User:Eng121/sandbox

Peer Review

I think you have chosen a great topic for this assignment, and you seem to have provided important an relevant information regarding the behaviour of toe pecking. Additionally, you have organized the content of your article well. It is logically presented and the content within each section is relevant and important to the coherence of the overall article.You also presented what seems to be the most important and relevant content and did so in a neutral tone, great job! In the beginning section you made good use of links to other wikipedia pages, although this was not required for this draft of the article it certainly adds to your work and I would continue to do this for the remaining content. I also like your suggestion of providing a photo or video of toe pecking, I think a video would be really informative if you can find an appropriate one. As for suggestions, here are some things that I would suggest to improve your article:

• There are no citations throughout your article, you do have some listed in your reference section so I assume that you also intent to cite them in the body of the text. However, I believe that in one of the training modules it said that since the sandbox's are public, the content in them must be accompanied with appropriate sources. Because of this, I would work on integrating your sources in the body of your text as soon as possible.
• With regards to the heading "causes" have all of the mentioned "causes" been studied using experimental manipulation? If not, choosing another heading would be necessary. I have not looked in to the literature that supports these claims as they were not cited. However, I think double checking to ensure that these factors have been shown to be causal is important.
  • Additionally, I think the sentence "Since toe pecking is an abnormal behaviour, there must be causes influencing why it occurs" could be reworded. Maybe rewording it to something like "The abnormal behaviour of toe pecking is suggested to be influenced (or caused if you're sure they really do cause the behaviour) by...."
• Finally, since you have included the sentence "Stress is typically the main factor..." I think it would improve your article if you expanded on this point. If it is the most important factor it should be given relevant weight in your article.

Overall, great job at choosing an interesting topic and presenting the article in the correct format in a coherent manner.

Peer Review of Toe Pecking by User Fresh oolong

I really like how you break down the article into different sections for easy access to relevant information such as the causes or the treatment.

It looks like similar to mine you have a lot more work you plan to do before you finish.

• I would personally suggest looking for some images to go along with your article
• I would also suggest adding your sources into your article as citations
• I think that each one of your specific causes and treatments a quick description and source from where the information came from would be a good addition.
• I think the tone of your article is information based and well done.
• I do not seem to easily be able to access your sources in references maybe look into how Wiki can create this references section by just adding in a URL or the DOI.

If you want the (~~~~) to work you will need to switch to the source editing mode place the (~~~~) then you can switch back.

Great job good luck! Fresh oolong (talk) 13:47, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Article Evaluation

In the first paragraph there is a couple distractions. First, the use of the word "usually" in regards to what animal behavior consultants do. If using this word I would also want to hear what they do not "usually" do. The use of this word implies that there are unusual tasks for this career. Second, there is a rather long sentence that gets a bit confusing to read. I would suggest either breaking it into two separate sentences or taking some information out- it is not directly relevant what a animal trainer does to this article.

The overview section was well-written overall and informative. It largely focused on in-home animal behavior consultants. Some more information on the other types of animal behaviorist consultants could be beneficial. In the next section, veterinary medicine, there is mention of another specialty called veterinary behaviorist. This could be added to as another page opportunity.

The article does not give any implication of a preferred method or not, it displays facts is a fair and appropriate manner. All sources look to come from reliable and academic sites, the links I attempted to click all worked and lead to a reputable page. The latest changes on the page have improved it since the original criticisms of it in 2017. Many sources have been added and it reads much more professionally. It is a part of the WikiProject Animals. The only other gaps I can think of would be, how often are animal behavior consultants used and how much do they charge/make in a year typically?— ~~~~.

References

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224436100_A_note_on_the_physiological_and_behavioural_consequences_of_cannibalistic_toe_pecking_in_laying_hens_Gallus_gallus_domesticus

http://uni-bielefeld.de/biologie/animalbehaviour/krueger/krause/Krause-et-al-2011-AFG.pdf

Toe pecking

Toe pecking, an abnormal behaviour of birds in captivity, occurs when one bird pecks the toes of another using its beak, in rare cases it may pick at its own feet. This behaviour has been reported in hens and ostriches. Studies have shown that hens exposed to toe pecking have significantly enlarged adrenal glands, indicating increased physiological stress. Hens exposed to toe pecking will step off a raised platform more quickly than control hens, possibly suggesting a heightened fear of elevation. They have also been reported to show depressive behaviour (retreating to corner of the pen, not eating and losing weight) when afflicted by toe-pecking. The act of toe pecking leads to open wounds which are viable for infection and disease to develop. In severe forms, toe pecking can be classified as a cannibalistic behaviour and has been reported as a cause of mortality.

Factors Contributing to Toe Pecking

Chickens kept in captivity are more likely to engage in abnormal behaviours such as toe pecking.

