{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T10:57:51Z","timestamp":1782989871064,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,3]],"date-time":"2022-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659484800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001862","name":"Swedish Research Council FORMAS","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2016-01761"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2016-01761"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001862","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Early experience of a complex environment can improve biologically relevant traits related to coping abilities. However, the mechanisms underlying these positive effects have not been well explored. We hypothesized that giving chicks possibilities to express choices within relevant resources could be an important part of the mechanism, as well as a novel way to increase environmental complexity. In a balanced design, laying hen hatchlings of the white hybrid Bovans Robust were reared in a \u201csingle-choice\u201d environment (single litter and perch type) or a \u201cmulti-choice\u201d environment (four different litter and perch types). Immunological and behavioral indicators of chicks\u2019 coping abilities were explored in this experimental study at three weeks of age. Chicks from \u201cmulti-choice\u201d environments had shorter durations of tonic immobility, lower heterophil\/lymphocyte ratios, higher natural antibody concentrations, and were more successful in gaining novel food rewards in a repeated opportunity test. These results imply that chicks having access to variation within resource types were less fearful, experienced less chronic stress, would be more able to cope with pathogenic challenges, and potentially had an improved learning ability. To conclude, the more complex environment, achieved by increasing chicks\u2019 possibilities to choose, seemed to make chicks better prepared for potential challenges, boosting their adaptive capacities and their ability to make the most of opportunities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12151969","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,3]],"date-time":"2022-08-03T20:52:01Z","timestamp":1659559921000},"page":"1969","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Increasing Environmental Complexity by Providing Different Types of Litter and Perches during Early Rearing Boosts Coping Abilities in Domestic Fowl Chicks"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5282-5931","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Franco Nicolas","family":"Nazar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnolog\u00eda de los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, F\u00edsicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de C\u00f3rdoba (UNC), Cordoba X5016GCA, Argentina"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones Biol\u00f3gicas y Tecnol\u00f3gicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas y T\u00e9cnicas (CONICET), Cordoba X5016GCA, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2998-5109","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lena","family":"Sk\u00e5nberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kirste","family":"McCrea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2629-0117","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Linda Jane","family":"Keeling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1961","DOI":"10.1071\/AN15297","article-title":"Resilience in Farm Animals: Biology, Management, Breeding and Implications for Animal Welfare","volume":"56","author":"Colditz","year":"2016","journal-title":"Anim. 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