USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announced the completion of a funded research project at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del., comparing different light technologies for broiler production. The project is part of the association's comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing.
Dr. Eric Benson and a team of researchers at the University of Delaware compared incandescent lamps, light-emitting diodes (LED) and cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) for their effect on various growth parameters of broilers. Significant differences were seen in overall body weights between different types of lamps. Body weights were statistically similar for two types of LED lamps and incandescent lamps but statistically lower for CCFL lamps. No statistical differences were seen for breast weight, feed conversion or organ weights. The two LED lamps evaluated in this study can be expected to provide significantly reduced energy consumption compared to standard incandescent lamps and warrant careful consideration for production applications in broilers.
A detailed summary of the completed project is online.
