Toe pecking is a relatively rare abnormal behaviour of birds in captivity

Abnormal behaviour of birds in captivity

-Abnormal behaviour :When housed under captive or commercial conditions, birds often show a range of abnormal behaviours. These are often self-injurious or harmful to other individuals, and include:*Feather pecking*Cannibalism*Vent pecking...

. It involves one bird pecking the toes of another and has been reported in hens and ostriches. Hens exposed to toe pecking have significantly enlarged adrenal glands indicating increased physiological stress

Stress

- Mechanical :* Stress , the average amount of force exerted per unit area* Compressive stress, the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction...

 and step off a raised platform more quickly than control hens, possibly indicating increased fearfulness of raised areas. In severe forms, toe pecking becomes a cannibalistic

Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...

 behaviour which according to one report, caused mortality.

See also

• Abnormal behaviour of birds in captivity
  Abnormal behaviour of birds in captivity
  -Abnormal behaviour :When housed under captive or commercial conditions, birds often show a range of abnormal behaviours. These are often self-injurious or harmful to other individuals, and include:*Feather pecking*Cannibalism*Vent pecking...
  
  
• Feather pecking
  Feather pecking
  Feather pecking is a behavioural problem that occurs most frequently amongst domestic hens reared for egg production, although it does occur in other poultry such as pheasants, turkeys, ducks and is sometimes seen in farmed ostriches. Feather pecking occurs when one bird repeatedly pecks at the...
  
  
• Vent pecking
  Vent pecking
  Vent pecking is an abnormal behaviour of birds performed primarily by commercial egg-laying hens. It is characterised by pecking damage to the cloaca, the surrounding skin and underlying tissue...
  
  
• Cannibalism (poultry)
  Cannibalism (poultry)
  Cannibalism is a behavioural problem that occurs most frequently amongst domestic hens reared for egg production, although it can also occur amongst domestic turkeys, pheasants reared as gamebirds, and other poultry species. Cannibalism occurs when one bird pecks at the skin of another and devours...
  
  
• Chicken
  Chicken
  The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
  
  
• Poultry farming
  Poultry farming
  Poultry farming is the raising of domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese, for the purpose of farming meat or eggs for food. According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74 percent of the world's poultry meat, and 68 percent of eggs are produced in ways that are described as...
  
  
• Battery cages