The effects of light intensity and light source on injuries due to peckingof male domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)

It has been shown that in small groups of intact male domestic turkeys, sup plementary ultraviolet (W-A) radiation, visual barriers, and added straw (e nvironmental enrichment) minimize the incidence of injurious pecking under incandescent light at 5 lux. This paper describes two experiments, each inv olving eight groups of 100 non beak-trimmed birds up to 5 weeks of age, tha t assessed the effectiveness of these procedures at higher light intensitie s and with fluorescent light. Experiment 1 examined 5 or 10 lux of incandes cent or fluorescent light. Experiment 2 studied responses to 5 10, 36 or 70 lux of fluorescent light. Individual inspections of the birds, for wing, t ail and head injuries due to pecking, were conducted daily. Fluorescent light significantly reduced the incidence of tail injuries (P = 0.03), and tended to reduce those to the wings (P = 0.08), compared with i ncandescent light. No difference was observed between 5 and 10 lux for eith er tail or wing injuries. In Experiment 2, the incidence of tail and wing i njuries was significantly and positively correlated with light intensity (t ail, P = 0.05; wing, P = 0.02). Injuries to the head were minimal in all tr eatments. These results suggest that turkey poults may be kept with minimal injurious pecking, under fluorescent light at an intensity of 10 lux, with appropriate environmental enrichment.