STEVENS - PIMK-BACKED PELICAN



113



Photo Michelle Stevens



The pelican nesting platforms at Longleat Safari Park.



Discussion


There was quite a difference in the average weight gains achieved using

each of the different diets listed in Table 1 (see second graph p. 114). Diet C

produced the best daily weight gain. There appeared to be a loss of weight at

day 25, but on checking the records this seems to have been due to the fact

that it had regurgitated fish on day 23 and had not eaten enough on day 24

to make up for this loss. The high overall weight gain may have been due to

the inclusion of day-old chicks (which tend to be a high fat source of food)

from an early age. The second best weight gain was achieved using Diet E,

Longleat’s current diet, followed by Diet B. Diet B (1998) was replaced

by Diet D in 2001. This may have been due to the unavailabiity of certain

items of food, but the results show there was a distinct difference in growth

rates. They also suggest that this diet was detrimental to the chicks’ health,

as all four hand-reared to adulthood had a calcium deficiency problem. I

believe this was due to the fact that the Avimix powder was mixed with

water and administered via a syringe. Avimix is not water soluble so it is

questionable whether the chicks got enough of this supplement, especially

as chicks drink varying amounts of water each day. Placing twigs in the nest

bowls and crates has also proved beneficial in preventing foot deformities.



