Male chicks are more sociable if they were grown in warmer eggs

Increasing incubator temperatures by 1-2°C has been shown to help chickens cope with rising global temperatures.Male chicks may now be more social and less aggressive as adults, according to research

To Christa Leste-Laser

Rising global temperatures mean many researchers are looking for ways to prevent poultry farms from overheating. This may involve exposing the eggs to slightly higher temperatures during incubation, and previous studies have suggested promising results.

However, the behavioral implications of this approach in adult chickens are less clear, particularly how it affects male sociability and aggression, which impacts herd well-being.

To learn more about this see Tomas Norton of KU Leuven, Belgium and his …