Tina M Widowski Position/Title: Professor of Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare and Egg Farmers of Canada Research Chair in Poultry Welfare email: [email protected] Phone: (519) 824-4120 ext. 52408 Office: ANNU 246 Personal Site Google Scholar Research Gate

Meet Tina ( 60 second OAC  video )

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Tina had limited exposure to animals, aside from family pets and regular trips to the zoo. With a passion for science and a strong interest in animal biology and behaviour, she wanted to become a veterinarian or a zoologist. But as a university student, she “discovered” animal agriculture. Tina volunteered in the lab of an animal science professor who studied farm animal welfare, which was a relatively new field at the time. As she learned more about modern livestock housing and management systems — and the animal welfare concerns associated with them — she became inspired to help millions of farm animals by improving their quality of life. Widowski holds the Egg Farmers of Canada Chair in Poultry Welfare Research.  

Academic History

• B.Sc. in Ecology, Ethology and Evolution at University of Illinois-Urbana (1983)
• M.Sc. in Animal Science at University of Illinois-Urbana (1984)
• Ph.D. in Animal Science at University of Illinois-Urbana (1988)

Affiliations and Partnerships

• Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (Director, 2008 - 2020)
• Poultry Health Research Network

Research Impact

Tina studies how modern farming practices affect the behaviour, physiology and welfare of the billions of animals that people use for food. She has mainly focused on poultry and pigs because these animals live in the most confined housing systems. Growing awareness of animal welfare has led to demands for housing that allows for greater freedom of movement and more opportunities for animals to perform their natural behaviours. Balancing the health and welfare of farm animals with the economic sustainability of farms is key to Tina’s research. Regardless of how strongly consumers feel about animal welfare, she says, they are rarely willing to pay more for the eggs and meat that are produced in more enriched systems. As agriculture continues to evolve, Tina wants to help farmers use new technologies in ways that maintain efficiency while improving animal health and welfare. Working closely with producers, she often visits farms to understand their needs and challenges, and invites them to her lab to learn about her research.

Current Research Projects

Pecking blocks as edible enrichments for laying hens

Pecking blocks are edible enrichments for poultry that are compressed blocks of minerals (mainly calcium carbonate), grains and/or other fiber source. These blocks are proposed to enhance natural foraging behavior, blunt hens’ beaks, reduce feather pecking and improve feather condition. Consequently, they are promising foraging resources that can be provided in both enriched colonies and non-cage housing. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of comparative and detailed studies on strain differences in preferences for and use of different blocks or the impact of pecking blocks on feather pecking in either housing system in Canada. This project examines the effectiveness of commercially available pecking blocks to enhance foraging and, thereby, reduce feather pecking in pullets and laying hens in enriched colonies and commercial cage free housing. We are using both laboratory and field studies to closely represent real-world scenarios and investigate birds' motivation to interact with the pecking blocks, which location(s) is/are most feasible within the system, and quantify effects on feather pecking, feather damage, and production outcomes throughout lay. Understanding the use of pecking blocks and their potential benefit on the feather cover of birds will not only benefit the birds themselves, but the thousands of egg farmers and millions of Canadian consumers who care about production practices. This project is in collaboration with the Harlander lab.

Grasping a perch or elevation? What do pullets and laying hens prefer?

Perching is considered to be a behavioural need of laying hens, with provision of perches required in all alternative housing systems. Some animal care guidelines, including the Canadian Code of Practice for Laying Hens, require that perches must be of a “diameter to allow hens to wrap their toes around the perch and balance evenly on it in a relaxed position”. The motivation for grasping (wrapping toes around the perch) is generally assumed based on the fact that birds have digital tendon locking mechanism that passively flexes(curls) the toes when birds are roosting (sleeping), allowing them to balance on structures with minimal muscular effort. However, hens’ motivation for seeking elevation to roost is also well documented, and some studies have shown that hens prioritize elevation for roosting over preferred structural designs of perches. Assumptions about the need for grasping often make hens’ requirements for perches and interpretation of what constitutes an acceptable perch structure difficult. Here we explore pullets’ and hens preferences for perches, platforms and other structures for roosting, their usage of different structures, grasping, balancing and sleeping postures. The effects of age, reduced keel and foot health on perching and roosting are also being examined. 

New housing systems for laying hens

The egg farming industry will experience massive changes in the next few decades. New codes of practice introduced in March 2017 will eliminate conventional battery cages for laying hens and replace them with enriched cages and “free run” systems that provide more space and accommodate their behavioral needs. But how much space does a hen need? What type of nest, perch or scratch area does she prefer? Tina wants to help farmers make the transition to new housing systems by first answering their questions and concerns. This project is funded by Egg Farmers of Canada and OMAFRA.

Skeletal health of laying hens

Laying hens are prone to osteoporosis and keel bone (sternum) fractures because daily egg laying depletes their bodies of calcium. Enriched housing systems can increase the risk for injury; collisions with housing structures are a common cause of keel bone fractures in hens. Tina is studying how diet, exercise and training can promote better bone health and prevent injuries. This project is funded by Egg Farmers of Canada, OMAFRA, CFREF and Food From Thought.

