Application of Led Light for Chickens Lighting
Directory:
1. Introduction
2. Light Sources Currently Utilized in the Laying Hen Breeding Industry
3. Cost Analysis of Various Lighting Options
4. The effect of various light sources on chicken growth and production performance
5. The effects of various light sources on the health of laying hens
6. The benefits of LED lamps in practical production operations
Artificial lighting plays a crucial role in managing the environment for laying hen farms. Selecting the appropriate lamp type and implementing a scientifically sound chicken lighting system—considering factors like lighting rhythm and intensity—can significantly enhance the growth and development of laying hens, boost production performance, ensure animal welfare, and conserve energy. This is particularly important as large-scale, intensive farming practices become more common, with closed chicken houses relying solely on artificial lighting for illumination.
Historically, the artificial light sources used in poultry farming have been energy-intensive and have struggled to provide the specific light quality that laying hens require for optimal physiological health, which can negatively impact their production efficiency. Traditional options like incandescent and fluorescent lamps have been less than ideal. However, ongoing research by experts into the link between energy-efficient lighting and laying hen productivity has introduced LED lamps into the industry. Studies have focused on various technical indicators related to the growth, feeding behavior, and reproductive performance of laying hens under LED lighting. Findings indicate that properly adjusted LED lighting can greatly enhance the production performance of laying hens while also supporting their growth and immune health.
1. Introduction
Modern poultry farming relies on four key elements: water, feed, ventilation, and light. While light is recognized as one of these essential components, it has historically been overlooked. This oversight can be traced back to the early days of the poultry industry in the last century, which primarily consisted of small family-run farms with basic breeding equipment and minimal mechanization, relying mostly on natural light supplemented by artificial sources as needed to save costs.
As the breeding industry has evolved and expanded, the limitations of the natural and artificial lighting combination have become more apparent. The structure of open chicken houses means that the microenvironment inside can fluctuate with external conditions, leading to inconsistent production performance. For instance, on sunny days, excessive light near windows can cause chickens to peck at each other, increasing mortality rates. Conversely, on cloudy days, insufficient light in larger chicken houses can reduce feeding and egg-laying.
In contrast, closed chicken houses offer a more stable microenvironment, allowing chickens to perform optimally. These closed systems create a more independent environment, minimizing external influences and necessitating stricter control over internal conditions. This includes precise management of temperature, humidity, and ventilation, as well as the installation of an effective artificial chicken lighting system that ensures uniform distribution, appropriate brightness, and accurate control. Currently, the poultry industry commonly uses various artificial light sources, including incandescent bulbs, energy-saving lamps, and LEDs.
2. Light Sources Currently Utilized in the Laying Hen Breeding Industry
2.1 Incandescent Lamps
Incandescent lamps were the first type of chicken lighting used in laying hen farms. They operate by heating a filament until it glows, producing light through thermoelectric radiation. These lamps have several advantages: they are inexpensive, compact, versatile, quick to start, and emit light that closely resembles sunlight, with good color rendering and a uniform spectrum. Consequently, they were widely adopted in the early days of laying hen farming. However, they are inefficient, converting only about 2% of the electrical energy consumed into light, with the remainder lost as heat. Additionally, the filament's high temperature leads to rapid evaporation, significantly reducing its lifespan, which averages around 1.000 hours. Currently, there is a global push for energy conservation and emission reduction. Since the 1990s, China has promoted green lighting initiatives, and public awareness of energy-saving practices has grown annually. In 2011. China introduced the "Incandescent Lamp Elimination Route," leading to a gradual phase-out of these high-energy-consuming products from everyday life.
2.2 Energy-Saving Lamps
Energy-saving lamps represent the second generation of lighting used in egg-laying chicken farms. These lamps are integrated devices that combine fluorescent bulbs with ballasts (stabilizers). Compared to incandescent lamps, energy-saving lamps offer several benefits, including a longer lifespan, lower energy consumption, higher luminous efficiency, cooler operating temperatures, and reasonable pricing. Their compact design allows for a luminous efficiency of up to 60 lumens per watt, resulting in over 80% energy savings compared to incandescent lamps, while their cost is similar. As a result, these lamps are suitable for use in typical family-run livestock and poultry farms, particularly in semi-open chicken houses.
The lifespan of energy-saving lamps is influenced by the quality of lamp tubes and electronic ballasts. If these components are not properly managed during design, material selection, and manufacturing, it can lead to variations in product quality. This issue is particularly prevalent in rural areas, where a significant number of low-quality, inexpensive energy-saving lamps are available. Additionally, farmers often struggle to differentiate between products, making standard energy-saving lamps inadequate for their production needs.
2.3 LED Lamps
LED lamps represent the most advanced chicken lighting option currently utilized in egg-laying chicken production. They convert electrical energy into visible light using semiconductor technology. After some time, the egg-laying chicken breeding industry has fully adopted LED technology and its energy-saving advantages. The ongoing improvements in LED technology have increasingly satisfied the chicken lighting requirements.
Among the various lighting options, LED lamps consume the least energy, using only 1/10 of the energy of incandescent bulbs and 1/4 of that of energy-saving lamps. However, their lifespan is significantly longer, lasting 100 times longer than incandescent bulbs and 10 times longer than energy-saving lamps. Being solid-state and classified as cold light sources, LEDs can be installed in compact, enclosed spaces, are resistant to vibrations, and do not suffer from issues like filament burnout, heat buildup, or light degradation. From a visual perspective, chickens are particularly sensitive to light; LED lights enhance the light-emitting surface, reduce glare, improve visual quality, and alleviate visual fatigue. Furthermore, in environments with high dust and humidity, LED lights require much less maintenance compared to incandescent and energy-saving lamps.
