Experiential Factors Affect Red and Blue Preferences in Neonatal Chickens (Gallus gallus)

White leghorn chickens (Gallus Gallus) were isolated and reared in either white, half red and half blue, red, or blue cages, and at 60 hrs. and 120 hrs. were given a preference test for either a red or blue stationary object. Chicks housed in white cages were exposed to white throughout the experiment, and chicks housed in half red and half blue were exposed to red and blue in the same manner. Subjects housed in red cages for the first 60 hrs. were reversed to blue cages for the second 60 hrs. and subjects initially housed in blue cages were reversed to red cages. Subjects exposed to white, red and blue. or red, showed a preference for red at 60 hrs. while subjects initially exposed to blue showed a tendency to prefer blue. At 120 hrs. subjects exposed to white showed nu preference, while the subjects exposed to red and blue continued tu display a red preference. Subjects initially exposed to red and rc\·nsed to blue showed no preference. but subjects reversed from blue to red showed a red preference. This suggests that color preferences in chicks may be affected by an interaction between the initial attractiveness of a color and the amount of Pxperience with that color at an early age. This experiment attempts to demonstrate that relatively long term exposure of chicks to color may influence their preferences for colors at a later time. Grey ( 1961) tested the ability of different colors to elicit the approach-response in chicks at various ages by using a box with three compartments; a center compartment for the subjects, an empty compartment at one end, and the other compartment containing the colored stimulus rotating in a circle. Each day for five days the subjects were put into the center compartment and the amount of time spent near each end compartment was recorded. The results showed that red is more successful than blue in eliciting the approach-response, and that the eliciting ability of colors decreases as age increases. Hess ( 1959) found conflicting results. Using the following-rrsponse as a training method, he exposed chicks of \·arious ages to different colors for a 30-minute period. and te~ted them for a color preference using stationary ohjccts. Among other preferences, Hess reported that chicks preferred blue oyer reel, and reel over white. In a similar experiment, Smith and l\fryer ( 1965) gaw chicks a preference test at 12-14 hrs. for either a reel or white rotating object without giving them pre\'ious experience with either color. The results of this experiment -;bowed that chicks preferred the reel stimulus object, thus suggesting that a basic preference for red exists in the absence of a training session. Tavlor, Sluckin, and Hewitt ( 1969) made a further attempt to determine what factors influence color preference by I. Requests for reprints should he sent to N. R. Wylif', Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa 52314.