Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Performance of Intact Male Turkeys
| Autor: | C. Moinard, Catherine M.T. Sherwin, P. D. Lewis, G. C. Perry |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2000 |
| Předmět: |
Male
photoperiodism Litter (animal) Turkeys Behavior Animal Ultraviolet Rays Photoperiod Pecking order Foraging General Medicine Biology Straw Weight Gain Feed conversion ratio Eating Animal science Botany Animals Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena Animal Science and Zoology Flock Ultraviolet radiation |
| Zdroj: | Poultry Science. 79:850-855 |
| ISSN: | 0032-5791 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/ps/79.6.850 |
| Popis: | Ultraviolet (UV) sensitivity in birds has been shown to be intrinsically involved in the selection of mates; UV may, therefore, also play a role in the establishment and maintenance of social hierarchies in intensively housed turkeys. Cereal seeds and straw are known to reflect UV, and turkeys may use these cues for foraging and exploratory behaviors. A series of trials was conducted to see if supplementation of the photoperiod (12 h at various white light intensities) with UV radiation (0.06 to 0.16 W/m2 at floor level) and regular supplies of straw to the litter allow a better recognition of individuals within a flock, enrich the environment by the provision of new pecking material and of radiation across the whole range of avian sensitivity, and, as a consequence, reduce the incidence of injurious pecking in male turkeys that have not been beak-trimmed, detoed, or desnooded. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, and leg integrity were generally not significantly affected by UV supplementation and environmental enrichment. In contrast, the provision of UV radiation, simultaneous with a 12-h photoperiod of white light at intensities of70 lx to 5 wk and of 10 lx to 20 wk, and the regular addition of straw to the litter, significantly reduced the incidence of culling because of injurious pecking. However, complex interactions among UV supplementation, white light intensity, and material environmental enrichment precluded a simple recommendation to solve the problem of injurious pecking. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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