3. Cost Analysis of Various Lighting Options
Using a typical chicken coop housing 10.000 chickens as a case study, we compare three types of light sources based on factors such as power, unit cost, lifespan, associated expenses, and energy consumption (refer to the table below). The data indicates that while the initial investment for LED lights is higher than that of incandescent and energy-saving bulbs, their long lifespan and efficiency result in significantly lower operational and maintenance costs over time. For this example, the chicken coop measures 65 meters in length and 14 meters in width, featuring 5 rows of light bulbs spaced 3 meters apart, totaling 108 bulbs per coop. The standard lighting duration is 16 hours daily, with an electricity cost of 0.7 yuan per kilowatt.
The table indicates that the yearly expense for using incandescent bulbs in a chicken coop housing 10.000 chickens amounts to 11.478 yuan, while the cost for energy-saving bulbs is 4.503 yuan. In contrast, utilizing LED bulbs reduces the annual cost to just 2.333 yuan, clearly demonstrating a significant cost advantage.
4. The effect of various light sources on chicken growth and production performance
Laying hens possess a unique visual system that makes them particularly sensitive to light. Different light exposures can lead to alterations in certain biochemical markers and nutrient absorption, ultimately influencing the growth and production capabilities of the chickens. Research has shown that blue and green light can enhance chicken growth, while orange and red light can improve reproductive performance. Red light is known to have a calming effect, which can help reduce pecking behavior among chickens. Using a specific light source can also increase the survival rate of young hens. In theory, this means that laying hens will produce eggs more effectively, and the quality of the eggs will improve. Therefore, in addition to providing essential visible light for the flock, the spectral characteristics of artificial light sources can also impact the chickens. Studies have demonstrated that different light spectra can have varying effects on laying hens. Some spectra promote growth and production, while others may be inhibitory or harmful. OLED lamps can be adjusted to emit specific spectra that cater to the growth and production needs of the flock, enhancing beneficial spectra and diminishing those that are not advantageous, thereby boosting the flock's production performance.
5. The effects of various light sources on the health of laying hens
Currently available energy-saving lamps are vacuum devices that require the injection of fluorescent mercury to produce light, which results in the emission of ultraviolet and infrared rays. Research indicates that the amount of ultraviolet light absorbed by the body from fluorescent lamps in a single day is comparable to one hour of sun exposure. Ultraviolet radiation can harm the human immune system, eliminate white blood cells, and damage the chemical bonds between nucleic acids and proteins, potentially leading to genetic mutations. In contrast, LED lamps emit light through diodes and do not produce ultraviolet or infrared rays, making them a safe light source for both humans and animals.
Furthermore, the operational conditions of fluorescent, energy-saving, and LED lamps differ, leading to variations in the ionizing radiation they emit. Fluorescent and energy-saving lamps operate at high frequency and high voltage, which can expose chickens to varying levels of electromagnetic radiation. On the other hand, LED lamps function using direct current and low voltage, generating no electromagnetic radiation and posing no harm to humans or chickens. They are recognized globally as a healthy lighting option.
Energy-saving lamp tubes require the addition of harmful substances like fluorescent powder and mercury during production. When discarded, these materials can significantly pollute the environment. The European Union has implemented regulations on harmful substances in energy-saving lamps and established a production responsibility system. In contrast, LED lamps are made from semiconductor materials, are non-vacuum, and do not contain pollutants such as lead or mercury. Their waste can be recycled, resulting in no environmental pollution, making LED lamps a more eco-friendly option that is acknowledged as such by the international community.
6. The benefits of LED lamps in practical production operations
LED lamps offer the flexibility to adjust light intensity and duration based on the growth and production requirements of the chicken flock, whereas incandescent and energy-saving lamps have fixed light intensities. Adjusting the light intensity for these traditional lamps requires changing bulbs of different wattages, which increases labor demands and can stress the chickens. Additionally, the abrupt switching of artificial light sources can also be stressful for the flock. In contrast, LED lamps can be programmed to gradually brighten and dim, mimicking natural light conditions, allowing the chickens to adapt and reducing stress levels.
7. Related Products
The D80 Poultry Lighting Bulb is engineered to provide a high-performance, stress-free lighting solution that supports healthy poultry growth while ensuring energy efficiency and ease of maintenance.
7.2 poultry light T5
T5 LED Poultry Lighting System provides solution for chickens to increase egg output, lower mortality, longer peak production period and improve animal welfare. By using intelligent poultry LED lighting system for raising chickens, it is beneficial for higher quantity and quality of eggs, maturity at a faster rate and higher standard of health, compared with way of chicken raised under traditional light sources.
7.3 poultry light T8
T8 LED Poultry lighting system provides solution for chickens to increase egg output, lower mortality, longer peak production period and improve animal welfare. By using intelligent poultry LED lighting system for raising chickens, it is beneficial for higher quantity and quality of eggs, maturity at a faster rate and higher standard of health, compared with way of chicken raised under traditional light sources.
8. Related Solution & Science
Ceramiclite is dedicated to providing innovative intelligent lighting solutions, particularly in the field of livestock lighting. Providing refined and optimized lighting solutions tailored to the physiological needs and growth environments of various animals.
Light levels (intensity or illuminance) and the duration of light (photoperiod) are important factors in poultry production. Intensity has an effect on cannibalism and aggressionI along with feed and water intakeI while photoperiod influences reproductive and egg production cyclesI total feed intakeI and growth rate.