Effects of Low-Altitude Aircraft Overflights on Domestic Turkey Poults
Abstract
This study involved a series of experiments on the effects of aircraft overflights and simulated overflight noise on commercial meat turkeys. Experiments sought to quantify the relation between sound characteristics of overflights and turkey responses, to determine how rapidly naive turkeys habituate, to determine whether simulated aircraft noise is an adequate model for real aircraft, and to measure effects of chronic worst-case exposure on weight-gain, mortality and carcass quality in turkeys reared under commercial conditions. Results found that turkeys habituate very rapidly to both actual and simulated aircraft noise of high amplitude; that the most useful predictor of responses appeared to be the sound exposure level; that there were no marked differences between the exposures to actual overflights versus simulated aircraft noise; that turkeys exposed to chronic worst-case grew at the same rate vs. controls, but had some behavioral differences and were somewhat more difficult to handle; and that some loss was observed due to picking in the experimental group. (emk)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA229797
Entities
People
- Ann E. Bowles
- Cynthia Book
- Francine Bradley
Organizations
- BBN Technologies