{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T05:07:50Z","timestamp":1779167270560,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778112000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The growth of interest in alternative forms of animal-assisted therapies (AAT) with chickens creates a need to identify breeds with appropriate behavioral predispositions. This pilot study evaluated the suitability of four breeds of ornamental chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), Silkie bantam, Pekin bantam, Ko-Shamo, and Chabo daruma, for work in chicken-assisted therapy (CAT). Tests simulated an AAT session, assessing human approach and staying in their vicinity, reactions to sudden stimuli, and touch tolerance. A standard tonic immobility test was also performed. Significant interbreed differences were demonstrated (p &lt; 0.05 for most tests). Pekin bantam showed the greatest therapeutic potential. Contrary to expectations, Silkie bantam obtained the weakest results, manifesting the highest fear levels and avoidance of contact. Ko-Shamo and Chabo daruma showed moderate predispositions. The tonic immobility test did not significantly differentiate the groups (p = 0.28), indicating it is not a sufficient alternative to the proposed behavioral tests. According to a seven-point predisposition scale for AAT, Pekin bantam was the breed best predisposed for AAT, while Silkie bantam achieved the worst results (p = 0.04). The results confirm that the breed is significant when choosing chickens for therapy and indicate the need for testing other chicken breeds for therapeutic work.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16101429","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T20:14:16Z","timestamp":1778530456000},"page":"1429","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Assessment of Behavioral Predispositions of Selected Chicken Breeds for Use in Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Adam","family":"Szyma\u0144ski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Poultry Breeding, Institute of Animal Breeding, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8169-6377","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna","family":"Rosenbeger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Poultry Breeding, Institute of Animal Breeding, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ctim.2013.12.016","article-title":"Effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials","volume":"22","author":"Kamioka","year":"2014","journal-title":"Complement. 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