I met my study birds yesterday! The facility is in the process of its annual cleaning, so they have all been temporarily moved to outdoor enclosures. The limited space has led to some temporary mixing of groups.
Still, upon stepping into the enclosure, you can quickly tell which red junglefowl are part of the low-fear selection group. These girls are tamer than my own chickens! After seeing them eagerly run up to me (a complete stranger), I’m certain that there will be noticeable differences in behavior between groups. But will the birds behave similarly when they are isolated from their flock? And how will their behavior compare to that of the domestic breed?
But that’s all for this week! I began constructing the test pens for my experiment (I get a lab room all to myself, wow!), and will begin testing as soon as I’m finished.
