Hens were evenly sprayed once every 2 weeks for 54 weeks with solution P (dimethyl anthranilate and methyl phenylacetate), solution T (dimethyl anthranilate and geraniol), or distilled water (control). At 18 weeks of age they were allocated randomly to three treatments (repellent P, repellent T, control), each consisting of 6 replicated enriched cages with 10 hens in each cage. A total of 180 untrimmed hybrid layers was reared together in a floor pen. This longitudinal study was conducted under commercial conditions to investigate whether the application of two repellent mixtures, previously suggested as aversive to wild birds, to the plumage of Prelux-R hybrid egg layers is a viable alternative to beak trimming as a solution to discourage feather pecking among laying hens.
We also examine some behavioral aspects of species that influence the efficacy of repellents.įeather pecking is a behavior that occurs in order to cope with a constrained environment and is a serious problem in the egg production industry. In this chapter we focus on auditory and tactile repellents, particularly the physiological bases for tactile and auditory repellent efficacy. As explained in Chapter 3, the sense of smell is also important for birds and mammals. In birds and mammals the primary physical receptors are visual (see Chapter 2), auditory, and tactile (Dooling 1982, Fay 1988, Clark 1998a). Effective nonlethal repellents must affect some aspect of physical receptors or psycholOgical perception of the intended' targeted animals. When considering repellents alone, there are many that are untested, temporarily effective, or cost-prohibitive (Dolbeer et al. Nonlethal management activities to reduce wildlife use of airports may include habitat modification, exclusion from roosting and nesting areas, and repelling animals from desired locations. When negative media attention, special interest groups, or calls for restrictive legislation influence public opinion, the resulting public pressure can preclude effective wildlife management and lead to subsequent population control problems (Torres et al. Lethal removal of targeted individuals reduces the immediate threat, but other approaches should be integrated into control programs to make them more effective and to help meet legal and ethical considerations (Dolbeer et al.
Wildlife within the airport environment are hazards to human safety.
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