If you’re serious about keeping laying hens for profit then you’d better get serious about supplementing with lighting. A well designed supplementary lighting program can increase egg production by up to 20 per cent, which is no small potatoes in the poultry world.
Often a source of debate between the farmer who would like to simulate a natural life cycle for hens and the farmer who would like to maintain production through the winter months, there is very rarely a consensus between these two schools of thought.
As a small farmer, I can see both points of view. I care for my hens and don’t want to force
An early morning lighting program is preferable for layers. The earlier the lights come on in the morning, the more likely eggs will be laid before noon.
them to lay year-round if it will impact their health. On the other hand, I don’t particularly enjoy feeding them all winter with no financial return.
In the past I’ve been of the ‘no lighting’ school of thought, and willing to absorb the loss of production between December and February. I’m embarrassed to say I made this decision based on nothing more than a vague feeling that year-round laying could be detrimental to livestock quality of life, and a belief that it was really only necessary for large-scale farms where any reduction in production can have a meaningful economic impact.
I started having second thoughts about my decision when a friend, who was new to raising poultry, was showing me his new coop. I saw he had the forethought to include electrical outlets in his design, and I asked if he was planning to add lighting to continue egg production through the winter. His response was: “I don’t know . . . should I?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but shut it again when I realized my ‘vague feeling’ didn’t
It doesn’t take much light to convince hens they should continue laying, enough light to read by is a good rule of thumb but it’s important to ensure that light reaches the main areas of the coop such as the feeder and waterer.
qualify as an informed opinion. When I started digging into the topic I was disappointed to discover how many years I’d wasted in refusing to consider what could have made a difference in my farm’s bottom line.
A little digging turned up some interesting facts. For instance, egg production slows in the fall and winter for a valid reason — to prevent chicks from hatching when survival rates are slim. I also found that while day length may influence a bird’s reproductive system, there is more to it than that: it is also an important factor for metabolic rate, growth and behaviour.
It turns out poultry detect light not only through the eye, but also through the hypothalamus and the pineal gland. The pineal gland, found in the brain, is key to the release of the hormones that control reproduction and circadian rhythms. Birds interpret day length during a photosensitive period, roughly 11 to 16 hours after dawn; whether or not there is light available during this period dictates if hormones will be released to stimulate egg production.
I was also embarrassed to discover that other than a few poultry blogs, there was virtually nothing to back up my belief that lighting programs are harmful to laying hens. In fact, as long as layers are fed appropriately and allowed to moult periodically, there was nothing to suggest any discernable impact to livestock health.
When I shared what I’d learned with my friend, his response was quick: “So we just need to keep a light on in the coop all winter?” Well, no. The answer isn’t that simple.
Implementing a supplementary lighting system
A lighting system can be likened to using a greenhouse to extend the growing season; a necessary evil in today’s economic and environmental climate. Not only can a year-round supply of eggs for either hatching or selling increase demand for your product, but it can also ensure you’re not left turning customers away during the long winter months.
The benefits of artificial lighting for poultry were discovered in the late 1800s, and since then farmers have been working to perfect several factors critical to maximizing egg production, namely: what kind of light, what intensity, how long and when. Each of these will have an impact on production.
The optimal lighting goal for laying hens in the Northern hemisphere is 15 hours per day; anything less will result in decreased reproductive hormones, and a corresponding decrease or cessation in laying. This doesn’t mean that if it’s January and your hens have stopped laying you should run out and put in a light and they’ll start laying again. For best results, lighting needs to be introduced early in the fall — ideally September at the latest — to ensure continued productivity.
The best lighting programs for layers involve extending daylight in the morning to simulate an earlier dawn. Extending lighting in the evening isn’t recommended because plunging poultry into sudden darkness can leave hens stranded in the dark and unable to roost, or worse, create a panic situation resulting in pile-ups or death.
In a free-range situation, lighting should be placed around feeders and waterers with an optimal intensity of approximately 10 Lux, or roughly a 60 watt bulb for each 200 square feet of floor space. If birds are caged it’s important to ensure intensity is in the ideal range at each level of cages. Poultry are especially sensitive to the colour spectrum of lighting so it’s important to use light in the warm tones.
Farmers can choose between fluorescent, compact fluorescent and LED lights. Financially speaking, LEDs not only use less power and last tens of thousands of hours longer than other types of lighting, but they are also easier to manipulate for the colour spectrum best suited for poultry.
When implementing a lighting program don’t begin by just plugging in a light one morning; instead increase daylight by 15 minutes each week until the appropriate number of daylight hours has been reached.
While large poultry farms have benefitted from research coupled with technological advances to create sophisticated lighting systems, it’s more challenging for small farmers to find an appropriately scaled system. That said, it’s not necessary to spend much money on equipment; a small farmer can install a lighting system with something as low-tech as a plug-in timer and a light.
The downside is that unless coupled with a light-sensitive switch, a timer needs frequent adjusting to allow for changes in daylight hours as seasons progress, and is subject to human error. It only takes one day of forgetting to program a timer for layers to fall off production.
Did you know?
- The benefit of artificial lighting was first discovered in 1889 through research carried out by Dr. E.D. Waldorf, a student of natural sciences and practicing physician in Buffalo, NY.
- The light emitted from a heat lamp using a red bulb shouldn’t affect a bird’s perception of day length, but the light from a white bulb can.
- Lighting shouldn’t be introduced for young hens less than 16 weeks of age, as it can stimulate them to enter sexual maturity too early.
- Poultry farmers who keep birds in a windowless coop must carefully condition birds to tolerate sudden periods of darkness in order to prevent panic and death in the event of a power failure.
- A female chick hatches with all the eggs she will ever lay already inside her.
Not just for layers
Lighting supplementation isn’t only for layers, but can also benefit broilers and pullets. While there’s some dissent among commercial growers for optimal lighting programs for broilers, the general consensus is at least a 12-hour period of light in each 24-hour period. The right lighting program is important — low lighting can reduce fighting and cannibalism, but if it’s too low broilers can develop leg issues from inactivity.
- Amy Hogue