Light emitting diode (LED) color and broiler growth: effect of supplementing blue/green LED to white LED light on broiler growth, stress, and welfare

Abstract

Light emitting diode ( LED ) lighting provides an affordable lighting option for use in commercial poultry production. However, more information is needed to understand the effects of LED color on broiler welfare and growth. Five consecutive flocks (1 in summer, 1 in fall, 2 in winter, and 1 in spring) of straight run Ross 708 × Ross 708 broilers were reared in commercial type barns for 45 D. For white only ( WO ) treatment, birds were reared under white LED only (Agrishift MLB). For white supplemented ( WS ) treatment, birds were reared under white LED (Agrishift MLB) in the center aisle, with supplemental blue/green LED lighting (Agrishift MLBg) above the feed and water lines on either side of the barn. Each barn housed 26,200 chicks, and there were 2 barns in each treatment (n = 52,400/treatment). Treatments were rotated among barns between each flock. On day 45, blood samples were collected from 20 birds/barn (n = 40/treatment) to assess the plasma corticosterone (CORT) level and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. On day 45, 100 birds/barn (n = 200/treatment) were weighed individually and assigned scores for hock burn and foot pad dermatitis. All measures were affected by trial ( P < 0.001). Plasma CORT and body weight were affected by the treatment × trial interaction ( P ≤ 0.001). Overall, birds in the WS treatment had higher day 45 live body weight ( P < 0.001) and lower hock burn scores ( P = 0.032) than birds in the WO treatment. Birds in the WS treatment had higher day 45 body weight overall ( P < 0.001) and in trials 1, 3, and 5, although the overall body weight was lower in trials 1, 3, and 5 than in trials 2 and 4. Supplemental blue/green LED improved hock burn scores and increased overall day 45 body weight. However, trial differences suggest that more data are needed to determine whether supplementing blue/green LED to white LED improves body weight gain in mixed sex broiler chickens.

Effects of LED Light Colors on the Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology, Cecal Short-Chain Fatty Acid Concentrations and Microbiota in Broilers

“…At the age of 42 days, the F/G of the BG group was significantly lower than that of other experimental groups, and the advantage of the BG group on the production performance of 42-day-old broilers was better than that of the W and G groups, which represents the advantage of blue-green composite light to reduce F/G and improve broiler performance. It has been shown that combining the advantages of monochromatic light can affect the growth of broilers [11,21]. Similarly, the blue-green composite light selected in this experiment realized the growth promotion of broilers.…”

“…The current research showed that blue light and green light are more conducive to the growth of the broilers because green or blue light can significantly promote the myogenic process of satellite cells [9,10]. In addition to monochromatic light, the study of combined monochromatic light showed that white LED supplemental blue/green LED or switching light from green (blue) to blue (green) leads to further weight gain in broilers [11,12].…”

LED Light Applied to the Feeder: Impact on Growth Performances of Chickens under Productive Conditions

“…Satisfactory results using white LED light on chicks were reported [8], whereas another study reported no effect on body weight [28]. In more recent research, the different white LED light colors increased activity when compared to blue or green light, showing that light color has an impact on the chick's behavior [29].…”

Impact of led lighting color on productive and behavioral characteristics of the broiler chickens

“…Moreover, broilers chickens reared under blue and green monochromatic light experienced increased BW compared to broilers exposed to white or red light [22][23][24][25]. Moreover, Nelson, et al [26] found that Ross 708 broilers reared under white LED supplemented with blue/green light had higher overall day 45 live body weight than birds reared under only white LED light.…”