Managing light in cage-free houses essential to performance

For breeders and layers, it is important to note that red spectrum wavelengths are critical to managing reproductive physiology.

Courtesy Salmet
Courtesy Salmet

"Lighting can be a powerful management tool for poultry," said Aaron Stephan, Ph.D., director of biological research with Once Inc. by Signify during the "Using light as a management tool to impact performance in layers and breeders" TechTalk on the International Production & Processing Expo Marketplace.

"In breeder and layer situations, especially those that involve freely moving birds like in aviaries and floor systems, additional challenges can be faced," he said.

Stephan said that there are four key aspects of lighting to consider for poultry to mitigate these challenges:

  1. Schedule — This is how the lighting should change as a function of the day or the age of the flock. The schedule includes photoperiod or the length of the day for every 24 hours. "Keeping the light cycle to a 24-hour schedule allows entrainment of birds biological circadian clock. This clock is the bird's body's way of knowing what time of day it is or what time of year it is," Stephan said.
  2. Spectrum — "Light spectrum is the entire mixture of light wavelengths that together are perceived as color," Stephan said.
  3. Intensity — This is a direct correlation to how bright the light is perceived by the birds.
  4. Distribution — The final aspect is how the light is distributed across the floor or within a system.

Spectrum wavelength critical to reproduction

For breeders and layers, it is important to note that red spectrum wavelengths are critical to managing reproductive physiology, explained Stephan. The red light can be perceived in two ways.

One way is through visual reception through the eye. The second way, however, is not visual and is sensed directly through the skull of the bird in specialized brain regions, Stephan explained. "These regions called the hypothalamus and pineal gland are responsible for perceiving photoperiod and thus setting the internal circadian clock. This, in turn, elicits the daily rhythmic production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates many biological responses," he said.

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