Chicken Water and Sand Bathing Behavior in an Outdoor Run

Direct observations and motion-camera video analysis from a pilot study on how chickens use open water and sand trays. The data includes counts of specific behaviors like waterbathing, sandbathing, and manipulation across 3 locations and 6 observation days. Author Margret Vonholdt-Wenker published the 130.4 KB dataset under a CC-BY-4.0 license in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Compare preference for water versus sand bathing based on the `tray_type` and behavior count columns.
• Analyze temporal patterns of chicken activity based on the `daytime` (morning/afternoon) observation variable.
• Validate direct observation data against motion detector camera records based on the two separate data files provided.
• Assess the frequency of specific comfort behaviors like `drinking` and `manipulation behaviour` in an outdoor environment.

Strengths

• Data is collected via two complementary methods: direct observation and motion-detector camera analysis.
• Behavior counts are provided for specific, defined activities like `waterbathing` and `sandbathing`.
• The dataset is small (130.4 KB) and likely easy to inspect and process.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for statistical modeling.
• The dataset's scope is limited, described as a pilot study with observations at 3 locations over 6 days.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and consistency require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Direct behavioral observations and analysis of videos from motion detector cameras.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-22 12:14:48; freshness should be verified.