The hens also laid significantly more eggs than expected in the corners and within a zone of 0.1 m along the border of the aviaries. The percentage of eggs found in cover (average 91%) was significantly higher than expected. In heterosexual groups, 67% of the aggressive interactions were observed between cocks. Aggressive behaviour was rare in groups without cocks. Most of these relationships broke up after the end of the reproductive period. Based on data of spatial proximity ‘close relationships’ of a given hen with a cock were identified. ![]() On the other hand, the time spent on elevated structures (average 0.5%) was significantly lower than expected. The percentage of time the quails stayed in cover (average 48%) was significantly higher than the proportion of the floor area that was covered with plants and artificial shelters. A time budget analysis showed that the quails spent 35% of the observation time on passive behaviour, 24% on locomotory behaviour, 8% on exploratory/foraging behaviour, 14% on comfort behaviour and 4% on ingestive behaviour. ![]() There were two groups with hens only and six groups of varied sex ratio. ![]() From May to October, eight groups of eight or nine quails of a domestic strain were housed in aviaries (19.1 m 2) containing natural soil and vegetation. The present study is aimed at improving the knowledge of the behaviour of this farm animal species for the design of adequate housing systems. In caged Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica), there are several welfare problems such as head injuries caused by aggressive pecking and head-banging as a consequence of escape responses.
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