Variability and periodicity of dustbathing behaviour in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Bidirectional selection for dustbathing activity in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

“…We feel encouraged to do so, because very similar patterns of dustbathing behaviour including dustbathing movements, the influence of dust deprivation and the diurnal rhythm in dustbathing (Statkiewicz and Schein, 1980;Vestergaard, 1982a) have been reported for both laying hens and Japanese quail. Furthermore, genetic factors seem to have similar effects in both species, as shown by the similar response to selection obtained with Japanese quail and chickens selected for mating frequency (Blohowiak and Siegel, 1983;Dunnington and Siegel, 1983).…”

“…Each day approximately 12 males were observed individually in a random order between 0900 and 1400 h, that is, between 4 and 9 h after the onset of lighting. Thus, most of the observations were terminated before the marked diurnal peak in dustbathing (Statkiewicz and Schein, 1980) which occurs 6 to 8 h after light onset. The observation of the individual male was started by inserting the tray filled with sand into the bird's cage by the white-coated observer.…”

“…Dustbathing is a common behaviour of gallinaceous 23 24 MARTINA GERKEN AND J. PETERSEN birds, including the domestic hen, the turkey and the Japanese quail (Hale et al, 1969;Statkiewicz and Schein, 1980;Vestergaard, 1982a). Several possible benefits have been attributed to dustbathing, including feather maintenance (Healy and Thomas, 1973), regulation of the lipid content of the plumage (Borchelt and Duncan, 1974) and removal of ectoparasites (Simmons, 1964).…”

“…In the course of a day a bird may display several bouts (Statkiewicz and Schein, 1980). Little information is available on the genetic determination of dustbathing behaviour.…”

Development of a behavior system: Dustbathing in the Burmese red junglefowl (Gallus gallus spadiceus): II. Internal factors.

“…In this article we address the issue of the development of control of internal factors. Both internal timing (rhythm) and deprivation factors are known to influence the occurrence of dustbathing in adult hens (Vestergaard, 1982) and adult quail (Borchelt, Eyer, & McHenry, 1973; Schein & Statkiewicz, 1983; Statkiewicz & Schein, 1980). We performed three experiments that were designed to determine when the effects of dust deprivation first appear and whether specific experience is necessary for the motivational factors associated with dust deprivation to gain control of dustbathing.…”