MANAGEMENT ▶▶▶


Lighting considerations for commercial broilers


Farmers have to be on top of many parameters in broiler growing. Lighting programmes, however, are often overlooked. Cobb broiler specialist Brendan Graaf shares his thoughts with Poultry World on how to improve lighting conditions in commercial broiler operations.


BY FABIAN BROCKÖTTER S Age


0 days old 1 day-old


130 to 180g or 7 days old


uccessful broiler production is often characterised as providing a stable environment from hatching to processing, so that the full genetic potential for growth, yield and feed conversion can be realised.


Environmental conditions include those associated with tem- perature, humidity, and air flow, as well as nutrition and feed form. Although often taken for granted, lighting conditions are another environmental factor that can influence broiler flock performance. This article reviews some of the best prac- tices associated with broiler lighting programmes, along with their effects on bird health and overall flock productivity. Lighting programmes are more often associated with breeder


Table 1 – An example of a standard lighting programme for broiler production in the UK.


Hours of dark* Hours of light* Change in hours of dark 0 1 6


0


Rearing 6 Five days before processing Four days before processing Three days before processing Two days before processing One day before processing


5 4 3 2 1


23 18 18 19 20 21 22 23


0


+1 +5 0


-1 -1 -1 -1


-10


* Refer to local regulations for lighting program compliance with minimum and maximum hours of light and dark per 24 hour period.


30 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 5, 2020


flock management but can also play a significant role in max- imising broiler performance and welfare. Brendan Graaf, broiler specialist at Cobb Europe, confirms that there are many different lighting programmes that can be applied in broiler rearing. “Many recommendations for lighting programmes when rearing broilers are region-specif- ic and not relevant to other parts of the world. When deciding on a lighting programme broiler producers need to consider their environmental conditions, housing type and overall pro- duction objectives”. Light as an environmental factor for broil- ers consists of three main parameters: intensity, duration (photoperiod) and wavelength (colour).


Promote bird activity Broiler producers will understand that it is essential for broiler chicks to start well by achieving free access to feed and water during the first 5-7 days post-hatch. Providing the correct light duration, intensity and distribution during this period will help promote bird activity, thus allowing for optimum feed and water consumption, digestive, skeletal and immune system development; all of which will contribute to a healthy flock, and thus ideal welfare outcomes. “In our standard lighting programme (Table 1) we recom- mend providing chicks with 24 hours of light on the day of placement to ensure the newly-placed chicks locate feed and water and to maximise intake by encouraging chick activity,” Graaf continues. A period of darkness is a natural requirement for all animals. However, longer periods of darkness early post-placement have been shown to prevent regular access to feed, resulting in reduced intake thereby limiting growth. “We would recommend introducing 1 hour of rest (dark) from day 1 until the chicks reach a bodyweight of 130- 180 grammes (g) or 7 days of age. This will allow adequate nutrient intake and growth during brooding, while the short rest period will help improve feed conversion, reduce mortali- ty and skeletal defects, as well as increase melatonin produc- tion which aids immune system development,” he adds. It is important to note that once the off-time for the lights has been set, this must never change for the life of the birds. They


PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK


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