More quail training :)

[jbobs]

Yeah it's funny because I have kept coturnix for years but it wasn't until I went to university for Veterinary Technology that i started to learn about animal behavior, and I was doing a presentation on coturnix when I found out that they are used widely in research laboratories - because they are small, can be kept indoors in small cages much easier than chickens, and have an extremely fast life cycle (you can easily breed several generations in a year to develop genetic strains for specific research). They are like the avian equivalent to a lab rat. I was even more surprised to find out that they are used very frequently in behavior and psychology studies because they have a much stronger food drive than chickens. I read some studies that used quail for operant conditioning studies (clicker training is a form of operant conditioning) and I thought it was cool - because I loved quail and I loved training but never thought about putting the two together before!

I have begun to see quail in a slightly different light since starting this project. I have always loved them, but it's neat to see just how well thier little wheels can turn. Brita now offers all kinds of behaviors - if she sees a stack of books on the floor, she has to climb on top of it - even though I don't have any rewards for her. They are definetly funny little things! I'm doing the light bulb trick next.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

LOVE!!!
That is so awesome!
I am going to clicker train my quail!
What is the best age to start?

 

[TwoCrows]

Yeah it's funny because I have kept coturnix for years but it wasn't until I went to university for Veterinary Technology that i started to learn about animal behavior, and I was doing a presentation on coturnix when I found out that they are used widely in research laboratories - because they are small, can be kept indoors in small cages much easier than chickens, and have an extremely fast life cycle (you can easily breed several generations in a year to develop genetic strains for specific research). They are like the avian equivalent to a lab rat. I was even more surprised to find out that they are used very frequently in behavior and psychology studies because they have a much stronger food drive than chickens. I read some studies that used quail for operant conditioning studies (clicker training is a form of operant conditioning) and I thought it was cool - because I loved quail and I loved training but never thought about putting the two together before!

I have begun to see quail in a slightly different light since starting this project. I have always loved them, but it's neat to see just how well thier little wheels can turn. Brita now offers all kinds of behaviors - if she sees a stack of books on the floor, she has to climb on top of it - even though I don't have any rewards for her. They are definetly funny little things! I'm doing the light bulb trick next.

Wow, I did not know they used quail in research labs. I suppose all animals are used in such facilities. I have always known birds have more intelligence that science makes out. I have had a bird obsession since I was a young girl and have watched wild birds feed for all my 51 years. I can tell you that a lot more is going on out there than meets the eye. For the past 15 years I have been feeding a pair of wild Ravens that have learned to come for food everyday. The say the Raven is the most intelligent of the avian species and I can tell you these guys have huge smarts. Science is learning that Ravens have more intelligence in some areas than do primates.

But not to get off the subject of Brita. What you are doing is amazing. There is so much to learn about birds out there and it takes someone like yourself to explore these avenues and bring this sort of thing to light. Birds are extremely smart. Science has always believed that they are aimlessly wandering around looking for food, when in fact there is much brain activity going on that has gone beyond built in instincts. And I think you are proving that here with Brita.

All I can say is keep up the FANTASTIC work you are doing in this area of animal behavior! It must be very exciting for you! And we all here sure to enjoy following this saga!

 

[jbobs]

Thanks! I'm glad people are enjoying watching her do her stuff as much as I am working with her. I am actually right in the middle of the BC Animal Health Technologists Association Annual Conference and am going to lectures by Dr. Sophia Yin for three whole days - she is one of the world's most recognized animal behaviorists and I'm so privileged to have the opportunity to see her. She shared Brita's platform video on her facebook page the other day and I introduced myself to her today - she's even humming and hawing about getting some quail to train herself now!

I started a facebook page for Epic QUAILBLOG to make it easier for people to follow the videos:
http://www.facebook.com/epicquailblog

As for when to start training, I would say 6 weeks. I feed Brita on a schedule so she is hungry when I train her twice a day. Basically I remove the food in the morning, do a 5 minute training session in the evening when I get home. Give her her food for the rest of the evening. Remove it before I go to bed. Do another training session when I get ready for school and let her have breakfast and remove the food again till supper. I would not want to put a young, undeveloped bird on rations as they are still growing so i would wait till the bird is physically mature to start training. I have been using mealworms for treats but if she has too many she gets soft stool. Now she is spoiled and won't work for chicken crumble LOL so I would just stick with the regular layer crumbles as a food reward as you don't have to worry about feeding them too much of it.