Education

Project: The Effects of Three Types of Environmental Enrichment on the Behavioral Style, Activity Budgets, Growth, and Productivity of Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Behavioral style (aka "personality," and "individuality,") is a concept yet to be applied to avian species, but may help explain individual differences in ability to thrive in commercial farming conditions as well as variation in individuals' success after release into a natural environment.

Rearing birds in complex, "enriched" environments are likely to have profound and lasting effects on behavioral style. However, not all enrichments are created equal and may have differential effects on the birds' behavioral styles as adults.

I am currently investigating how three types of enrichment affect several aspects of behavioral style, activity, growth, and egg production in Japanese quail. The birds are reared with pecking and foraging activities, novel objects, 3-dimensional structures, or with no enrichments in their pens. Aggressivity, sociality, curiosity, and fearfulness are then measured using several behavioral tests (e.g. predator reaction, novel object, emergence, etc) when the birds reach adulthood. Activity, body weight, age at maturity, feather condition, and egg production are also monitored.

If the three types of enrichment have differential effects on these measures, then it may be possible to purposefully shape the behavioral style of birds slated for life in commercial cages or for release in order to maximize their health and well-being.