Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
Studies to determine the effect of chick stimuli and dieldrin on adoptive behavior of penned hen pheasants were conducted in 1969 and 1970. Results indicated that whether caged hens saw or heard chicks had no effect on adoption or killing of chicks. Hens receiving sound stimuli and sight-and-sound stimuli from chicks responded similarly to hens receiving no stimuli. Sub-lethal doses of dieldrin also had no effect on chick adoption under the conditions of this study. Results demonstrated that non-incubating pheasant hens will adopt and brood orphan chicks. During the 2 years of the study, respectively, 37 and 49 percent of the hens tested for adoptive behavior adopted and brooded chicks, 38 and 26 percent intentionally killed chicks, 6 and 14 percent both adopted and killed chicks, and 18 and 11 percent neither adopted nor killed orphan chicks
