Domestication effects on the human-chicken relationship

Abstract: Domesticated species possess certain cognitive abilities that allow them to thrive in an environment with regular human interaction, and these interactions contribute to the overall human-animal relationship. Studying the human-animal relationship allows us to better understand how domesticated animals perceive and navigate their environment, which can then be used to improve their welfare. In chickens, this relationship is poorly understood, and further research would provide insight into the welfare needs of this animal. Here we show breed differences in the interspecific sociocognitive abilities of Gallus gallus, where the domesticated White Leghorn interacted more with a familiar human than the red junglefowl, and both the domesticated White Leghorn and the red junglefowl breed that had been selected for low fear of humans were habituated to human presence. This study sheds light on the effect of domestication on social cognition in chickens and begins to describe the human-chicken relationship.