What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to explore the connections between exercise-related personality traits, gut microbiome composition, and meat quality in Qingyuan partridge chickens.

February 12, 2026Open Access

Exercise-Related Personality Traits Are Associated with Gut Microbiome Composition and Meat Quality in Qingyuan Partridge Chickens

JZJiaxin ZhangHong Kong Polytechnic University YLYee Cheong LamGuangzhou University of Chinese Medicine MCMiaoling CaiFoshan University

Key Points

This research aims to explore the connections between exercise-related personality traits, gut microbiome composition, and meat quality in Qingyuan partridge chickens.
Monitored daily step counts in 200 female Qingyuan partridge chickens from 70 to 120 days of age.
Divided chickens into three exercise groups: high-exercise, moderate-exercise, and low-exercise.
Conducted behavioral tests including open-field and T-maze to assess personality traits.
Analyzed meat quality and gut microbiome profiles, alongside metabolomic analysis.
High-exercise chickens showed better exploration, faster movement, and higher learning rates.
Meat quality was improved in high-exercise chickens with brighter breast muscle, firmer thigh muscle, and lower intramuscular fat.
Gut microbiome profiling indicated higher levels of beneficial bacteria and lower levels of harmful pathogens in high-exercise groups.
Metabolomic analysis highlighted increased pathways related to phenylalanine metabolism and tryptophan–serotonin signaling.

Abstract

Chicken meat quality is primarily determined by genetics and nutrition, but recent evidence suggests that animal personality traits and the gut microbiota may also play crucial roles through their influence on muscle development and metabolism. However, the specific mechanisms linking behavior, gut microbiota, and meat flavor remain largely unexplored, particularly in native chicken breeds like the Qingyuan partridge chicken. This study investigated associations between personality traits, gut microbiome composition, metabolite profiles, and meat quality in 200 female Qingyuan partridge chickens. Chickens were monitored for daily step counts from 70 to 120 days of age and divided into three experimental groups: high-exercise (HE), moderate-exercise (ME), and low-exercise (LE). Behavioral tests (open-field, T-maze) revealed HE chickens exhibited enhanced exploration (p < 0.05), reduced latency to move (p < 0.05), and higher learning success rates (p < 0.05) compared to LE counterparts. Meat quality analysis showed HE chickens had brighter breast muscle (L* value, p < 0.05), firmer thigh muscle (shear force, p < 0.05), and reduced intramuscular fat (p < 0.01) relative to LE chickens. Gut microbiome profiling indicated HE chickens showed enrichment of beneficial taxa like Bifidobacterium (p < 0.01) and Intestinimonas (p < 0.05), alongside reduced levels of opportunistic pathogens such as Staphylococcus (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis (LC-MS) highlighted upregulated pathways including phenylalanine metabolism and tryptophan–serotonin signaling (VIP ≥ 1.0, p < 0.05). These findings confirm that exercise-related personality traits are associated with improved meat quality and flavor, with correlations linked to gut microbiota and metabolite remodeling, providing novel insights for optimizing poultry meat quality in commercial production.

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