Poultry lighting knowledge
The reproduction of poultry is originally completely determined by seasonality. It is active in spring and summer and rests in autumn and winter. This pattern is caused by the daily sunshine time. If chickens receive more than 12 hours of sunlight every day, they will promote sexual maturity, and the part of the body that receives this light stimulation is the pituitary gland. Light enters the pituitary gland through the eyes and skull; even completely blind chickens can experience light stimulation.
When chickens switch from a natural short-day environment to artificially increased light (more than 12 hours a day), the chicken body produces a variety of hormones that promote reproduction, causing the development of ovaries or testicles. In the case of hens, their microscopically pale follicles gradually turn yellow (increase fat) and become larger. These follicles also secrete some estrogen, which is responsible for promoting maturation and production. At the same time, their livers also enlarge and enlarge. Its color changes from dark coffee to light brown. Because a large amount of yolk needs to be produced to supply follicles for development and maturation, the fat content of the liver increases and the color becomes lighter. Estrogen also increases the development of the reproductive tract, allowing the egg to quickly grow into a mature and shed yolk, and making the fallopian tube available for production. Egg. In fact, in addition to estrogen, hens also secrete some androgens, which work together to change the shape, size and color of the comb, and also make hens willing to accept male intimacy and mating.
Another issue that gets talked about a lot is light intensity. In fact, light intensity is the same as light duration, there is a minimum for stimulated chickens, the minimum day (light) duration is 12 hours. The minimum intensity of sunlight (light) is 10.8 lux or 1 candlepower. As long as the sunshine (light) time exceeds 12 hours and the intensity exceeds 1 candle, the chicken will be stimulated to become sexually mature. Of course, if you want to give the chicken more stimulation, the light time should be gradually extended, but the light intensity can still be maintained at 10.8 lux (1 candle).
So why do many people recommend a light intensity of 32 to 65 lux (3 to 6 candlepower) during labor? This is because, in modern intensive chicken houses, the amount of light a bulb should emit is often absorbed by ceilings, walls, equipment, appliances, etc. In addition, due to factors such as excessive light and dust in the chicken house, covering of the bulbs, aging of the bulbs, and illumination distance, the amount of light that actually reaches the ground is only about half. In addition, the distribution of light is always uneven; dark corners, under egg-laying boxes, etc. receive very little light. Many people paint chicken houses white to make the light reflect and distribute more evenly. In addition, using more light bulbs, each with a smaller wattage and evenly installed, can also increase the effect a lot.
Therefore, it is recommended that 32 to 65 lux is more practical and safe. However, stronger light does not lead to increased yields. On the contrary, extremely strong light can prompt chickens to develop aggressive, brutal, feather-pecking and other bad behaviors. Therefore, broilers that do not require sexual maturation have at most 1/2 candle; stronger light allows them to increase activity and burn calories, resulting in a poor feed-to-meat ratio. In the case of open chicken houses, the only way to reduce the light intensity is to apply black nylon mesh, which is not as effective as expected, but it is still a solution.
As mentioned above, the intensity of light that actually reaches the ground is only about half that of a light bulb. Therefore, when calculating the light bulb installation, the chicken house area should be x 2 to ensure sufficient light intensity. Example: The chicken house is 120 meters long, 12 meters wide, and has an area of 1,440 square meters. The light intensity required to raise chickens is 33 lux and each bulb is 100 watts (1600 lumens). How many bulbs are needed in a chicken house?
Answer: [1440×2×33]/1600=95040/1600=59.4≈60
That is, a total of 60 100-watt bulbs are needed. If two rows are installed, the distance between each bulb and the wall is: 120 – (4 + 4) = 112 (meters), 112 ÷ 30 = 3.7 ≈ 4 (meters)
If you want to calculate the light intensity of an existing chicken house, then: Lux = number of lights × lamp lumens / 2 × chicken house area * (square meters)
Calculated from the above example, 60×1600/2×1400=96000/2880=33 (lux)
Note: 1 lumen = 5.4 lux = 0.5 candlepower.
The lighting time of the chickens can only be increased (limited to 18 hours)
