Foraging Behavior of Chickens in Day-Range Pastured Poultry Systems

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Catherine E. Zivnuska.
Dr. Michael Seipel, Faculty Mentor.

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Some Northeast Missouri farmers are raising broiler chickens in pastured environments as an alternative to confinement production. Research has shown that birds on legume pasture will supplement their feed intake with quality legume forage. Farmers can maximize this potential by understanding under what conditions birds are more likely to forage. For this research, 56 birds were raised in a 1200 ft2 electric fence. Poultry had open access to feed, water, and an 8x8 shelter throughout the day and were confined at night. Sixty-eight observations were made over a thirty day period; foraging behavior and environmental conditions were recorded. Results revealed that broilers spent more time outside foraging during the early morning (45% of birds) and late afternoon (29%), compared to 24% around noon. The mean number of birds foraging during overcast conditions (20.1) was higher than during full sun conditions (13.6). (p>0.05).