AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology group

Photo of chicken, Red Jungle Fowl.

The AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology group at Linköping University studies the genetic basis of behaviour and physiology.

Logotype AVIAN.The research group joins several labs with a common interest in the biology of birds.

Although by no means not restricted to it, most of our research focuses on Red Junglefowl and modern chicken breeds selected for farming purposes such as egg production or meat yield.

The overall goals of the research is to improve poultry welfare under production conditions and to understand the process of of animal domestication.

The AVIAN group has unique facilities for the research, including a chicken unit with several breeding populations of Red Junglefowl.

For more information, please visit the web pages of each of the
research groups listed below.

News

two chickens.

How young chickens play can indicate how they feel

Researchers have for the first time mapped the development of play in young chickens. The results show that the young chickens spend lots of time playing in different ways – just like puppies and kittens.

Red junglefowl (G. gallus) chicks from the study population at Linköping University.

Ancestral species of domesticated chickens seeks human contact

Species that are not domesticated can develop a social interaction with humans. Researchers noticed this when conducting a study on junglefowl. They hope that the findings will stimulate further studies into how contact with humans arises.

dog

Long-term stress in dogs linked to the owner-dog relationship

The relationship a dog has with its owner is related to its stress level. This is the conclusion of a newly published study from LiU. The results also suggest that the link between stress and the owner’s personality traits differs between dog breeds.

Research groups

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