Responses of domestic chicks to artificially coloured insect prey: effects of previous experience and background colour

Abstract

Domestic chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, which had no previous experience of insect prey were given a choice between red-and brown-painted mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor larvae) on differently coloured backgrounds and after different types of prior exposure to similar colours in their home cages. When prey were presented on a white background, naive chicks preferred brown to red mealworms. This preference was not affected by prefeeding the chicks on red rather than brown chick crumbs but was reversed by rearing the chicks in red cages. When chicks had been given no deliberate exposure to either red or brown in their home cages they preferred brown to red prey on both brown and red backgrouds; but chicks previously exposed to both colours in their home cages preferred red prey on a brown background and brown prey on a red background. The results suggest that the relative aversion of chicks to red prey is specific to that colour, rather than reflecting a general aversion to novel colours or to colours that contrast with the background.