Lighting in Poultry Production

Light's impact on egg production
The amount and quality of light that birds experience each day affects how many eggs they produce. Through the optic nerve, light stimulates the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland to produce FSH and LH. Additionally, light energy passes through feathers, skin, and the skull. The ovarian follicles expand more quickly as a result of FSH. The release of the ovum occurs when it reaches maturity thanks to LH.

Important information about light

Between 400 and 700 nanometers (nanometer) in wavelength observable by eye
Longer visible light wavelengths (Red) have a greater ability to enter the brain than shorter wavelengths.
Due to the sun's position, the light's intensity changed.
Cloudiness
airborne dust and moisture
Because of how the earth is positioned in relation to the sun, the length of the day Constantly fluctuates.
The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is June 21, while the shortest day is December 21. (In southern hemisphere it is reversed)
Due to the curvature of the earth's surface, day light begins 15 to 30 minutes before dawn and darkness begins 15 to 30 minutes after sunset, lasting somewhat longer than the hours between sunrise and sunset. However, the period of time between dawn and sunset is known as the "bright day."

Terms used in connection with light
Candela (Candle)
A candela is the unit of luminous intensity of a light source in a specified direction

Lumen

The lumen is defined as the rate at which light falls on a square foot area surface which is equally distant one foot from a source whose intensity is one candela.

Foot-candle

Illumination on a surface is measured in foot-candles. A foot candle is defined as the intensity of light striking each and every point on a segment of the inside surface of an imaginary one-foot radius sphere with a one candlepower source at the center. Thus one foot candle equals one lumen per square foot.

Lux
A lux of light intensity is equal to one lumen per square foot.
1 foot candle = 10.76 lux

varieties of light
There are four types of lighting that are frequently used in poultry houses:

Low-cost incandescent lighting requires reflectors and has a short bulb life (750-1000 hrs)
Fluorescent bulbs have a 3 to 4 times higher energy efficiency and a 10 times longer lifespan than incandescent bulbs.
Long life (24,000 hours); takes a while to warm up; unable to be used in homes with low ceilings.
More energy-efficient lighting is compact fluorescent (CF) lighting. For the same amount of light, only one-fifth of the energy of fluorescent lighting is required (lumen)

light control
The effectiveness of the lights in the poultry house depends on how they are placed. The following are some key considerations for replacing bulbs in poultry houses:

The space between bulbs has to be 112 times that between the bulb and the bird's level.
Only half of the space between bulbs should separate them from the house's exterior.
In a cage arrangement, the lights must be positioned such that their rays strike both the food and the birds.
Clean reflectors, compared to no reflector, boost the light intensity at bird level by 50%.
Avoid using cone-shaped reflectors since they concentrate the light's beams in a small space. It is preferable to utilize flat reflectors with rounded edges.
When using a deep litter system, the bulb should be put at a height of 7-8', however in a cage, it should be kept in the aisle.
In open homes, avoid hanging lights with a cord.
Compared to clean bulbs, really filthy bulbs emit around a third less light.
Every two weeks, light bulbs should be cleaned.

impacts of light throughout the growth season
During the growth season, a reduction in the duration of the light day will

age at sexual maturity should be raised
More eggs should be deposited during the early part of the egg cycle (but not in total number of eggs laid)
Expand the size of the initial eggs that are laid.
A maximum of three weeks may pass before sexual maturity is delayed by light limitation alone. We may postpone things for up to 4 weeks if we combine feed restriction with light restriction.

impact of light during the laying period
Birds raised in more daylight lay more eggs as a result of the pituitary's secretion of FSH and LH. The generation of eggs is also influenced by light intensity. Under real-world circumstances, layer homes need light intensity of 1 foot candles. A minimum light intensity of 0.5 foot candles is required on the bottom deck in a multi-duck cage system. During the peak egg-producing season, 16 hours of light are required for optimal egg production. Egg production is negatively impacted when photoperiod is reduced during the laying period. It is possible to provide artificial light in the morning, the evening, or both.

programs that combine growing and laying lights
There are two crucial considerations for lighting:

For developing pullets, the duration of the light day shouldn't ever increase.
For laying pullets, the duration of the light day should never go shorter.
flocks in season
In-season flocks refer to birds that are developed while the duration of the natural light day is shortening, at least in the last stages of their growth cycle. Chicks that hatch in the Northern Hemisphere between March 1 and August 31 are often referred to as in-season flocks.‘

In-season flocks
Out-season flocks refer to chicks that hatch between September 1 and February 28 because their growth phase coincides with longer daylight hours.

a) Seasonal flock: developing and laying light programs in open-sided buildings
Up until 20 weeks, no artificial lighting is required (in case of meat-type breeders 22 weeks). Increase the light to 13 hours at the age of 20 weeks. Then increase by 1 hour each week until there are 16 hours of light.

Out-of-season flock
Two approaches may be used.

I A continuous light-day schedule
Prior to the pullets reaching the age of 20 weeks, ascertain the duration of the longest day with natural light. By adding natural light to artificial light from the third day to the end of the 20-week term, maintain this amount of daylight hours every day. Then increase the amount of light by 1 hour at this point and by 1 hour each week until there are a total of 16 hours of light.

ii) A shorter daytime program
Find out how many natural daylight hours there are overall when the pullets are 20 weeks old. Then, add seven hours. This reflects the duration of the third day's light day. After that, cut the light day by 20 minutes per week. Increase the light day by one hour at the age of 20 weeks. Then raise it by an hour each week until there are 16 hours of light every day.

Photo-refractoriness
When a bird is photo-refractorily affected, it is unable to react to lengthy day durations. The sooner and more extreme the drop in egg production owing to photo-refractoriness, the longer the stimulating day.

Programs for ephemeral lighting
We may refer to an ahemeral lighting cycle when the sum of the periods of light and dark does not equal 24 hours. Both longer days (14 hours of light and 14 hours of darkness) and shorter days (11 hours of light and 11 hours of dark) exist. A longer day cycle improves the quality of the egg shell, but a shorter day cycle boosts egg output by 2%. These cycles, however, need light-proof homes and are incompatible with the typical workday.

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