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STABILITY OF PIGEON BODY WEIGHT UNDER FREE‐FEEDING CONDITIONS
Author(s) -
Kangas Brian D.,
Branch Marc N.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.2006.40-06
Subject(s) - sexing , body weight , free access , zoology , quarantine , biology , computer science , ecology , endocrinology , world wide web
Increases in regulatory oversight of animal research require verification of effects of standard practices. There are no formal guidelines for establishing free‐feeding weights in adult pigeons. In the present study, pigeons were obtained from a commercial supplier, weighed upon arrival, and then held in quarantine for 7 days with free access to food. Subsequently, still with continuous access to food, they were weighed daily for 30 days. No significant changes in weights occurred over the 30‐day period for male pigeons, indicating that seven days is sufficient for establishing a baseline body weight. A secondary finding of higher day‐to‐day variability in the weights of female pigeons may serve as a method of sexing pigeons.