Behavioural variability in a sample of young domestic chickens

Abstract

Using following-time data from an imprinting study involving heat and tactile reinforcement, a multivariate discriminant analysis detected the existence of at least two subpopulations differing in following time. Further analyses showed that the subpopulations were not a result of the experimental manipulations used in the study. The existence of separate subpopulations may help explain the high variability in following times, especially if the subpopulations are differentially affected by imprinting and other developmental processes.