Behaviour of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) kept in semi-natural aviaries

Abstract 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. The present study is aimed at improving the knowledge of the behaviour of this farm animal species for the design of adequate housing systems. 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. There were two groups with hens only and six groups of varied sex ratio. 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. 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. On the other hand, the time spent on elevated structures (average 0.5%) was significantly lower than expected. Based on data of spatial proximity ‘close relationships' of a given hen with a cock were identified. Most of these relationships broke up after the end of the reproductive period. Aggressive behaviour was rare in groups without cocks. In heterosexual groups, 67% of the aggressive interactions were observed between cocks. The percentage of eggs found in cover (average 91%) was significantly higher than expected. 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. In the discussion, recommendations are made for the design of housing systems that are adapted to the behaviour of domestic quails.