Light is a component of an animal's habitat that is frequently disregarded despite its significance. Light has an effect on the growth, reproduction, and behaviour of animals, in addition to offering them the ability to view their surroundings.
BEING AWARE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH LIGHT AFFECTS BIRDS
In order to create an efficient lighting plan for your poultry house, it is essential to have a solid understanding of how birds perceive and react to light.
There are many different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that make up the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes light as one of its components. Microwaves, radio waves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays, and gamma rays are all components of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are also known as electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation that is visible to people is at wavelengths that are visible to them. We perceive visible light as colours, and the wavelength of each colour is what determines its appearance.
There are three elements that influence how an animal reacts to light. In this context, wavelength, intensity, and duration are the relevant elements. Light's colour is determined by its wavelength, as was previously explained. Violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red are the colours that make up visible light, organised from the shortest wavelength to the longest wavelength. Violet is the colour with the shortest wavelength. The luminance of the light is referred to as its intensity. The number of hours that an animal is exposed to light in a single day is referred to as its duration. Birds have a heightened sensitivity to wavelengths that lie outside of the visible light spectrum for humans. Chickens have the ability to discern wavelengths of light that we would not be able to see, whereas we might consider two different light sources to be the same. Because of this, it is possible that the hens will behave differently depending on which light source they are exposed to.
Light is detected by birds in two different ways: first, through the retinas of their eyes, and second, through the photosensitive cells in their brains, which are known as extraretinal receptors. It is necessary for the light to get through the bird's skin and skull in order for the extraretinal receptors to function properly and sense light. In comparison to shorter wavelengths, longer wavelengths (which are closer to the red end of the spectrum) are able to penetrate the skull and skin with greater efficiency. The effects of various wavelengths on birds are distinct from one another. The retinal receptors are able to detect short wavelengths, which have an effect on both growth and behaviour. The process of reproduction, on the other hand, is associated with extraretinal receptors and, hence, long wavelengths. It has also been claimed that blue light has a relaxing impact on birds, and that red light can lessen feather plucking and cannibalism. Both of these effects have been observed in many birds. The effect of blue-green light on growth has been demonstrated, whereas the effect of orange-red light
on reproduction has been demonstrated.
SOURCE OF LIGHT WORKING CHOICE
The type of lamp, the quantity of lights, and the placement of the lamps are all important factors to take into consideration when developing a lighting plan for your chicken house.
In poultry houses, the incandescent bulb is the sort of lamp that is utilised the longest and most frequently. An electrical current is passed through a thin tungsten filament in an incandescent bulb, which causes the filament to heat up and shine. This results in the bulb producing electrical light. Incandescence is the term used to describe the glowing that occurs as a result of a high temperature; this is where the bulb gets its name. Each and every visible light spectrum is encompassed by the light that is created. Because a significant portion of the energy that is generated by the electrical current is transformed into heat energy, the incandescent bulb is extremely inefficient in terms of energy consumption.
As the cost of energy continues to rise, poultry houses are increasingly turning to alternate light sources as a means of adequate illumination. Of these possibilities, the fluorescent bulb is the one that is used the most frequently. Luminous light is generated by fluorescent lamps through the process of sending an electrical current through a low-pressure vapour or gas that is contained within the bulb. Phosphor material, which is coated on the inside of the lamp, is responsible for absorbing the UV light that is emitted there. The substance that is composed of phosphor then fluoresces, which means that it emits electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths that are visible to the human eye. There is a correlation between the sort of coating that is utilised and the wavelengths that are emitted. The cost of fluorescent lights is more than that of incandescent bulbs; nevertheless, they have a longer lifespan and consume less electrical energy. While you are contemplating the use of fluorescent lights, it is essential to keep the following vital considerations in mind:
Therefore, in the event that cannibalism becomes an issue, the light in the poultry house cannot be muted because many fluorescent lamps do not have dimming capabilities.
When the temperature is extremely low, fluorescent bulbs might not function well and may not function at all in rare cases.
It is essential to consider the type of fluorescent lamp. In order to continue production, hens require warm-white fluorescent lamps in order to obtain the appropriate spectral output, which includes a greater amount of orange and red. Cool-white bulbs, which are concentrated in the blue-green wavelengths, are beneficial to chicks from a health perspective.
In recent times, a number of new Light Emitting Dioxide (LED) lights have become available for purchase. When LED lights were initially introduced, they were quite pricey, and in some instances, they did not keep up or function very well in the environmental conditions that are typical of poultry breeding facilities. Some of these early issues have been resolved in the LEDs that are currently available in commercial grade devices. In addition to being dimmable, LED lights offer a high degree of lighting homogeneity. On the topic of using LEDs for grill house illumination, Auburn University has produced a publication that is of high quality.
An INTENSITY OF LIGHT
The lumens of output are the units of measurement for all light intensity. The United States of America makes use of footcandles to measure the lumens at bird level, which indicates the number of lumens per square foot present. Lux (lumens per square metre) is the unit of measurement that is utilised in nations that employ metric units of measurement rather than footcandles. The equivalent of one footcandle is approximately 10.76 lux.
You need to make sure that the quantity of bulbs and their placement are appropriate in order to ensure that the light intensity is consistent throughout your poultry house. When it comes to adjusting the level of light intensity, it is essential to be aware that fluorescent bulbs can lose up to twenty percent of the light output they initially produced over the course of their lifetime. When deciding where to place the lights, this aspect should be taken into consideration if you are utilising fluorescent lighting. In addition, lamps that are dusty transmit less light, which is another reason why you should clean all of your lamps on a regular basis.
Generally speaking, a high level of light intensity is not required, and it may in fact cause birds to get stressed, which can lead to an increase in the number of instances of feather pecking and cannibalism. When it comes to brooding, the standard requirement is two footcandles, and after that, half a footcandle is required.
CONCEPTUALISING A PROGRAMME FOR LIGHTING
Lighting programs are the term used to describe the number of hours of light that are distributed throughout the day. This is of utmost significance for laying hens, the behaviour of which is determined by the total number of hours of light that are present in a day. The lengthening of the days, which occurs naturally in the spring, causes hens to reach their sexual maturity, which in turn causes pullets to produce eggs and cockerels to produce sperm. Egg and sperm production are both reduced as the length of the day is shortened, which is a normal occurrence in the autumn. It is possible to keep laying hens in production throughout the winter by adjusting the number of hours of light that are available each day and supplementing this with artificial light for additional illumination.
The primary purpose of lighting programs for meat birds is to stimulate and manage the amount of feed that the birds consume.
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