Lighting for poultry: what do you need to consider?
"Chickens can also perceive light via their skulls, which means that even a 'blind' chicken may sense the length of daylight periods and, consequently, seasonal variations. The importance of proper illumination cannot be overstated when dealing with chickens.
BENWEI is pleased to announce the availability of a 48-volt lighting installation option for our systems. Installation is made more simpler as a result, as stated by BENWEI, which states that "at 24 volts, 18 LED lamps can be linked together, and at 48 volts, this can be up to 50 lamps." This reduces the expense of the installation, and we can always position the power sources in an area that is not accessible to the birds. Dimmability is a standard control in our industry, and the 0-10 volt power supply come with this feature already built in.
Why is it vital for poultry to have lighting?
"You may imitate nature by manipulating the lighting. This is accomplished in our systems to the best of their abilities, and we offer guidance regarding the overall lighting strategy for the house. We find a solution to the farmer's predicament. Lighting is of the utmost significance in this."
When it comes to lighting in a poultry house, the intensity of the light and the dispersion of the light are of the utmost importance. It is imperative that there be not a lot of stark differences between the light and dark in the house, since if a chicken sees a dark nook, there is a possibility that she will lay an egg there.
"Our lamps each come equipped with a unique diffuse foil that optimises the way light is dispersed around the room. This manner, we can ensure that the light intensity at the animal level is correct and equal; 30-35 lux is sufficient for each hen. We secure the light to our system in such a way that it prevents the tubes from twisting. Because of this, we are able to confirm without a doubt that the light display will not alter.
When lighting a poultry house, what other considerations need to be given your attention?
"The light spectrum is also highly essential; it is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to an animal such as a chicken. The world through the eyes of a chicken is not the same as the world through the eyes of a person. We take that into consideration when designing our lights, and we mimic the colour spectrum that the chicken is exposed to.
"Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that the light may be dimmed from one hundred percent to zero percent to imitate the onset of dusk, which will allow you to coax the animals back into the system. The hen then has the intuition that it is time for it to retire for the night.
When the sun goes down in the natural world, the hen will search for a secure place to sleep in the branches of a tree. This is the behaviours that one would expect from it. We imitate this with the lighting inside the coop, and when the hen is looking for a spot to sleep, she travels higher up in the system. This eliminates the potential for floor eggs, so we are effectively killing two birds with one stone. Obviously not in the literal sense."
Therefore, you ought to make an effort to imitate nature.
"Indeed. Another crucial factor is the colour temperature, often known as the Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT). The light will appear to be warmer if the colour temperature is lower. This may appear to be a contradiction, but are you familiar with the term "white hot"? That's the origin of the word right there. The temperature of a colour is measured in degrees Kelvin, which shows the correlation between the temperature of a piece of metal and the light it produces. Colour temperature is expressed as a number. Our lamps have a very tranquil colour temperature that is a warm white colour, which is the colour that most nearly reflects the spectrum that is present in nature at sunrise and sunset.
It is important that the light in a chicken house does not flicker because you do not want a strobe effect. However, as a human being, you are not always able to judge this correctly: a human being is only capable of detecting flickering up to 30 kHz, whereas a chicken is capable of detecting up to 200 kHz. The improper lights might produce for an unsettled atmosphere, so we make sure that ours adhere to the recommended frequency of 200 kHz.
What kind of assistance can we give farmers in terms of lighting in their chicken coops?
The lighting plan serves as the basis for our recommendations to farmers. This provides a description of the lighting scheme, as well as the position of the lamps and the intended intensity at animal level. This is because, in order to achieve the best possible outcomes, you need to adapt the illumination to the daily routines, such as determining when to feed the birds and when to open and shut the nests.
"Light is an important part of the process of creating a good environment for the chicken as well as for our customers so that they can present themselves in the best possible way."
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