The behaviour of broiler chickens in different light sources and illuminances

Kristensen, H. H.; Prescott, N. B.; Perry, G. C.; Ladewig, Jan; Ersbøll, Annette Kjær; Overvad, Katja C.; Wathes, C. M.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.017

Cited by 116 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Kristensen et al (2007) found no broilers feeding or drinking during an 8-hour uninterrupted dark (0 lux) at 2 or 6 weeks of age. Savory (1980) reported that fowl did not feed during 8 h periods of darkness, but they did feed during 6 h or shorter dark periods, suggesting that they perceive multiple periods of darkness differently.…”

Section: Daily Time Spentmentioning

confidence: 96%

Assessment of lighting needs by W-36 laying hens via preference test

Xin

Zhao

et al. 2016

animal

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Light intensity, spectrum and pattern may affect laying hen behaviors and production performance. However, requirements of these lighting parameters from the hens' standpoint are not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate hens' needs for light intensity and circadian rhythm using a light tunnel with five identical compartments each at a different fluorescent light intensity of <1, 5, 15, 30 or 100 lux. The hens were able to move freely among the respective compartments. A group of four W-36 laying hens (23 to 30 weeks of age) were tested each time, and six groups or replicates were conducted. Behaviors of the hens were continuously recorded, yielding data on daily time spent, daily feed intake, daily feeding time, and eggs laid under each light intensity and daily inter-compartment movement. The results show that the hens generally spent more time in lower light intensities. Specifically, the hens spent 6.4 h (45.4%) at 5 lux, 3.0 h (22.1%) at 15 lux, 3.1 h (22.2%) at 30 lux and 1.5 h (10.3%) at 100 lux under light condition; and an accumulation of 10.0 h in darkness (<1 lux) per day. The 10-h dark period was distributed intermittently throughout the day, averaging 25.0 ± 0.4 min per hour. This hourly light-dark rhythm differs from the typical commercial practice of providing continuous dark period for certain part of the day (e.g. 8 h at night). Distributions of daily feed intake (87.3 g/hen) among the different light conditions mirrored the trend of time spent in the respective light intensity, that is, highest at 5 lux (28.4 g/hen, 32.5% daily total) and lowest at 100 lux (5.8 g/hen, 6.7%). Hen-day egg production rate was 96.0%. Most of the eggs were laid in <1 lux (61.9% of total) which was significantly higher than under other light intensities ( P < 0.05). Findings from this study offer insights into preference of fluorescent light intensity by the laying hens. Further studies to assess or verify welfare and performance responses of the hens to the preferred lighting conditions and rhythm over extended periods are recommended.

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Section: Daily Time Spentmentioning

confidence: 96%

Assessment of lighting needs by W-36 laying hens via preference test

Xin

Zhao

et al. 2016

animal

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“…Lighting can have a positive or negative influence on broiler welfare because it affects their behavior. Lighting is widely used for the manipulation of the behavior of meat-type poultry (Nixey, 1994;Lewis et al, 2004;Kristensen et al, 2007). Light distribution, duration, and intensity have a direct effect on flock performance and welfare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lighting in the shackling area: conciliating broiler welfare with labor comfort

Adamczuk

Trentin

Lima

et al. 2014

Rev. Bras. Cienc. Avic.

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The objective of this study was to investigate if blue lighting could reduce broiler stress and comply with legal labor comfort requirements in a new shackling area of a middle-size processing plant. In this study, the old shackling area was compared with the new area, where a blue lighting system was designed and implemented according to the regulations. The old and new areas were video-and audio-recorded during the shackling of 33,850 broilers in each area. Data were statistically analyzed using the non-parametric test of Wilcoxon-MannWhitney (w test).The results indicated 56% reduction in wing-flapping and 3.2% noise reduction in the new area. These results were obtained by increasing 119% lighting at the work stations in the shackling area, allowing workers to handle the birds more carefully, which may improve processing plant productivity. The study demonstrated that it is possible to conciliate better animal welfare with visual comfort for workers in the shackling area.

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“…Factors such as temperature (Kristensen et al 2007) and humidity influence life cycles, reproductive ability, growth rates and thus body weights (BWs) of birds. Direct meteorologic factors affecting birds include, especially, high ambient temperature and relative humidity, and may result in severe heat stress (Ayo et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of strain and sex on the behaviour of free-range slow-growing chickens raised in a hot environment

Mutibvu

Chimonyo

Halimani

2017

Journal of Applied Animal Research

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Behaviour is a good indicator of the well-being of chickens. The objective of the study was to compare foraging behaviour in males and females of three indigenous chicken strains under generally hot freerange conditions. Behavioural activities were monitored in 21-wk-old Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK), Ovambo (OV) and Naked Neck (NN) chickens. Birds were separated by sex and allocated to four pens of Chloris gayana. Three birds per pen were randomly chosen and marked with paint 20 min before observation. Temperature humidity index (THI) was calculated and main effects analysed using the general linear models procedure. Naked Necks spent more time walking than OV and PK. Strain did not affect other behaviours. Females spent more time foraging, while males dominated standing and walking. There was negative correlation between THI and time spent foraging. There was interaction between strain and sex on time spent standing. Foraging and drinking behaviours were more prominent in the morning (07:00 h) and late afternoon (17:00 h) compared to the 12:00-h period, whereas preening and dust-bathing were dominant around mid-day. Strain, sex and THI influence behaviour in free-range chickens. Breeding programmes should be cognizant of these attributes in order to produce hardier birds in view of worsening climatic uncertainties. ARTICLE HISTORY

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The behaviour of broiler chickens in different light sources and illuminances

Cited by 116 publications

References 31 publications

Assessment of lighting needs by W-36 laying hens via preference test

Assessment of lighting needs by W-36 laying hens via preference test

Lighting in the shackling area: conciliating broiler welfare with labor comfort

Effects of strain and sex on the behaviour of free-range slow-growing chickens raised in a hot environment

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