The abnormal behaviour of toe pecking is suggested to be influenced by multiple causes. Some mainstream theories include;

• Overcrowding, when birds have been pecked at they are typically in captivity and given very little space to move around. This implies they are unable to escape, this lack of escape changes the birds behaviour in which they are less likely to fight back and rather accept the pecking to the point of injury.
• Natural establishment of pecking order, this becomes unhealthy when blood is drawn from the animal due to the pecking behaviour. Once blood appears the red coloration of it is enticing to chickens as they are naturally drawn to the color red. This may cause them to continue pecking at the same spot, causing further damage.
• Nutrient deficiencies, specifically salt and methionine. HIgh energy and low-fibre increase energy and aggressive behaviours and therefore are more likely to influence toe-pecking behaviour.
• High heat and light, hostility and cannibalistic behaviours are very likely to occur in excessive heat or constantly lit spaces.
• Lack of feeder/water space, with limited resources aggression is likely to increase.

Preventative Measures

Addressing these issues and providing viable solutions is an important part of the animals welfare. Possible solutions could include, ensuring there is enough space for the bird. It is recommended hens should have approximately 4 square feet (chicken tractor) and 6-10 if in a coop. However, each bird species may differ on the recommended space.

Natural pecking order establishment occurs as a normal behaviour for birds. However when it becomes abnormal (visible blood), it is important to separate any bird that may be to the point of bleeding from the other birds until they are healed to prevent further injury. This is likely to occur when new birds are introduced to the flock and therefore a introductory stage should be implemented.

High energy and low fiber diets cause chickens to have increased activity levels and aggression, this may lead to toe-pecking and other pecking behaviours. A balanced diet for the type and age of bird you are rising is an important factor in their behaviour. This includes the availability of the food to the birds.

Lastly, a regulated environment for birds is important to their welfare as a naturalistic setting is best for their health. Having too much heat or light may cause changes to their normal behavioural and physical cycles. Constant light may cause stress for birds and hostility towards each other. Too much heat results in similar aggressive behaviours. Temperatures should be kept relative to the type of bird being raised. By maintaining a constant environment birds are less likely to engage in abnormal behaviour.

Stress is typically the main contributing factor to abnormal behaviour such as toe pecking and therefore should be controlled as much as possible.

Treatment

In the case of an outbreak the following should be implemented to decrease toe pecking.

1. Correcting any abnormal behaviours (overly aggressive, antisocial), this may be done by observing the chickens naturalistic behaviours and grouping them based on their dominant or submissive personality types.
2. Decreasing light in the birds housing (i.e. red bulbs) This may be done by using red window panes or infrared lights in the chicken pens.
3. Removal of badly injured birds from the general population, having them in their own pen to heal and reduce stress levels.
4. "anti-peck" ointment application on damaged birds, this may be applied onto the effected area and should be consulted with a vet.
5. Lower temperature, ensuring the correct temperature for the type and age of chickens should be examined.

Identification of this issue is the first step and having preventative measures in place are important to control and manage this cannibalistic behaviour should it arise.

See also[edit]

• Abnormal behaviour of birds in captivity
• Feather pecking
• Vent pecking
• Cannibalism (poultry)
• Chicken
• Poultry farming
• Battery cages

Peer Review by Spc13

Hi!

There is definitely a lot of great information in this article draft, well done! Overall, your draft greatly improves upon the original article, and your sections are very informative to the topic. Your additions to the leading aided in a good understanding of the topic. The content was overall very well written and organized. Your tone throughout was neutral as well.

From the notes you have currently in your draft I think as well that if you expand on certain ideas (like how natural pecking order establishment occurs as a normal behaviour for birds) that it would really add to your article and the points you are addressing. Also, once you add in your citations and clean up your reference list I think it'll bring your draft closer to being completed! Also, I think maybe a bit more elaboration on your main points in both the causes section and treatment section would definitely clarify how exactly these factors are causes/treatments.

Overall, your draft is a great improvement to the original article! Great work!

Review from Merielfitzgerald

Hey overall the article looks like it is coming along well! I found it very clear and easy to read which is important. It really improved from the the previous article and the citations seem supported. I enjoy the way it is divided and think it will look very great upon completion. Below I will break down my recommendations by section, and with a bit more expansion in several areas I think this is well on its way to being a great article.

Toe Pecking - Few words missing and the sentence structure could be a bit stronger, ("which" occurs when...). Also I think adding a citation for the platform stepping sentence and the depressive behaviour sentence, as well as a leading or trailing thought perhaps to better explain that behaviour and why it is relevant as it felt a little randomly placed.

Causes - Reword the first sentence. Expand here to explain the causes, if there are relevant wiki pages exist on those perhaps link them, and cite where the causes are coming from. I think this section has the potential to give the reader a lot more information, if it exists.

Preventive Measures - By far your best paragraph! Sources are still needed to support some of your claims, but it appears that you already know that. I would reword "Possible solutions could include making sure there is enough space for the bird" and make sure the phrasing of your sentences isn't too informal. Is there a possible link to pecking order that could be discussed? Also are the measures different in comparisons to different species? If so that may be a possible sub-heading of this section, to break it apart by species (chicken vs ostrich). I found the aspect about them pecking at the red blood interesting and links to the research behind that seem important to include

Treatment - Are you referring to outbreak as an incidence of toe pecking here? The wording is a bit ambiguous, maybe edit that. Also a bit more on the cannabalistic behaviour aspect, this could perhaps be its own sub-heading if there is enough research behind it.

See Also- This is very well done. I think the topics linked are relevant and enjoy the placement.

Overall with a few more sources and sentence restructuring this article is going to be much improved. You have done a great job so far and keep up the great work!