Light is an important aspect of animal environment as they respond to light energy in numerous ways, including growth and reproductive performance. The importance of regulating the photoperiod has been recognized for many years, and is being used regularly by commercial poultry and livestock farmers. Niche applications enabled by solid-state lighting (SSL) include lighting specific to agriculture, and such applications could yield significant revenue potential.
The demand for food worldwide is expected to double by 2030. To meet that demand, producers are adopting new technologies that will enable them to increase production at a reduced cost with less stress on the environment.Most of these production technologies focus on enhancing traditional inputs such as water, air, nutrients, and housing. One such production input that is largely unexplored is light.Solid-state lighting is being deployed in poultry-rearing applications to both reduce electrical expenses and boost production.The grow light for poultry farming market is boosted by increasing adoption of smart farming practices.
How Lighting Affects in Poultry Production
Researches show that light can have many different effects on behaviour, growth, and reproduction in poultry. While growth and behaviour are linked to retinal photoreception (through their eyes), the reproduction has been linked to extra-retinal photoreceptors (through photosensitive cells in the brain).The sensitivity to spectrum of animals differ from that of humans, and so does their spectral requirements. It has been observed that blue light has a calming effect on birds, whereas red light can be used to reduce cannibalism and feather picking.Birds exposed to red light versus blue, green or white light consistently have higher egg production than the other colour groups.By optimizing the use of spectrum, and modulation in their farms, farmers can create a customized lighting environment for their animals that increases health and wellbeing, thereby enhancing growth. This can also help in minimizing expenditures of energy and feed.
The response to light controls the circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle in the bird’s hormonal and behavioural aspects.Reduction in stress and mortality, circadian rhythm regulation, and increasing the production of eggs, meat, and other protein sources substantially can be fulfilled by utilizing lighting and taking advantage of the unique requirements of poultry, swine, dairy cattle, fish, or crustaceans.
Modern barn lighting systems attempt to mimic the sun’s spectrum, which provides a continuous spectrum containing all colours with no gaps in between.LEDs are the most efficient and environmentally friendly of the agricultural lighting options. The spectrum is near continuouswith especially strong blues, but also ample green and red. They have the longest lifetime, are highly rugged, are not susceptible to shock or vibration, and allow for colour shifting and colour control.
LEDs in poultry farming
Many livestock farmers still utilize general-purpose residential and commercial incandescent lamps in their barns, but incandescent light is not the same as sunlight, and the best light for humans is not necessarily the best light for animals. Animals have evolved living under the sunlight, whose spectrum differs substantially from that of incandescent light. While LEDs hold an advantage over other agricultural lighting options because of their ability to efficiently and accurately replicate sunlight, it is their ability to deliver a customizablespectrum that may be their greatest strength.LEDs have high upfront costs, but these costs are quickly recouped through energy savings, resulting in the lowest total cost of ownership for agricultural lighting options.LED-based technologies can lower luminaire cost, increase musculoskeletal development and weight gain, induce earlier maturity in layer chickens destined to produce eggs, improve feed conversion, alter melatonin production, increase egg ouput and quality, regulate reproductive cycles, and increase length of reproductive life. In the process of exploring compelling science, LED lighting’s economic benefits stretch beyond reduced energy costs to truly produce positive results, and therefore, enhanced revenuein poultry management and production.
ConclusionOn-farm lighting is a significant portion of overall energy consumption.The energy-efficient, narrow-band emission of LED sources makes the lighting technology valuable in life science applications.What suppliers and consumers (e.g., farmers) of agricultural lighting products need is a program that rates lighting products specifically with regard to agricultural performance. The development and refinement of LED technology to meet the lighting needs of the poultry industry over the last decade have been remarkable, which is further boosting the grow light for poultry farming market. The majority of R&D efforts are focusing initially on the poultry processing market. The poultry industry is pretty conservative and it has taken a while for it to become comfortable with LED technology. However, the industry is increasingly embracing LED technology and the energy savings it offers poultry producers.
