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Did you know that if your bird does not get enough sunlight, it can drastically affect its health? Or, if you are breeding birds, incorrect lighting will completely throw off their breeding cycles? We didn’t know any of this when we first started breeding. And once we put this into practice, the difference was amazing! I sure wish someone had told us about this earlier!

ABOUT PROPER LIGHTING

When I say “light”, I am not talking about the light coming from a lamp or light fixture. Birds require “full spectrum” lighting. This is completely different than the sunlight wild birds are used to.

The importance of full spectrum lighting was first discovered by Dr. John Ott while doing time lapse photography of the development of pumpkin seeds. He noticed that when he switched from using cool white light bulbs to fluorescent tubes, he got the complete opposite effect from the plants. He discovered that he could vary the sources of light and get different results, many times drastically improving the growth of the plant. He went on to research this. He discovered that fluorescent bulbs did not produce the entire spectrum of light, leaving out Ultra Violate and other bands. The key was to try and duplicate the light waves generated from sunlight. This led to the development of a true full spectrum light bulb, and later developments improved the length of life to the bulbs.

His invention of the full-spectrum light bulb (named the “Ott” light) was introduced to the poultry industry, resulting in increased egg production, healthier birds, and larger eggs that had stronger shells. Further research proved that full spectrum lighting recreates the light-environment birds have in the wild, and had tremendous health value for birds, plants, and humans.

BENEFITS TO BIRDS

When properly used, you will notice a huge difference with your birds. Their feathers look better, as full spectrum light shows the true colors of the bird. Their health and demeanor improve, because many of the bird’s health and behavior instincts are directly affected. And the heat the light produces can benefit the bird if it’s feeling ill, or if the room is normally cool.

Full spectrum lights also generate ultra violate bands of light (UVA and UVB) which are crucial to the health and development of animals. UV light kills many forms of germs and bacteria that are on the bird’s skin and feathers. It is also necessary in the development of Vitamin D3 synthesis. For breeders, full spectrum lighting is needed to trigger behavioral instincts.

Birds are capable of distinguishing UV light in two ways. Their eyes have tetrachromatic vision, allowing them to see UV light. They also “sense” light through their Harderian Gland. This gland passes information onto the pineal gland and the pituitary gland, effecting a wide range of metabolisms in the bird. Through instinct, the bird knows that if there is a certain amount of sunlight each day, it’s breeding season. By using full spectrum lightbulbs, breeders can extend the daylight on the bird, and thus extend the length of their breeding cycles.

WHY ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING?

Normal windows block out many of the lightbands, especially low level UVB light. The bird is not benefiting from the full spectrum of light if the only source is sunlight through a window.

There are several methods of supplying full spectrum lighting. There are light stands and clamp on fixtures that can be placed near the case. Larger aviaries use fluorescent bulb fixtures in the ceiling to light large numbers of cages. They also have these lights set to timers to ensure between 12-16 hours of light daily.

For small cages, there are many flat panel lights that lay on top of the cage. These are popular with breeders of finches and small parakeets, as they are used in bird shows to bring out the colors of the birds being displayed.

The use of full spectrum lighting is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your bird’s health and demeanor. It’s a small investment but will have lots of benefits throughout the birds life.