High resolution locomotor time series in Japanese quail in a home-cage environment over a 6.5 day period (quail # 11 - group 1)

Each data point represents a 0.5s time interval (xi) in which the quail could either been ambulating (xi=1) or immobile (xi=0), over a 6.5 day period .The total number of data points is approximately 1.070.000. This time series has been shown to present both a fractal pattern, as well as ultradian and circadian rhythms. This is the data from quail number 11, of the first experimental group. In this experiment as a whole, the locomotor activity of 24 adult females quail (100-140 days old) was evaluated in a home-cage environment in a white wooden box measuring 40 x 40 x 40 cm (width x length x height, respectively) with a wire mesh floor. A metal bar wall divided the box in two same-size zones (feeding, nesting), and an opening served as a door allowing the bird to move freely between compartments. A video camera that automatically switched to infrared recording after lights were turned off was suspended 1.5m above the box. It was connected to a computer in an adjacent room and could be accessed remotely by experimenters. Testing began at approximately 1:00 PM, when 12 quail were placed in a box, and transported to a nearby experimental room. Each bird was then placed individually in the feeding zone of one of the boxes. During the following 6.5 days, the birds’ locomotor activity was continuously recorded. Testing ended at 9 PM the 7th day. Daily maintenance activities (egg collection, cleaning and feeding) were performed between 12 and 12:30 PM; the activity during this period was not included in time series, which in total implied a loss of 2% from the data set. Since only 12 birds could be tested simultaneously, two consecutive groups of 12 individuals were evaluated (group 1 and group 2). We used the commercially available ANY-MAZE@ computer program to register locomotion at 0.5 s intervals (xi). The locomotor time series (1.07e6 time intervals) of each bird was obtained by assigning a number one (xi = 1) if during the interval the bird was ambulating, or a zero (xi = 0) if immobile.