Light intensity and housing for pigeons.

Abstract

Four light intensities were used in completely enclosed pigeon housed for 14 hours per 24 hours. Open front pens with only natural light were also used. There were four pens per treatment and five pairs of young, breeding age, White Carneaux per pen for 420 days. Results per treatment, 16, 30, 44 and 61 lumens per sq. m. and open pens, were respectively as follows for each objective: squabs raised-252, 220, 288, 203, and 212 with no significant differences except for the 44 lumen treatment which was higher than all others except 16; body wt./squab in g.-522, 526, 522, 508, and 531 at four weeks of age with no significant differences; feed per squab in kg.-4.7, 5.3, 4.5, 5.5, and 5.1 with only a significant difference between treatments 44 and 61 lumens; percent hatchability-89.7, 82.1, 89.6, 78.0, and 82.9 with no significant differences; percent squabs raised-93.7, 88.7, 97.9, 91.0, and 89.5 with no significant differences. The average number of squabs raised per treatment for all enclosed artifically lighted pens was 241 compared to 212 for the open pens with only natural light.