young Chickens

摘要: In several mammalian species, prenatal exposure to odours can elicit later positive consummatory behaviour in response substrates bearing that odorant. birds, the sense of smell has been considerably underestimated, and very little is known about effects early sensory experience on regulation feeding behaviour. We tested hypothesis domestic chicken could be regulated by olfactory learning during embryonic life. To end, embryos were exposed an stimulus (blend essential oil orange nature identical vanillin) from day (ED) 12 ED20, chicks between 4 9 d age. short-term choice tests, at 5, chickens previously a low concentration (LC) spent higher proportion time eating familiar or unfamiliar food compared non-exposed control chickens. Conversely, high (HC) found avoid all foods stimulus. On 24- h scale 7-8, LC HC but not controls, ingest significantly less containing This result indicated long-term effect preferences. demonstrated utilize information their pre-hatch chemosensory environment guide A intensity odour signals reported here for first time.