Providing proper lighting is something that also has come a long way into entering the consciousness of the birdkeeping public. While often unsure of the reason, many responsible bird owners have made allowances which provide their feathered charges with either additional sunlight, or a source of full spectrum lighting. It is in this area that several old, and a few new myths and misconceptions are to be found. Entering the new millennium, it is time to discard old concepts and move forward. To be found in this article are three of the most hotly debated issues of lighting today.
Some people think that Vitamin D is part of the rays in sunshine.
Therefore, common wisdom has said that given a few hours a day of full spectrum light, birds will be healthful and happy. The rest is a myth. To properly understand the truth of this, the reader must bear along for a few moments of technical discussion, and examine exactly how Vitamin D is synthesized in animals. In most birds, the preen gland collects the raw pre-D from the bloodstream, and concentrates it in the gland oils. These are then exposed to sunlight by spreading on the feathers during preening.