Preparing the young bird

Young chicks and growing hens (pullets) have not been the focus of much research. Once they have reached maturity at around 18 weeks, they will spend the rest of their lives laying an egg almost every day. For these birds to thrive in new housing systems, they need to be calm, physically fit and able to learn how to adapt to complex environments, so Tina is developing strategies to help prepare these birds for their new homes. This project is funded by Egg Farmers of Canada and OMAFRA.

Graduate Student Information

Tina’s research is multidisciplinary, involving a range of experts, including veterinarians, physiologists, nutritionists, reproductive specialists and behavioural biologists who look at all aspects of animal health and welfare. Her graduate students are the workforce behind her research projects and in turn benefit from hands-on experience conducting research and developing transferable skills. She has a team of Ph.D., masters’ and undergraduate students working with her in the lab and in the field. Her students conduct a variety of research, including behavioural and physiological measurements and dissections. Tina enjoys bringing farmers and producers into her lab to meet her students so they can learn from each other. During visits from industry representatives, her students present their research projects and lead tours of the housing facilities at the Arkell Research Station. She emphasizes to her students the importance of being able to communicate their research not only to other scientists but to farmers who are the direct beneficiaries of their work.

Featured Publications

• Whittle, R.H., Kiarie, E.G., Harlander, A. and Widowski, T.M., 2024. Strain and age but not maternal feeding of n-3 fatty acids affect the performance of laying hen offspring in a series of associative learning tasks. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, p.106297
• Whittle, R.H., Kiarie, E.G., Ma, D.W. and Widowski, T.M., 2024. Feeding flaxseed to chicken hens changes the size and fatty acid composition of their chicks’ brains. Frontiers in Physiology, 15, p.1400611.
• Rentsch, A.K., Harlander, A., Niel, L., Siegford, J.M. and Widowski, T.M., 2024 Raising Laying Hens: housing complexity and genetic strain affect startle reflex amplitude and behavioural response to fear-inducing stimuli. Royal Society Open Science, 11:231075
• Rentsch, A.K., Ross, E., Harlander, A., Niel, L., Siegford, J.M. and Widowski, T.M., 2023. The development of laying hen locomotion in 3D space is affected by early environmental complexity and genetic strain. Scientific Reports, 13(1), p.10084.
• Widowski, T.M., Cooley, L., Hendriksen, S. and Peixoto, M.R.L.V., 2022. Maternal age and maternal environment affect egg composition, yolk testosterone, offspring growth and behaviour in laying hens. Scientific Reports, 12(1), pp.1-12.
• Dawson, L.C., Widowski, T.M., Liu, Z., Edwards, A.M. and Torrey, S., 2021. In pursuit of a better broiler: A comparison of the inactivity, behavior, and enrichment use of fast-and slower growing broiler chickens. Poultry science, 100(12), p.101451.
• Pufall, A., Harlander-Matauschek, A., Hunniford, M. and Widowski, T.M., 2021. Effects of rearing aviary style and genetic strain on the locomotion and musculoskeletal characteristics of layer pullets. Animals, 11(3), p.634.
• Peixoto, M.R., Cooley, L. and Widowski, T.M., 2021. Maternal age and maternal environment affect stress reactivity and measures of social behaviour in laying hens. Scientific Reports, 11(1), pp.1-10.
• Liu, Z., Torrey, S., Newberry, R.C. and Widowski, T., 2020. Play behaviour reduced by environmental enrichment in fast-growing broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 232, p.105098.
• Fawcett, D.L., Casey-Trott, T.M., Jensen, L., Caston, L.J. and Widowski, T.M., 2020. Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets. Poultry science, 99(9), pp.4153-4161.
• Pelletier, N., Doyon, M., Muirhead, B., Widowski, T., Nurse-Gupta, J. and Hunniford, M., 2018. Sustainability in the Canadian Egg Industry—Learning from the past, navigating the present, planning for the Future. Sustainability, 10(10), p.3524.
• Hunniford, M.E. and Widowski, T.M., 2018. Curtained nests facilitate settled nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 202, pp.39-45.
• Casey-Trott, T.M., D.R. Korver, M.T. Guerin, V. Sandilands, S. Torrey, T.M. Widowski. 2017. Opportunities for exercise during pullet rearing, Part II: Long-term effects on bone characteristics of adult laying hens at the end of lay. Poultry Science 96(8):2518-2527.
• Morrissey*, K.J.H., S. Brocklehurst, L. Baker, T. M. Widowski, and V. Sandilands. 2016. Can non-beak treated hens be kept in commercial furnished cages? Exploring the effects of strain and extra environmental enrichment on behaviour, feather cover and mortality. Animals 6(3):17.
• Hunniford*, M.E. and T.M. Widowski. 2017. Adding a wire partition to the scratch area affects nest use and nesting behaviour of laying hens in furnished cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186:29-34.
• Petrik*, M.T., M.T. Guerin, and T.M. Widowski. 2015. On-fam comparison of keel fracture prevalence and other welfare indicators in conventional cage and floor-housed laying hens in Ontario, Canada. Poultry Science 94:579–585.

        For a full list of publications, please visit Tina's Google Scholar page.