Pecking preferences and pre-dispositions in domestic chicks: implications for the development of environmental enrichment devices (2000)

Jones, B. R., Carmichael, N. L., Rayner, E.

Abstract

White or yellow strings were preferred to red, green or blue ones and white string elicited more pecking than did combinations of white and yellow or of all five colors. Varying the length and width of the bunches of string exerted no detectable effects on pecking whereas incorporating small, shiny beads in the white string devices reduced pecking. Virtually all the devices elicited progressively more interest with repeated presentation; this trend was particularly marked for white string.