The Influence of Intermittent Periods of Light and Dark on the Rate of Growth of Chicks

Effects of Increasing, Decreasing, and Constant Lighting Treatments on Growing Pullets

“…These weight differences were significant at the .001 level. This is similar to the findings of Clegg and Sanford (1951) and Moore (1956) who found that intermittent lighting resulted in larger weight gains in broilers than single light periods.…”

The effect of light on broiler growth

“…The same tendency for the advantage of continuous lighting (or short lightdark cycles) to diminish with age can be seen in the work of Clegg and Sanford (1951), Sweeney (1955) and unpublished experiments at the University of Reading. Moultrie, Mueller and Payne (1954) showed that broilers given widely varying light schedules after 6 weeks of age had similar body weights at 10 and 12 weeks of age.…”

Effects of Background Illumination and Light-Dark Period on Weight Gain in Broilers

“…Inasmuch as the feeding time in both high and low groups was equal, it is probably the effect of the light intensities, presumably by altering activity of the birds, which produced the weight differences (Centa et al, 1968). Clegg and Sanford (1951) feel that if exercise can be prevented, or reduced to a minimum, nutrients received during feeding will be utilized for growth rather than being dissipated as muscular energy. The significance of the lower levels of background intensity in the first analysis of variance are held to be important for this reason.…”

“…This was interpreted as a direct affect upon activity of the birds. Barrot and Pringle (1951), Clegg and Sanford (1951), and Moore (1957) suggest that light-dark periods which provide sufficient time for eating followed by rest periods should make maximum use of nutrients for growth.…”