AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE www.arccjournals.com/www.ijaronline.in *Corresponding author’s e-mail: ataskin@ahievran.edu.tr. The effects of environmental enrichment objects on behaviors of Japanese quails at different cage stocking densities Atilla Taskin* and Ufuk Karadavut Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ahi Evran, Kirsehir, Turkey. Received: 01-04-2016 Accepted: 16-05-2016 DOI:10.18805/ijar.10772 ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate the behaviors of and monitor the changes on behaviors of Japanese quails reared in different stocking density, through using different objects, (small red balls, bunch of rope, mirrors and beads) providing environmental enrichment (EE) in the cages of quails. Six hundred of 1 day old Japanese quail chicks (mixed sex) were used in this study. Birds were reared in battery cages with four floors, each of which has two separations. The quails were placed in cage dimension in the quantities of 10 quails (lower density: LD) and of 20 quails (higher density: HD) per separation. Our hypothesis was that EE would improve the welfare of quails. The birds were observed in their cages naturally in accordance with one-zero sampling, and home cage avoidance test was performed for these birds. While the applications have significant effect on feeding and relaxation behaviors (P<0.05 levels) in LD environment, the effect of comfort, social and other behaviors was realized at P<0.01 levels in the same environment. However in HD environment, only rest behavior was affected significantly in P<0.05 level, the other properties were affected in P<0.01 levels. The live weights weren’t affected from EE (for LD, P=0.134 and for HD P=0.216). It was determined in the result of this study that the objects hung in the quail cages had potential effect to improve the welfare of quails. Key words: Captive, Enrichment objects, Welfare, Quail. INTRODUCTION Quails are migratory birds they spend most of the time on the ground. Their normal habitat is farmland, where their call can be heard among the crops and pastures (Zucca et al., 2005). Rearing in cage may have a stress increasing effect on animals. Behaviors of quails in captive conditions do not reflect their behavior under more natural conditions. Domestication may have resulted in unnaturally aggressive male quail. Perhaps males only harass females when confined with them in a small space. Obviously, caution is required when extrapolating from domesticated to wild populations and from artificial to natural environments (Persaud and Galef, 2005). There may be serious welfare problems due to head-banging in domesticated quails reared in cages. Environmental Enrichment (EE) can be defined as the addition of one or more factors, improvement of behavioral capabilities of animals, hosted outside their natural environment, through modification of the environment and thus contributing to the development of animals biologically. (Newberry, 1995; Young, 2003). EE exerts beneficial effects on brain, behavior and cognition, for instance by affecting endocrinologic, immunologic, and neuroplastic parameters (Buscherta et al., 2016; Brenes et al., 2016). EE applications are often discussed within the context of welfare of animals hosted in cages (Wolfie, 2005). According to general opinion, EE, which could be created using different methods, plays an important role on the welfare of animals. EE primarily helps the animals to exhibit normal behavior patterns throughout the day. But the primary goal of environmental enrichment is to prevent abnormal behaviors of animals (Poggiagliolmia et al., 2011). The purpose of environmental enrichment (EE) is reduce the stress of animals and increase the welfare level of those (Laurence et al., 2015). EE not only improve locomotor activity by supporting it, but also can be expected to decrease the damages resulted from aggression of the animals, through these applications (Letzguß and Bessei, 2009). The use of some objects with enrichment purposes in cages can reduce social stress of animals (Tauson, 1998). EE programs are in advantage of animals in respect of efficiency, health and welfare as well as providing good management of stock farming and has the potential to develop these properties (Estevez, 2007). EE can be used to forestall, or for recovery from, induced behavioral disorders (Meehan et al., 2004). It was hypothesized that EE would reduce nervousness and stress and thus increase welfare level of quails. During this study, the quails were monitored without letting them out of their cages, for the purpose of interpreting their behaviors (Hawkins et al., 2001).The general purpose of this study, is to increase the welfare level Indian J. Anim. Res., 51 (3) 2017 : 541-548 Print ISSN:0367-6722 / Online ISSN:0976-0555