Potential for Midnight Lighting to Influence Development of Growing Leghorn Pullets

Leeson, S.; Caston, L. J.; Summers, J. D.

doi:10.1093/japr/12.3.306

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The lighting program commonly used is the continuous lighting program of 16 hours light and 8 hours darkness and it has proven successful for overall chicken performance [15,[48][49][50]. However, it has been reported that alternating short light and dark period known as intermittent lighting enhances chicken performance [16,[51][52][53][54]. The continuous lighting program with a minimum light intensity of 20 lux is recommended at post-hatch stage (1-7 days old) to help the chick adapt to their environment and aid feeding [41].…”

Section: Lightingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poultry Housing and Management

Oloyo¹,

Ojerinde²

2020

Poultry - An Advanced Learning

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Majority of the people in the poorest regions of the tropics rely on poultry production as their major source of protein supply. However, poultry production is hindered by the harsh environmental conditions in this regions therefore, reducing the daily supply of protein. It is believed that understanding heat stress in birds by paying detail attention to the sources of heat generation in a poultry house can help manage the heat stress situation in this region. This text reviews the internal climatic conditions of the poultry houses, how the birds respond to them, and their implications for heat management in poultry production. Thus, it provides pertinent information for guidance on parameters for open poultry houses architectural design that ensures optimum climatic conditions that will alleviate heat stress problem in poultry production in hot and humid climate.

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Section: Lightingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poultry Housing and Management

Oloyo¹,

Ojerinde²

2020

Poultry - An Advanced Learning

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“…Introducing 2 h midnight lighting (ML, 2 h + 12 h) late in the growing period (12-18 wk) also induced early maturity and had the least egg production (302) from 18 to 70 wk, whereas providing 2 h ML from 0-18 wk resulted in the greatest number of eggs (317), and ML given only from 0-12 wk of age had the effect of delaying maturity and produced a middling number of eggs (310-312) [58]. However, the midnight lighting treatments had quite minor effects on the growth and feed intake of pullets according to another study by the same authors [59].…”

Section: Light Durationmentioning

confidence: 91%

Effects of Key Farm Management Practices on Pullets Welfare—A Review

Qin

Liu

et al. 2022

Animals

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Studies on animal behavior and welfare have reported that improving the management practices of pullets can enhance their growth, as well as their physical and mental condition, thus benefiting the productivity of laying hens. There is growing confidence in the international community to abandon the conventional practices of “cage-rearing and beak-trimming” to improve the welfare of chickens. Therefore, in this review, we summarized some of the effective poultry management practices that have provided welfare benefits for pullets. The results are as follows: 1. Maintaining similar housing conditions at different periods alleviates fear and discomfort among pullets; 2. Pullets reared under cage-free systems have better physical conditions and temperaments than those reared in cage systems, and they are more suitable to be transferred to similar housing to lay eggs; 3. Improving flock uniformity in appearance and body size has reduced the risk of pecking and injury; 4. Maintaining an appropriate population (40–500 birds) has reduced flock aggressiveness; 5. A combination of 8–10 h of darkness and 5–30 lux of light-intensity exposure via natural or warm white LED light has achieved a welfare–performance balance in pullets. (This varies by age, strain, and activities.); 6. Dark brooders (mimicking mother hens) have alleviated fear and pecking behaviors in pullets; 7. The air quality of the chicken house has been effectively improved by optimizing feed formulation and ventilation, and by reducing fecal accumulation and fermentation; 8. Complex environments (with litter, perches, straw bales, slopes, platforms, outdoor access, etc.) have stimulated the activities of chickens and have produced good welfare effects. In conclusion, the application of comprehensive management strategies has improved the physical and mental health of pullets, which has, in turn, improved the quantity and quality of poultry products.

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