title: Stability of pigeon body weight under free-feeding conditions.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, P. O. Box 112250, Gainesville, FL 32611-2250, USA. kangas@ufl.edu
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kangas
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Branch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001835:Body Weight; D010856:Columbidae; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008297:Male